The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-01-27
THE TRUE STORY OF TAM o'SaAN-
TER,

/
the finest productions of Burns. It abounds
IN passages of great beauty and elegance.
| Though unequal, like many other works of
real merit, it has in il here and there lines
| perhaps too coarse and crude for the
magnificent context in which they are found.
The homeliness OF the incidents described,
the commonplace character OF the hero of
the piece and his associates only serve to
show the brightness OF that genius which
has thrown around such ordinary events and
persOnages the charm of its attractions.
An Ayrshire farmer OF very conyivial
habits. but blest with canny wife and
trusty mare, finds himself belated at the
| county town on the winter evening of
market day. He is at the inn where he has
often been before. A warm fire is blazing
on the ample hearth. The potations are
abundant and cheering. An old acquaint-
ance, an excellent bsoR-companion and story
teller, hobnobs with him. The landlord and
his spouse soon join these joyial comrades
and readily lend their aid in adding to the
merriment and the score. Under such genial
| auspices it was no wonder that the worthy
| ploughman forgot the long Scotch miles
between him and his home, his
anxious wife watching for his return,
and even his gray mare Meg, hitched, no
doubt, to a post hard by in the street,
awaiting in mute patience the pleasure of
1 her thoughtleSs master. The fun inside,
however became in time rather loud. The
noise had attracted the attention of all the
idle lads in the neighborhood, who noticed
the farmer Tapped in the careless revels of
1 the tap-room, and in pure mischief were
minded to give him dolorous lesson. They
| slipped slyly in the dark upon faithful Meg,
and with a single well directed cut cleayed
off her ''gude gray tail" Doubtless the
faithful animal complained loudly OF the
| robbery at the time, but her "eldritch
screech" was drowned by the tumult of the
storm without and the good cheer within.
The mirth ran on until the time came that
| black hour, 1.-THE keystone OF the night"
when Tam must ride.
We feel quite sure that the landlord and
| his ancient crony, Souter Johnny, accom-
panied Dir. O'Shanter to his beast and as
sisted him to mount: not to have done so
were a sin against good-fellowship, in those
days, seldom committed. We may depend
upon il that the inn-keeper carried his Ian
tern with him. and that all three became
soon well aware of poor Meas misfortune.
! But neither the poet nor the other people
interested say a word about the disaster
at the time it was noticed-the poet
because he cared not to impair the pictur-
esque tradition OF such an ''ow'er true
| tale" by rough touch of the real; the
! landlord, because he did not wish to mar the
good fame of his house by the news tina
such a calamity had happened to one OF his
| guests; the SOuter, from maudlin sympa-
thy. with the host, the mare and her master,
! and Tam. from the mere stupOr OF a some
| aInaZelnent al
! and the real state of the matter was care
fully hushed up, both then and since.
When the poor sinner. Tam" took the
road at midnight, it is said he held fast his
| blue bonnet and hummed to himself the
! words of some old Scotch ballad for company
! by the way. These things he would do al
| most uncOnsciouSly, but what chiefly Occu-
| pied his mind was this: how he should ever
| account to the guide" wife at home for the
| loss which had befallen his favorite mare.
So when ne had thoroughly reflected upon
| this soreiy yexing subject, an idea flashed
| all at once upon him of deliyerance from
this perplexity. The darkness of the night,
| the violence of the storm, favored his plan
| exceedingly. He knew that he had to pass on
the road the old haunted Church-that
| iRst before reaching his house he must cross
the bridge over the Doom, so as he was near
ing il he put Meg to her speedy utmost.
| Dashing through the wind and rain with
terrible clatter, over the bridge he rode and
| thence home as fast as the mare could carry
| him His wife heard the noise OF hOOfs
upon the bridge. She waiting at the
haif-opened door with the lamp in her hand,
perhaps in her alarm expecting to see the
horse without rider. The husband.
breathless. dismounts. He tells her of
the wonderful sights he had seen,
| of Kirk Alloway call in a bleeze" OF the
crowd of witches and warlocks who had pur-
sued him, of his gaining the middle of the
running stream, and of his lucky escape
from such dangers, with the trifing loss of
Maggie's tail. The good-natured woman's
wrath, warmly nursed as it had been. ebbed
quite away at this recital. She was too well
acquainted with the lore of the countryside
to doubt the circumstance of the witches
dance, their anger at being interrupted. and
the subsequent pursuit Instead of deliver
ing the curtain lecture, 1.-The counsels
dreaded by her husband. she
welcomed him warmly as one who had been
rescued from so grave perIls, and joined him
in his praises of Megs speed and of the
bridge over Doom. which had saved him
from the hands OF the evil sprites who had
given him such a terrible chase. Nor did
she once think to ask what had detained him
so long at Ayr, or why he HAD not left town
earlier in the evening.
Odt of this hasty, meager, and, we are
| bound to say, utterly untruthful account of
his benighted Journey homeward given by
] ~ t71idnttf ~ MS WIG hdtc, the pOtA Sltn.
Yet, with all his falsehood and evasion. the
hero retains our sympathy to the end.
Tam. overcome in his cups griey0lsly
burt is still Cassie; not Iago. The man
in all this cherishes certain
stout-hearted purpose. the most perfect
loyalty to his wife and household. For this
he abandoned the inn with its allurements
brayed the dangers of the way, even Kate s
displeasure, rather than fail in his expected
return.
But, IL may be asked, why make this ruth
less and arid dissection OF a poets theme?
The answer is that the precise truth as here
related greatly increases our admiration of
the writer's powers. and largely adds to the
very serious moral of the story. For
Tam OShanter is lnuci tenn
perance tale, y as any of those OF
r. s. Arthur. To be sure il is
Gambrinns extolling the virtues Of sobriety
but even he may be heard, and With profit.
The first glow Of the enchsnter's goblet Is
delishtfui-yct remember. Eye may buy
! the joys Ger dear" Tam 0'Shanters ride