The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-10-27
Heartiness Of the Sincere Welcome
Given the Stranger Within
Their Gates.
Untroubled Life Of the Content
Dweller in the Valley Of
the Srath.
First A merican Ever Seen in the Valley
Grandeur Of the Scenery-McWhir-
ter's Landscape.

IN earnest welcome that came to me from
the indwellers At the sweet old lonely manse
of Fasnakyle in the heart of grand Htrath-
glass among the grim peaks Of northern
Scotland. Though the night was already
falling like dark wing from the crags q
We descended from the staae-coach, th,
situation and surroundings Of the mans,
could be vaguely discerned. The grea
strath stretched east and west for half
days journey in front. The river Glass
from whence Strathglass derives it, name
swept by the very edge Of the coach road
beside us with strong, even how, and q sor'
of half roar and song over it, level though
rocky bed. Behind, to the north, perhaps
q dozen acres of land, part Of which b.
longed to the manse, was formed in sorl
of. horse shoe-like pocket, or dell
behind which rose tho mountains
TO lofty heiRhts, and down WHOSE
burns. came melodious rills, which here and
there, beneath the road. leaped and tum-
BLEED into the Glass below. Larches grim,
tall and wraith-like in the shadows half hid
tie Manse and its low stone out-buildings
and the lights streaming through the great
see e. of waving larch and happy chill
dren along the walks of gravel white al
snow.
There in the great door were the house.
hold members, all gathered for the coming
of their head and the stranger. The Raid-
wife first, fine and tall, grand in the ply
sique Of the old Morse race from which she
Then came the minister's assistant, pure
Gael, tall, huge and angular, but with a
manhood in his face and grasp in his hand
which did one good to see and feel. Then,
two donestics. shy, .voiceless. Highland
girls. who knew little of English,
and the Aaxen-halred BARNS in every
attitude and place beamed kindness
and welcome. Soon supper is served in the
ro0my dining-room, off the great hall.
This room also answers for the two clerics'
study and library. In the few minutes in
tervening between our arrival and the meal,
the five BARNS ebbulant with life and Joy
business have babe the stranger goodnight,
and are hushed in slumber. The ministers
assistant says grace with that honesty OF
faith and feeling that thrills to ones heart
as genuine blessing. The meal, modest
enough in itself, yet delicious in its snowy
scenes, crisp bacon, fresh-laid eggs, and
honest Highland cream and butter, Is given
the sparkling zest of perfect hospitality de-
void of offensive protestation, and that
sweetest of all converse issuing from pure
hearts, healthful bodies and cultured in
tellects; and is all too short after an
hours duration. Then the guidwife ex-
cuses herself for bit, the shy domes-
tics enter and remove the cloth and be.
lOnginQs; and then, oh. horror to the super
sensitive! some good old honest Highland
pipes, black as the night behind the window
panes are brought; and in the ''auid reekie''
of their rings and wreaths two hours come
and go in talk and tales of the North 50
swiftly that ten O'Clock has come, and the
cloth is again laid by the silent landmarks,
before we are aware. Then the Quidwife
returns and ''porridge," hot, steaming hot,
with pints and pints of cream, are served.
This disposed, the shy maidens return,
each with a book in her hand. They seat
themselves, and ] am handed similar
being "rhe Psalms in Metre, with the Para
phrases, and Selection of the Prose
Psalms." The book il cut entirely through
the contents, between the covers, the "Sol-
Fa" system of notes being printed at the
top. and the paraphrases beneath. Sud-
denly to me strange threnody filled the
room. Five treble voices had broken forth
into a most impressive chant:
M I'd f. D me- r:t, | DIR t. 4 etc
I: The HEAVIER MS declare the glory Of God; i
nd the trina gent showetn his hsndiwork..
2 Day unto day utter eth speech, and night
unto night. showeth knowledge
and thus with quaver, rapid utterance of
sustained notes, and with frequent solemn
pauses, they swept through the fourteen
verses of Hpalm KIN.
Then, after this weird and joyous canti-
Gle. followed prayer by the minister Of
Fasnakyle. It was none of your hating,
limping, rheumatic prayers that 60 by fits
snssisS EaSsnS p.s1ss
full Of fervor. vigor. spirit, which filed the
whole manee with both sound and bright
ness. even As these mountain torrents roar
and fash and echo through their mighty
RorRes and glens: and If pilgrim writer
ever got notice whers prayer 10 heard and
tention directed to his needs this hosritable
night. Then, with hand grasps all around,
the host and hostess not forgetting their
silent hand-maids in the good night cere-
mony. the inmates of the manss separated.
In my great chamber that night even
with the larches beating grewsomely at the
windows, and the highland winds whis
thing 80 wildly down the passes that the
house shook and the chimnies creaked
above and souRhed drearily in their fire.
places beneath, passed from conscious
ness to sleep with the one thought above
all: that the far away world and it's grind
ing activities hold nought in all their
tent, peace and faith beneath the roof OF
this one lonely highland manse.
There is something positively bewitoh-
ing in digging out the meaning of the old
Gaelic names of things and places, still re-
tanned in the every day topography Of SCOT
land. The beauty and expressiveness OF
their application are remarkable. Take
the single word strath as an example.
6trath is English for the Gaelic srath. Il
means q valley. But it means still moro.
1t is a valley confined by hills OF
mountains on either aide, through which
. river runs Then TO any one who
how perfect In description, covering whole
necessary sentences iA our own language,
are the compact suhixes. Stranraer, In
Wigtown, from Srath-an-radhair. 10 the
valley Of good grass or pasture. Strathgroy
in Perthshire. from 6rathdhruidh, IL the
valley where the Druids dwell. Strachur,
in Argyle, was once Hrath-a-choire. or val
ley of the ravine. 6trathcrombel, in Ross
shire. il from Srath-orom-beul, or the val.
ley Of the curved opening, an exact descrip
ti0n in the feWeet possible words. Their
there d 6trathhrock. in Linlitheow-s shire, il
from Srath-a-bhruic. the valley of badgers.
6trathbran. found both in the shires Of
Perth and Roes. vas in Gaelic, Srath-
Craoin, or valley of the dropping or driz.
cling. showere- Again. in Ferthahire, il
and beautiful valley. and Strathtummsl
valley Of tbs Asrcs stream or torrent
And hare, away In The RAGGED northern edes
Of the shire OF Inverness, Il this wonderful
9trathslass to The Gssls etathalasa, theil
gray valley" gray in the skies above it
gray In it, valIsy- bed where the stuhbls
4elds, banks Of clay and dreamful rivel
blond; gray. deapite the spaAtchea of Grim.