, 1890-10-09
IN "+.AULD .REEKIE."
A Land of Alternate Sun
and Mist.
THE LOVELY VALE OF TWEED
Its Fine Old Orchards and Quaint
'Villages--A Pen Picture
of Gattonside.

Is the month OF silence among the
birds OF Scotland. You see all man
ner of them here aud there flying
lnzily close to the earth, or ruminat-
ingly poised upon swaying boughs
as If overcome with pensiveness and
melancholy. The consciousness OF
this autumnal silence Of the song
sters comes upon you suddenly rs
you tramp by hedge and field along
these grand old scottish ways. You
turn aside with IN impulse to dis
cover in the forest IL ID bc u seeming
ora reality. Leaping wall which
separates you from coppice, already
tinted with the first delicate pencil
ing, of the frost, and plunging
among the brush and brambies at
its edge, you find ragged hollow.
This can he clearly traced, straight
as an arrow, Tor a long distance.
There is IA wonderful fascination
in this bramble-coSered swale.
You pother about 1t for n lit
tie and find 1t paved with huge
stones. More digging discloses
solid walls set beneath the rubbish
ut its sides. You have discovered
an old Roman road. The sea it.
self hardly broke the line Of this
stout old artery. along which once
surped the iron blood of Rome.
A DREAM or THE FAST.
Stern Agricola rode at the head
OF his legions past the very spot
on which you are standing. Al
most ceaseless tides of warriors
swept over this road to Mons Gram
pus, that 10000 slain and stark Cal
edonian barbariaus might form an
impassable wall To the mist
wreathed mountains beyond.
Eighteen hundred years have
passed since jealous Domitian re.
called To- Rome this invincible lead
er Of stcel-mailed slaughterers, and
the glowing pen of Tacitus told the
surpassing bravery of the skin clad
Northmen who fell beneath his
onslaug hts; but as you liuger upon
the old Roman road, dreaming un-
Ill the sun Is almost level with the
fur mountain-tops, naming their
blue heather marvolously, count
less wraiths pass and re-
pass In olden battle array. Then
that 1t Is the nineteenth and not the
first century upon which the sun is
shining is recalled To you by the face
of keenly observant but solemn
collie dog breaking between some
clumps of golden broom above your
head He has been minding flock
ofsheep, grazing yonder on the brpe-
side; aud he has stepped aside for n
moment to interrupt your vagarious
fancies about Agricola and oil the
other grim old fellows of his blood
letting time, and to study your in
tentions and possibly examine your
creden tials. You beg his pardon
for the trespassi leap the wall to the
highway again; gaze back down the
vall4y spon score of rcd-roofcd
hamleis; push forward to the way
eide inn where you ure 10 tarry, and,
between the walls of its huge cham
her, YOU march In dreams from the
Seven Hills to the Grampians, with
mailed hosts and forests of spears,
along that old Roman road through
out the livelong night. .-"' s
.t. IN MIST AND FOO. .. t.'.
Nature wears other aspects than
those of sunshine aud gladness in
Scotland. The rain falls as though
tuulblcd upon you by mischicvous
elves who have watched for your
unwary coming: and the fog and
mist flap about the mountains and
slap the face of the glens and val
eys like ships unstayed sails
pounding its deck In II storm. But
you find "a sovereignty of elation
and eXaltation in wandering alone
among the scenic glories of any
land; even In Scotland through q
mist thick as Strathglass porridge.
a good staff or stick, II stout pair of
legs, II receptive mind, and above all
chcery and sympathetic heart,
whatever your luck, are the regal
companions for such loiterings. Ma
turc never fails to appear to single
dcvotecs at her myriad doors and
windows, ever shut to noisy crowds,
with radiant welcomings. How
witching the morning is, half
disclosing the wondrons charms
OF valley, haugh, loch, river,
glen and nountain! At times
tCifCely can your mana ne seen pe-
fore you for the strange eddies,
curlmgs aui fantastic convolutions
of the fog, There Is your road, cen-
turtles old and as hard as Scotch
wit, beneath your feet. You can
not mistake that. What Is to the
right or left, or before, only your
fancy, Quickened' by the mornings
awakening life, intensified by near
and far mysterious sounds can To-
cate and divine. g. Tramp, tramp,
tramp, bravely as you may, these
grow iuto consciousness so impera-
tive of recognition, that, despite
yourself, ever and again you stop to
listen, listen. i'u no 40" : tt"
INVISIBLE wrTcHERrEs. 20"
Drip, drip, drip, from the leaves
of the hedges into water-basins of
rock, the great drops striking like
silver pellets upon swinging glass;
until the very chimes of the fairies
are rung in your, ears beside the
road. Not rod away, but invisible,
rlvulets of the nights making VIM
pie from rocks to pools, from the
staccato of tenor triils to the bari
tone minors of stately psalnis. Inst