Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1890-06-03
THE GHAIST o. GHAIRLEE.

The incident l am about TO relate Oc-
CURED to myself when on a visit to an
old house far in the wilds of Rosshire.
Scotland is the land of visions Few are.
the places that have not some tradition at
tached to them. Gloomy and grim stand
the old houses, and there is cause for
their forbidding aspect. The sullen
shadow of past crimes hangs over them.
Last autumn was invited by my dear
old friend, the Laird o. Ghairlee. to make
one of a shooting party assembling there.
Sport is good there, if anywhere; and,
moreover, the laird had a covey of pretty
daughters, who would be sure to make
things lively and pleasant.
arrived, then, at Ghairlee Station full
of hope and preparation for enjoyment.
brought with me my guns and my be-
loved violin, without which never
travel.
Ghairlee itself is curious old house;
the passages run about 1t In an extremely
complicated fashion, up one step to d
room, down two steps into it, and so on.
The hall is q portion of the old tower,
the walls of immense thickness. Many
additions have been made by different
lairds long since gathered to their fathers.
did not see all this the night of my
arrival-in sooth, it was so dark that
could distinguish very little as the dog
cart spun UP the avenue, but did notice
the black mass on my left as we turned
very sharp corner round block of
buildings, and on my right sullen roar
as if angry waters boiled over in torrent
to dash upon rocks in the dark depths
far. far below.
The next moment we drew up before
the door, barred and studded with great
iron nails. Light was pouring from the
hall, and the laird stood in the doorway,
surrounded by a bowling bodyguard of
terriers
"Whist, dogs Come in, ladder
And my old friend gathered me into
his ancestral hall with Highland hospi-
tality. Wepassed up low stairway and
across thickly carpeted corridor fur
nished with strange pieces of antique
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS cabinets and
carved chairs, from which uncanny faces
leered in the freight. The drawing
room was at the far end, and there were
again two or three steps leading to it
alone BY the side Of those steps, and
against the wall, stood fine old press of
marguerite quantity inlaid, and used, as
/ afterward learned, for the slowing
away of odds and ends Of nothing and
all things It was here that my violin
soon found place, and laid it in its
modern embroidered case by the side of
quaint old lutte about which was twisted
faded, motheaten ribbon.
"This," said the laird's pretty daugh-
ter, touching it reverently, has its his
tory. We keep it here pretty as it is
because none of us like 10 look on it. !"
But all this belongs elsewhere in my
story.
Report had not exaggerated thecharms
of the old Iaird's daughters. Four Of
them he had-the youngest charming
child; the eldest already appropriated.
But there remained the adorable second
and the exquisite third, and after day
of painful uncertainty fell before the
first of those two, who was called by the
tuneful name Of Mavis, and who had a
musical fever akin 70 my own. Together
wetrilled and tzmmed and turned leaves
and played love songs and madrigals,
serenades, and sonatas, and when we did
not talk music We taiked-ahs well suf-
fice it to say that the days hurried by
and the weeks ,dew after them, and had
been guest at Ghairiee nigh on to .
second month, and my heart belonged to
Mavis.
The cream of the shooting was over
and the party much diminished. One OK
two men only remained besides myself,
and pretty young woman-a neighbor
Of the laird's, who had come for two
weeks visit. We were gathered In the
drawing room, and somebody asked for
music.
went out to the fire-lighted hall to
the old cabinet to get my violin, and
Mavis went with me. We fingered thera
moment. Just for the sake az Iin0arinn