The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-08-12
A Year in advance.
gnetical.
BEING HIS MOTHER.

! JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY.
miscellaneous.
Widow Simpsons Spoons.
| The parish of Bathgate, in Linlith-
| gowshire, ought to be reckoned among
! the classic spots of Scotland, mas
much as it formed part of the dowry
which Robert the Bruce bestowed
on his eldest daughter Margery when
she married Walter, the High Steward
! OF Scotland, and thus became the pro-
genitrix of the royal and unlucky
house of Stuart. Lying midway be
! tween Edinburgh and Glasgow, those
rival queens of the East and West.
| but out of the common track of traffic
and travel, it has been for ages a pas
| toral parish of small and rather back
ward farms.
| Among its peaceable and industrious
population was a dame, who, though
neither the wealthiest or the best born
! stood, III her own esteem. above all
! but the laird and minister, and her
style and title was Widow Simpson.
! This lady valued herself not on the
| farm left her by the good man who
! had departed this life some seven
| years before the commencement of
| our story, for its acres were few and
they consisted of half-reclaimed moor
land not on her grown-up son Robin,
though he was counted likely and
| sensible lad not on her thrifty house
keeping, though it was known to be
on the "tlght-screw" principle but on
/ q # II
| spoons. Her account of them was that
they had belonged to the young Chev-
alier, and had been bestowed upon
her grandfather in return for enter
tanning that claimant to the British
crown on his march from CulIoden-
in proof of which she was accustomed
| to point out half obliterated crest
| and the initials c. S., with which
| they were marked. The widows
neighbors, however, had a different
| tale regarding their coming into the
family
1t was to the effect that her grand
father, who kept a small inn some
where in Fife, had bought them from
an ill-doing laird for three gallons of
Highland whisky, and bestowed them
on his granddaughter, as one most
likely to hold fast to such an import
! ant acquisition.
| In the family resided, in the capac-
| ity of help" one Nancy Campbell, a
girl about nineteen, who was suspect
| ed of having taken fancy to Robin,
who reciprocated the sentiment
| Nothing, however, would soften the
| heart of the widow as regards match
until at last the following event occur
red and caused her to give way.
About the haymaking time a distant
and comparatively rich relation was
| expected to call and take tea one ev-
enIng on his way from Linlithgow
1t was not often that this superior rel
! ative honored her house with visit.
! and Mrs. Simpson determined that
nothing should be wanting to his en-
! tertainment, brought out the treasur-
ed spoons early in the forenoon, with
many injunctions to Nancy touching
the care she should take in brighten
J ing them up. While this operation
was being conducted in the kitchen,
| in the midst of one of these uncertain
days which vary the Northern June,
| a sudden darkening of the sky an
| nounced the approach of heavy rain
! The hay was dry and ready for hous-
! ing. Robin and the two farm hands
were busy gathering it in, but the
| great drops began to fall while con-
! siderable portion yet remained in the
field, and, with the instinct of crop
| preservation, forth rushed the wide W,
| followed by Nancy, leaving the spoons
| half secured on the kitchen table. In
her rapid exit the girl had forgotten
! to latch the door. The weasel and the
! kite were the only depredators known
| about the moorland farm but while
they were all occupied in the hay
! field who should come that way but a
beggar called Geordy Wilson.
| Well, the kitchen door was open,
and Geordy stepped in. He banged
the settle with his staff, he coughed,
he hemmed, he saluted the cat, which
sat purring on the window-seat, and
at length discovered there was no one
| within. Neither meal nor penny was
to be expected that day; the rain was
growing heavier, some of the hay
must be wet, and Mrs. Simpson would
return in bad humor. But two objects
/ powerfully arrested Geordy's atten-
! ton; one was the broth pot boiling on
! the fire, and the other the silver
| scattered on the table. Bending over
! the former Geordy took IL consider
able sniff, gave the ingredients stir
t with the pot stick and muttered,
Very thin" His proceeding with
regard to the latter must remain I'M
mentioned, but, half an hour after,
when he was safely ensconsed in a
+! farmhouse mile off, and the family
: had been driven indoors by the ever
increasing storm. they found every
f, thing as it had been left-tho broth
on the fire, the cat on the window
seat, the whiting and flannel on the
! table :; but not a spoon was there.
'Whar's the spoons?' cried Mrs.
Simpson 10 the entire family, who
stood by the fire drying their wet gar
nents. Nobody could tell. Nancy
| had left them on the table when she
ran to the hay. No one had been in
the house, they were certain, for moth
ing was disturbed. The drawer was
pulled out and the empty stocking ex-
hibited. Every shelf, every corner
[ was searched, but to no purpose. The
spoons had disappeared, and the state
of the farm house may be imagined.
The widow ran through it like one
distracted. questioning, scolding and
searching. Robin, Nancy, and the
farm men were dispatched in different
directions as soon rs the rain abated
to inform the neighbors, under the
supposition that some strolling beg
gar and gypsy might have carried off
the treasure and would attempt to dis
pose of it in the parish. Nobody
thought of Geordy Wilson. He had
not been seen from the bayfield, his
circuits were wide his visits to any
house were not frequent; and if he
avoided Widow Simpsons from the
day of her loss, it was believed Geordy
knew that neither her temper nor her
liberality would be improved by that
circumstance. Lost the spoons were
beyond doubt, and the widow bade
fair to lose her S. nses. The rich rela-
ton came at his appointed time, and
had such tea that he vowed never
again to trust himself in the house of
his entertainer But the search went
on rabbits holes were looked into for
the missing silver, and active boys
were bribed to turn out magpies'
nests. Wells and barns in the neigh
borhood were explored. The criers of
the three nearest parishes were EN-
ployed to proclaim the loss it was
regularly advertised at kirkgate and
market place and Mrs. Simpson be-
gan to talk of getting out a search
warrant for the beggar's meal-pouch
Bathgate was alarmed through all its
borders concerning the spoons but