Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-01-30
A STRUGGLIN CHIEL.

cottage was by the moo famous cathe-
dral ruins that are visited by tourists
frae a parts. Some auld beeches pro-
tected us frae the SINNERS heat an win
ter's cauld, an we were vera hoppy the
glther afore oor separation. But we
were sac puir i those far back days!
Mother wore the same manteele year
after year, an faythers claes an mine
were always o raploch, vera coarse
cloth. Yet oor chimla lug was warm
spot an hae ma seen its equal sin. Fay
ther was simply unlucky, an mither an
me often suffered i consequence. Sac
little O. beuk learnin fell to my share,
nor did blame my parents for it. But
1 had my ain way to max, an sune re-
solved that | wad gae to Edinburgh to
max it. But puir mither wasna willin.
Better bide at hame, laddie," she wad
whisper again an again. Stay wi fay
ther an me, an dinna fret"
But we'll a be starvin," wad argue
i turn. Better let me gang AVA i
search o siller."
mo, Jockie! Dinna think aboot it!
Edinburgh is a Draw town an wicked
one! Dunblane an the Allan are far
better"
Sac, though | secretly rebelled, still
staid i the auld home, wi little to eat
save waterbrose, which .mither made O
meal an water, wioot the pleasant addi-
ton o milk an butter
An then cam the struggle of which l
maun tell, recht there i Dunblane. l
warked wi fayther at any days labor
that cam to his diligent hand, an one au-
tumn mornin it CHANGED to be oot Kip
penross way. We walked alang the
Allan i silence, niver ance lookin up at
the grand auld beeches owreheid, for
we We're bath thinkin an thinkin hard.
Ny cen were on the groun, or l wadna
hae foun wat did. 1t was something
brecht an shinin directly i my path, an
stoopt an pockited it i flash.
WAT was it?' askt fayther carelessly.
"A Draw bit o pebble" answered.
1T can gae on mither's shelf An wi
that we hurried on to the wark that
waited us.
But 1nony times that day drew forth
the stane an leukt it owre. That it was
mair than a pebble l had kenned at first
glance. If it was really diamond. who
was its owner? There were lairds an
ladies ma sac far ava, an they often cam
to walk alang the bonnie Allan. Perhaps
q hue and cry wad be raised aboot the
lost jewel. Or it might hae lain for
weeks. juist where / foun it, and there
wad be ma further question. L the latter
case | could gae to Edinburgh an sell my
lucky find, an sac get start i life, such
I l,1 lon hn,,aI fOr I lil,,o ctr tS,
think how wrang it wad a be, for l had
but my ain selfish advancement in view.
Where's the pebble you foun for
mither, Jock!' askt fayther that NIGHT.
Il maun hae lost it again" STAN
mered, for it was my first lie to either
him or mither l wanted to tell them
the trowth then an there, but yet KEEP
it back because | was sac plackless, for
they wad bath say, Your pebble may
prove diamond, an you maun find its
rightfu' owner, Jockie Blackjack" But
that wasna ut a to my notion an | stole
out under the moon an stars instead
to be alane wi my struggle tween recht
and wrang. An ivry ance an awhile
wad leuk the stane in my pockit owre.
Wat Il sparkle it had! Perhaps it was
worth a hundred pounds or mair! An
whose was it? Weel, | hoped then that
/ might never ken.
But the vera next nicht, as | cam
slow from work along the Allan, saw
a man i Il Draw velvet plaid seerchin'
the spot where | had foun my stane.
He had blackthorn stick i his han.
an he was scatterin the beech leaves
recht an lef'. A second glance tauld
me it was auld Laird Kinross, O. Edin-
burgh, who had shootin box near by.
He didna leuk up at my approach, an 1
iuist stood an watched him i silence. |
wanted to pass on. but somehow I
couldna do it, for the brecht thing he
seercht for was in my pockit. Conscience
whispert, BE honest an true, Jock
Blackjack" But satan shoutit: keep
the auld laird's stane! He has many
anither an this ane will gle you stert
i Edinburgh" Sac l hesitated for a
spell.
But Laird Kinross leukt up at las.
my guide lad" he said kindly, Il hae
lost diamond o mooch value. 1t was
yestermorn when we cam through to the
hunt. an it was recht here by the Allan.
va DcuTtl U lJS
An the guide God aboon gied me
strength to answer, Il haze, my laird"
His keen gray cen quickly leukt me
owre. You may hae foun it your ain
SELL"
An answered again: 81 did that, my
laird, an here is your precious stane. Il
has been load ON my heart an con
science, though icht as bit feather i
my pockit."
"You wanted to keep it," he speirt az
ne tul, it frae my tremblin ham,"
Eyes, my laird"
''But you hae been an honest lad for a
that, an l shall reward you as you de
serve. Wat is your nameY
Jock Blackjack, nay laird"
"Aye, mayhap descendant O the pull