The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1893-01-20
A STRUGGLIN CHIEL.

It's a ABBOTT my ainsel. when | was yet
i auld Dunblane. Fayther's wee bit O
a 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
either afore DOR separation. But we
were sac puir i those far back days!
Mother wore the same manteele year
after year. an fayther's claes an mine
We're always O raploch. IA vera coarse
cloth. Yet oor chimla lug was a warm
spot an haze ma seen its equal sim. Fay
Their was simply unlucky. an mither an
me often suffered i onsequenc Sac
little O beuk learnin fell to my share,
nor did blame my parents for it. But
| had my ain way to max, an | sumo re-
solved that wad gaze to Edinburgh to
max it. But puir mither wasna willin.
Better bide at hame, laddie," she wad
whisper again IN again. Stay wi fay
Their an me, an dinna fret"
But we'll a. be s~tarvin," | wad argue
i turn. Better let me gang ava i
search O %siller."
mo. Jockie! Dinna think ABBOTT it!
Edinburgh is a Draw town an a 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. wi'oot the pleasant addi-
ton O milk an butter.
An then cam the struggle of which l
maun tell, recht there i Dunblane. !
warked wi fayther at any days labor
that cam to his diligent hand, an one au-
tumn mornin it CHANGED to be DOT Kip
penross way, We walked alang the
Allan i silence. niver ance lookin up at
the grand auld beeches owreheid, for
we were bath thinkin an thinkin hard.
My cen were on the groun, or | wadna
haze foun wat | did. 1t was something
brecht an shinin directly i my path, an
| stoopt an pockited it i a flash.
wat was it?' askt fayther carelessly.
"A Draw bit O a pebble" | answered.
''It can gaze on mither's shelf" An wi
that we hurried on to the wark that
waited us.
But mony times that day | drew forth
the stane an leukt it owre. That it was
mair than a pebble | had kenned at first
glance. If it was really a diamond, who
was it's owner? There were lairds an
ladies Ma sac far ava, an they often cam
to walk alang the bonnie Allan. Perhaps
a hue and cry wad be raised ABBOTT the
lost jewel. Or it might hae lain for
weeks, JUST where ! foun it, and there
wad be Ma further question. + the latter
case ! could gae to Edinburgh an sell my
lucky find. an sac get a start i life, such
as | had lang hoped for. | didna stop to
think how wrang it wad a be. for had
but my ain selfish advancement in view.
Where's the pebble you foun for
mither, Jock" askt fayther that NIGHT.
Il aun haze lost it again" | STAN
mered. for it was my first lie to either
him or mither. | wanted to tell them
the trowth then an there, but yet l KEEP
it back because | was sac plackless, for
they wad bath say, Your pebble may
prove a diamond. an you maun find its
rightfu owner, Jockie Blacklock!' But
that wasna at 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 l
wad leuk the stane in my pockit owre.
Wat a sparkle it had! Perhaps it was
worth a hundred pounds or mair! An
whose was it? Weel, l hoped then that
l might never ken.
But the vera next NIGHT, as l cam
slow from work along the Allan, l saw
a man i a Draw velvet plaid seerchin'
the spot where l had foun my stane.
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 a shootin box heal by.
He didna leuk up at my approach, an I
JUST 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 mypockit. Conscience
whlspert, BE honest an true, Jock
Blackjack" But satan shoutit: 'Keep
the auld laird's stane! He has many
anither, IN this ane will gle you a stert
i Edinburgh" Sac | hesitated for a
spell.
But Laird Kinross leukt up at las.
my guide lad" he said kindly, Il haze
lost a diamond O mooch value. 1t was
yestermorn when we cam through to the
hunt, an it was recht here by the Allan.
Perhaps you hae heard O. its fndin."
An the guide God aboon gied me
strength to answer, Il hae, my laird"
His keen gray cen quickly leukt me
owre You may hae foun it your ain
sell"
An l answered again: Il did that. nv
laird, an here is your precious stane. It
has been a load on my heart an con
science, though LIGHT as a bit feather i
my pockit."
"You wanted to keep iii" he speirt as
he TUX it frae my tremblin han"
eyes, my laird"
"But you hae been an honest lad for a.
that, an I shall reward. YOU. as YOU de-