Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-04-21
A STRUGGLIN CHIEL.

It's a. aboot my ainsel', when was YET
/ auld Dunblane. Fayther's wee bit o
q 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.
gither afore oor separation. But we
were sac puir / those far back days
Mother wore the same manteele yea,
after year, an fayther's claes an mine
were always O raploch, vera coarse
cloth. Yet oor chiinla lug was warm
spot an | haze ma seen its equal sim. 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
| had my ain way to max, an sune re-
solved that l 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
L turn. Better let me gang ava j.
search O. siller."
"No. Jockiel Dinna think aboot it'll
Edinburgh is Draw town an wicked
one! Dunblane an the Allan are far
better"
Sac, though secretly rebelled, still
staid j. 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 !
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 chanced 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 were bath thinkin an thinkin hard.
My cen were on the groun, or wadna
hae foun wat did. 1t was something
brecht an shinin directly i my path, an
stoopt an pockited it i flash.
"W'at was itp" askt fayther carelessly.
"A Draw bit O a pebble" l answered.
"It can gae 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 pebble 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
a 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. r the latter
case could gae to Edinburgh an sell my
lucky find, an sac get start l. life, such
as had lang hoped for. didna stop to
think how wrang it wad a. be, for Ihad
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" stam-
mered. for it was my first lie to either
him or mither. 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, Jocbie BlacklockP' 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 !
wad leuk the stane in my pockit owre.
Wat sparkle it had! Perhaps it was
worth hundred pounds or mair! An
whose was it? Weel, hoped. then that
| might never ken.
But the vera next NIGHT, as | cam
slow from work along the Allan, saw
a man i 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 !
JUST stood an watched him i silence.
wanted to pass on. but somehow
couldna do it. for the brecht thing he
seercht for was in my pockit. Conscience
whispert, BE honest an true. Jock
Blacklockw But satan shoutit: Keep
the auld laird's stanel He has many
anither, an this ane win gle you stert
/ Edinburgh" Sac ! hesitated for
spell.
But Laird Kinross leukt up at las.
my guide lad" he said kindly, II hae
lost diamond o. mooch value. It was
yestermorn when we cam through to the
hunt. an 1t was recht here by the Allan.
Perhaps you hae heard o. its findin."
An the guide God aboon gied me
TO answer, II hae, my laird"
His keen gray cen quickly leukt me
owre. You may hae foun 1t your ain
sell"
An answered again: IT did that, my
laird, an here is your precious stane. II
has been load ON my heart an con-
science. though hcht as bit feather 4
my pockit-"
"You wanted TO keep itY" he speirt ~
he TUX it frae my tremblin han"
Eyes. my laird"
"Bu. you hae been an honest Lad for o
that, an shall reward you as you do
serve. Wat Is your namer
"Jock Blackjack, my laird.
"Aye. mAyhsR 4 denQsndaat q thsR2F