The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-28


standing Of the ancient clachan or church
! hamlet of Fasnakyle.
To the eye of the passer these cottages
/ are sweet. old rOse-em powered nests with
| snug paddocks and sunny kali yards be-
hind; but they housed this September
day, at least in one, the fires of rancorous
hate, so often characteristic OF the folk
I of these hidden highland hooks, and fire.
quently as strangely mingled with scrip
1 tural self-iustiicatiOn and zeal; that
sort of hatred, often ineXplicable in origin,
but endless and fierce in intensity, and
lacking only reckless daring TO give it
1 tragic end.
Internal diablerie, heritage still Of
/ these superstitious children of the mist,
ana even fortified by ignorant application
| of the stern and awful texts CLEANED by
hate-lit eyes from the cain Guild Book
| is their sole remaining means of wreaking
curse or avenging real or fancied wrong
And so for twenty years old Sandy
/ Nichols, the stone-mason of Easnakyle,
had glared from his cottage windows
across at old Davy Saunders, the road
side seller of ancient sweets and meal,
who in turn had glared back and tainted
| from his. No one knew the nature of the
feud, or cared. Sandy could not, or
would not, disclose il TO the "meenster, -
| and Davy's most exquisite delight, when
Joan was absent and time hung heavy on
tie across the way to Sandy, by piping
loud and clear, in tones of unmistakable
disdain and challenge, the notes of some
highland Gaelic song; usually the wild
| and impetuous "Coire Cheathaich,n or
misty Dell"
Sandy, Bible in hand, was now as al
| ways hot for the fray. Davy, leaning
| calmly over his messy garden wall, as if
| oblivious of the wrathful Sandy forty
feet away lifted his roaring voice with,
" Sc Cofre- cheathaich, nan aigh sulblach,-"
| my own misty Corrie by deer ever haunted
"Wi' cot are dogs !" sneered Sandy, re-
! ferring to the book in his withered hand,
| An Coire rumach is urrr SOM"
! my beauteOus valley, my own verdant dell)
| "Th deceitfu' i weights get tn swift
arrow ~ returned Sandy, with triumphant
| sCorn.
Gu lurach maid-theurach, min-gheal sug-
(Soft, rich and grassy, with sweets ever
| scented)
"Let ma mon think o. himself mair
| highly than he ought" was flung back
| savagely from the garden wall.
Gu lusan fiuer bu chubbridh LEAN"
| (From every fair flow r love dear and well }
"Pharo's heart was hardened by the
Laird!" came from Sandy. with a pro-
| phetic skirl Of delight
Gu molach, dub-ghorm, torrach, luisrea-
| gach-'
| CThicBly all growing, brightly all blowing }
9TH Laird shall add tae We tn plaques
| O. this duik, We auld-mou'dp' yelled San
| dy, shaking the Bible at Davy menacingly.
"Corrach, pluranach, diu-ghlan GRIM"
| (Over It's shaggy and green-darkened lawn
"Badlying that We are, ven git rain o.
| fire and brimstanel"
"Caoin ballach, ditheanaeh, canach, mis-
| leana h"
| MOSS, canach and daisies adOrning its
| mazesJ
''Ye shall be slain, a. tn sort o. ye}'
| fairly howled the old stonemason, twirl-
ing the blessed book above his head, and,
| like all his great or humble kind for
nearly 2, 900 years, thought it consgniug
the enemy he himself had made to its
awful terrors and dOoms.
| "GIeann mhilltich' s an lionmhor mang!"
| (Through which lightly gambols the 1.-the,
| graceful fawnD
Hoot Ye auld cake-fumlerl Hoot
Like as wax melteth at the fire, so shall
We perish" shrieked Sandy, dancing
about mis- garden and shaking his fist and
Bible at the until now placid Davy in a
| very delirium of imbecile hate and rage.
His last threat with his Scriptual hint
| of the most grewsome curse known to the
superstitious highlanders, was too much
| for DaVy Saunders. His retort was quick,
! needless and thunderous. Old Sandy for
his gibes and taunts gave back renewed
and deadlier objurgations. Raising their
| embittered voices with their increasing
| rage they at last broke into furious
| Gaelic threats and imprecations, leaning
far over their garden walls and tuning
and clawing like beasts in leash painting
for each others lives, and sickening the
very valley echoes with their dreadful
maledictions
The unusual turmoil below had brought
Hugh Richie and his companion to the
edge of the cliff. They had both listened
intently, and now Joan suddenly started
back with her hand before her eyes.
What were those Gaelic words?" he
asked, sharply, noticing the girls action.
TIL corp creadh !-th' corp creadh ~
she answered, shudderingly, but with
never another word; as if shame would
come to her in Hugh's eyes at even her
innocent possession of such baleful knowl-
edge.
But Hugh Richie had gathered more of
the dread secrets of the north than Joan
had thought. This Internal curse of the
| corp creadh was at least not new to him
and he knew that one of black and cow
ardly heart, seeking his enemy's life by
stealth, secretly wrought a corp creadh. or
body of clay, placed it in the bed of some
near running stream, and then, as he
| superstitiouSly believed and murder
ously prayed while the corp creadh
wasted away by the action of the water,
the victim of the curse would pine and
die.
Speak to me fairly like Scotch
woman, Joan!" he demanded. Il do not
know Gaelic words, like you. Which
made this threat Or which has already
done this miserable thing2 Or, Joan,
have they each made the corp creadh
against the other2n
Ma, ma, nap she answered. half
laughing through her tears ma, Hugh,
aud Sandy skyled tn body agane puir
Davy, lang, lang, syne."
did the corp creadh harm him2"
"Hech it justsperprd ava wiott pour
or harm, for "a that's ken'd. Davy's
skirlin' tae Sandy moo that curses ilka
COON hame tae roost. Bit, she concluded
with a sigh, their spreichin' and faschin'
gars my heart sairly, sairly!"
1t was no common turmoil this day be-
tween the crofter neighbors. The voices
rose higher and higher, and the two
watchers on the cliff became genuinely
| concerned as flying kailstumps began to
take the place of fervid Gaelic words.
It'll be stanes ahint kail-stumps!" ex-
claimed Joan in great anxiety.
And so it would have been, had not a
heavy carriage, with smart coachman
and an old footman in front, a mountain
of luggage behind, and gaunt old wo-
/ man, with her head swathed in plaids in