The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-11-04

Jamie Gordon was only day iaborer on
Highland estate with a weekly wage
and no high ambitions: his mental horizon
had narrow boundaries, his life hau the
calm tenor of recurrent monotonous duties.
But into such lives there enter emotions as
vivid. and tragedies as profound as into
the lives of the worlds higher orders OF
men. And perhaps because of the color
lesspess of these everyday prosalc exist
ences, and the stir unWonted clrcum-
stances and passion makes IN them, the
fang of suffering goes all the deeper when
1t strikes suddenly.
Gordon had one Of those somewhat mel
ancholc temperaments allied to a poetic
nature, which is not uncommon among
the Scotch peasantry. His thoughts came
slowly and were difficult of translation
into language, but his imaginings, though
vague, were pure and a source of pleasure
to himself in his lonely hours of toll. He
had an innate reverence for good, keen
love of nature AS he knew it in the woods
and hills around his native valley, tender
affection for flowers and animals and birds,
a passionate love of country and home,
and tenacity Of attachment which had In
it large capabilities of pain.
He hau experienced already. though he
was little over 80. keen joy and bitter
grief; for the girl for whom, like Jacob,
he had waited and aerved long. and who
had been his happy and well-lnved wife
for two short years. had died after few
days Illness, leaving him with year-uld
baby girl. At the time of his great loss he
did not think his broken life would ever
piece together again. but the tender touch
of little Elsie's hand had healed the wound
so far that he could bear to face the future
with its far-stretching, unrelieved loneli-
ness. And now the blue-eyed, sunny-haired
child was few years old, full of life and
fun and gIee. and he lived but Efor her,
All the love which had been his young
wife's was concentrated on this baby, who
had her eyes and hair and dimples.
He left her reluctantly in the morning
with the old woman who came to look
after the child and house when he became
a widower, and grudged the tagging hours
at his daily labor when he must be absent
from her; this one thought alone helping
him, that it was the feeding and clothing
of his child which made absence neces-
sity. The goal of all his thoughts during
the day was the hour when reaching the
bend of the road he neared his cottag e door
and could see the tiny figure run out TO
greet him, or she would sometimes venture
CO the hghroad. hide behind a bush and
rush out with a gleeful, Daddy" as he
passed. On summer evenings they would
wander hand in hand TO the rivers bank
or sit in the woods while he told her the
names of the different birds and oted their
several songs. On Sundays he TOOK her to
the country church near. and invaria bly,
the sunny head dropped on his shoulder.
and while the child slept the fathers
PRAYERS were none the worse said that his
lips rested on the bright waving hair. The
darker evenings were spent indoors the
child on his knee, her small hands tight
clasped round his neck or playing withsh s
hair, her tongue loosed. telling him h ow
she and dolly had passed the day. This
doll. her inseparable componion, was a
hideous. cheap, wooden toy he had brought
her as "fairin" from a market in tie neigh
boring village. with roughly hewn feat
ures, smudges OF paint on is high cheek
bones, tufts of coarse hair sticking out
from either side of its head. arms and legs
stiff iointed and angular, but beloved bv
Elsie above everything else she possessed
Each evening plans were laid as to what
she.and dolly" would do when she was
big She would bury her face in her faith
er's neck and WHISPER, "We'l live alane,
dear daddy, YOU and me; We'll need no
Betty then I'll cook and wash for We. list
Jealous of the old woman who had the
child all day while he was absent. and he
insisted on doing everything for her when
he was a, home. His clumsy fingers I'M
tied the strings and fumbled awkwardy
with the hooks and buttons of her little
frocks as he undressed her for the night
it was at his knee her ''guid words" were
said he laid her in her little cot, and sat
holding her hand or knelt with his cheek
against hers until she fell into her rosy,
happy sleep. Then he got up to forecast
the day when lovers would come wooing
and her heart go out to some one else, and
Daddy" would no longer hold the first
place There are some men on whose Joy
there always lies a shadow. Each morn
ing he left her with regret, and an earnest
PRAYER to heaven TO keep her safe till his
return.
One evening he asked: "What haze you
and dolly been dom the day, my
lammie?'
"We've been playin' at fun'rals." she
SAID lightly. II pit dolly i the cartie, an
hurled her doom 10 the sand heap, an l
digit hole and pit her In, but her arm
siickit cot an she wouldna lie strecht, so ]
TUX her DOT an l med the hole bigger, an
dolly pit me in. but We ken, DADDY. she
cudna cover me up. 1t was Betty tellt me
ABBOTT Sandy McIn'osh's mither. that she
was deed. an they put her Until black
hole"
THAT'S not bonnie playock. my doc, -
said the man, shuddering as he folded her
closer 10 his breast. Il wadna play al that
agen. Ise tell We what'l be better. The
YeIEa UelSl tlilit L SduS " tuO iUOH 4 IL
buy We wee spade an rake, and we'll
made bit of garden. an I'll get puck lie
seeds, an you an dolly can bury them
gin We like. an soon the wee floories'l
come up."
son, daddy, Wilma that be fine an we'll
bae floors o. our AIN! What dav will We
gang? Will We gang on Saturday? l wiss
il wis the MORN" said the little coaxing
voice, as Elsie rubbed her soft cheek
against her fathers arm.
"Well no iist promise for Saturday. but
we'll see."
whats deein', daddy? Betty said
Sandy's mither wadna cum back, an she
sed my mither was deid, too. Yen no be
deein'. daddy, will ye?"
INA, ma. bairnie, Betty sudna speik sic
havers." he said gruffly; then turning TO
her with a smile, he asked: wis dolly
bad the day. did we gle her her licks?"
"Ay did l she wis gey thrawn, an her
hair wadna lie strecht though l tEik the
blackin' brush Til t. bit love dolly neist
best to you. daddv-better than Betty,
though I like Betty fine, tae."
After the child was asleep in bed Jamie
went slowly "ben" TO the kitchen, where
the old woman sat knitting in the fire.
light.
Betty, what's this the litlun's gotten In
her held ABBOTT deein' and foonerals?
Gidna like that kind of talk frae BARN o
her years.
'Losh me! Jamie Gordon, what's