The record-union., 1894-01-27


stealth secretly wrought corp creadh,
or body of clay, placed it in the bed of
some near running stream, ,and then, as he
superstitiousy believed and murderously
prayed, while the corp creadh wasted
away by the action of the water, the vic
tim of the curse would pine and die.
Speak to me fairly like Scotchwoman,
Gaelic words like you Which made this
threat? Or which has already done this
miserable thing? Or, Joan, have they
each made the corp creadh against the
other?'
INA, ma, na," she answered half laugh
ing through her tears. INA, Hugh, auld
Sandy skyled th' body agane puir Davy,
lang, lang, syne."
Ibid the corp creadh harm him?"
''Hech! it just sperpPd AVA wi'oot
pour or harm, for a. that's ken'd. Davy's
skirlin' tae Sandy moo that curses iika
COON hame tae roost. Bit" she con-
cluded with sigh, their spreichin' and
faschin' gars my heart sairly!o
1t was no common turmoil this day be-
| tween the crotter neighbors. The voices
| rose higher and higher, and the two
watchers on the clitt became genuinely
concerned as flying kali stumps began to
take the place of fervid Gaelic words.
It'll be stanes ahint kali stumps," ex-
| claimed Joan III great anxiety.
| And so it would have been had not a
| heavy carriage, with a smart coachman
| and an old footman in front, mountain
| of luggage behind, and gaunt old
woman, with head swathed in pIaids in
turn, surmounted by a huge bonnet
from which, in every direction, waved
| forests OF plumes and flowers, sitting
complacently within while one hand
rested upon curiously-wrought casket,
at that moment stopped in front of Sandy
Nichols door.
The storm of kali stumps ceased at
once, and the fierce combatants mad al
ready disappeared, when Sandy's auld
wife, casting glances behind her, came
doddering and trembling to the gate.
The coachman gestared towards Lord
Glebemoth's lodge, and the auld wife
smiled and fluttered and nodded reply.
Then the lady in the plaids and bonnet
pointed toward Glenn Affrick pass, as il
she would go, return and halt again, on
her way to the lodge.
''I's Lady Mac Tavitt at last, Joan,''
said Hugh ruefully. for they both knew il
was the beginning of their parting then.
''She is great lover of tinelscenery. She
has ordered her carriage driven up there
| a moment to Eas-na-conn (the Falls o1
the Dogs for better view of the valley.
She will return, change her bonnet for
her wonderful wig III Sandy's cottage,
and then she Will proceed in state to our
| friends at Guesachan."
His words were all but true. In few
moments more the carriage was again at
Sandy's door, Sandy himself humbIy
backing into the cottage, followed by
Lady Mac Tavitt, who was already di-
vesting herself of her bonnet, the old
footman with divers hastily snatched
bundles and wraps bringing up the rear.
''Ihe Mac Tavitt is now donning he1
wig" remarked the artist drvly.
Up to this point Hugh's predictions
had been correct Here they failed.
There was a commotion in the cottage
The old footman scurried out and ran
sacked the carriage. Not finding the OBJ
ject of his search he threw his arms wildly
in the air as if completely distraught In
a trice Lady Mac Tavitt appeared, bon
netless, her wraps and belongings in hel
arms, her bald head glittering strangely
in the sunlight, and her shrlll oburga-
tions outrivaling the croiters of a few
moments before. She flung the parcels
into the carriage and pounced in after
them, screaming a dozen orders at once
at her poor old servant who ran
helplessly up and down the road. Then
she clapped her bonnet on askew. drove
the old footman upDn the box with
threats and sobs, and despairingly en-
| veloping her head, gorgeous bonnet and
speed to Lord Glebemoth's lodge.
"By all the, Graces," cried the artist in
unfeigned alarm, Lady Mac Tavitt has
lost her wig!'
How ludicrously swift was the echo ot
| Hugh's greWsome sentence, swept from
valley end to end. and even tossed por-
tentiously among the misty nights:
Lady Mac Tavitt has lost her wigi''
1t flew on before the noble Aberdon-
ian's hasty welcome at the lodge. 1t pre-
ceded her in her own scrambling flight tC
her chamber. 1t sped from lip to liz
with smothered peals of laughter among
lords and ladies fine. 1t scattered among
Wallets and maids like mirthful pesti-
! lence:
Lady Mac Tavitt has lost her wigr'
| 1t circled the great house as in merry
eddies and gusts. 1t woke the lazy keep
| ers of the black herds upon the hills;
swept into the dairies and set the maids
and milk a shaking there; whisked
among the brown faced kinds raking the
aftermath hay upon the Tomach fields;
whistled ogreshly about the far game
keepers huts, and hunted out the gig
Cling gillies in the glens:
| Lady Mac Tavitt has lost her wigr'
1t hastened swift couriers of discovery
| to Eas-na-conn, to Strury, to Erchless
Castle, to Beauty and to Inverness. 1t
| stirred all wide Strathglass like a mad
and merry tussle OF the elements. And
| it tumbled Hugh Ritchies wits about IN
such grand activity as they had never
known or borne before, as he heard his
dire sentence through the keyhole OF
| Lady Mac TavittS door, whittier he had
repaired to proffer sympathy and aid
Hugh Ritchie, its nae cuddlins I'll
hae moo. Bring th' weeg or ye an me are
dinW
He Joined in the hunt the only dis
tracted one Of ali. The coachman and
tootman took oath they had seen the
casket under Lady Mac Tavitt's arm, be-
| tween Strury and Fasnakyle, and the old
footman, now reduced under the clamoI
and haddering to complete imbecility,
could only gasp that he had surely seen
the casket safely on little table beside
Sandy's ingle-Deuk.
The next morning Hugh questioned
old Sandy and his wife mercilessly. They
knew OF the casket: but he could not un-
derstand their extreme perturbation
solely on the ground of the general dis
turbance, which brought only mirth and
smiles to every face but his and theirs.
The auld wife simply rock ed and moaned
and was voiceless. Sandy, standing with
his back against little corner cupboard
of the ingle, glowered at him defiantly
with, Il ha' ia ain kist here; ha' na ain
kist here!" but the conviction came pow
erfully upon him that old Sandy Nichols
not only knew the whereabouts OF the
casket but of much more of the greatest
| concern to the few principals of the
strange little drama set in action by the
loss OF Lady Mac Tavit's wig.
Discouraged but still determined, be
lett the couple. Joan joined him at her
own door, and in little time the two
were at the Falls ofsEas-na-con Above
these the stone highway bridge crosses
| the tumbling waters which descend mel
odiously from the shadowy burn above.
Joan, you take one side, and | will
search the other. The coachman tells me
Lady Mac Tavitt left the carriage at the
bridge moment and wandered up the
burn"
| r,tl.4,,r oa rnI,nd olnnn the lOVnlV hanks