Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-01-31
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copyright. 1883, BY John Alexander Steuartl
Copyright. 1853, by John Alexander steuart.l
CHAPTER XVI.
HONE AND VICTORY.


ftmiliar scenes, the torrid sands are LEFT
behind, and we arr back to the scented
heather aud the fellowship of friends
That home coming was sgIch as had never
/ been known in the sedate valley that in
I cludCs Kilgour and the Elms. Old people
I talk Of it yet by the chimney cheek in win.
] ter nights, and the young listen with open
mouths and wide eyes to the wondrous tale
/ of the sudden appearance one quiet evening
] of . company of outlandish folk with the
/ jarcoa and garb of heathendom. l wish
| some Of these people were now at hand to
| describe what they saw and thus save me
/ much trouble. fer / have come to point
! that seems To touch me more closely in nv
| teuderest part and to make it more difficult
/ to write than anything that went before.
| But | will briefly relate what remains OF
! this extraordinary history and endeavor to
| be lucid.
In his wauderings in the east Donald
had imbibed high notions of pageantry and
I the picturesque and 30 lie insisted we
should 20 home in the best style at our
communicative is to say, in full oriental
costume and special carriage
1t will be a free sight for the natives"
he said. III isn't every day that Arabs of
our standing arrive in Scotland"
Accordingly on reaching Perth we in
voked the aid of my old friend of the
Hound and Stag" who procured for us at
a cost that, in his own words, was ''perfeck-
" awfac the best barouche and the fast
est pair in the city.
To make the more imposing show Tabal
and Mahomet were to ride behind on Fa-
TINA and Hassan, accoutered in Arab fash
ion, with spear and half dozen daggerS
apiece. Very glad they were to get into
the saddle again, both to stretch their mus
Giles according to wont and to display their
Workmanship. The horses also whinnied
with delight nj the touch of the familiar
girthS. and when mounted danced Jig I'M
kuoU-A 10 the sober steeds of these isles.
The town gathered to witness the spec4a-
CD Of our departure, and it aftcrward Leak
ell out that the provost and council were at
the moment eXcitediy considering the Ques-
ton of entertaining the Indian nabobs who
had so unexpectedly honored their city.
But we were off before the good men could
decide, with half the population at our
heels, as if we exercised the charm of the
Pied Piper of Hamelin. And the mighty
sensation of the starting WAS continued all
along our route. People rushed gaping
from houses and fields to get a glimpse of
Us at close quarters and those whom we
met generally turned and followed us as
long a. they had breath. Some saluted us
a if we were foreign potentates, others
stared as if they had been turned into stone,
and yet others, by their looks, seemed to
apprehend an invasion.
When we swept through our little village,
there was the commOJion that an earth
quake or the descent OF an armed band of
robbers might have caused. Fain would |
have stopped to make myself known to the
villagers and see their astonishment, but at
that stage We could not bear to tarry. Two
miles ahead was kilgOur and little beyond
WIS the ElmS So we sped on without draw
iuE rein. our hearts beating short and fast
with the expectation which the returning
exile alone knows. The carriage horses
were luhcred and blowing after their 40
miles, though Fatima and Hassan, with
more trying work, did not show wet lair
But no reconsideration for blown horses could
have Induced us to delay. The coachman,
rather against his will, whipped up, and in
stead Of slackening the pace increased.
As we rolled, humping and shaking, over
the mountain road in the midst of many
whirling thoughts. suddenly old Duncan's
parting words flashed upon me.
God bless ye take it. 1t will be the sill
Ter pipes l learned We to blaw on. Ayont
the seas vel can gle a skirl at times to
mind We Of old friends. and when ye come
back yen can march to your own quick
step"
Why aAouldn'uI I! In less time than it
takes me to write this sentence the silver
pipes were out of the green bag.
You shall be played home like hero,
Gordon l cried, leaping upon the dickey
to the great discomfort of the coachman,
who was evidently unable to make up his
mind whether we were great folks or sim
ply maniacs.
The scream of the pipes made the horses
almost as wild as l was myself.
Il Gamma baud themr' yelled the coach
man, laying his weight on the reins. III
never win back to Perth safe. Woa. Woa!
They're off, sure. May be burned alive
if 1 ever take a trip like this again. Woa,
Dandy! Woa, Meg. All, We thinner, tax
ing the bit atween your teeth If 1 smash
this kerridge, 1 may just go and hang my
SELL
Let them out, you fool" said breath
lessly. The speed was glorious to me-
They could not go too fast. Another mile
ono short mile, but it was too much to
think Of.
blew Is / had never blown but once be-
fore, and that WAS when l thought l was
playing ranting air as my own dirge
When Johnny Comes Marching Home"
was now my tune, and the birds flew in
terror from the rocks at the mad excite
two or three minutes more Couldn't the
ass of Il coachman use his whip? Then all
at once the chimney tops of Kilgour rose
amid the duslly heath as l had seen them
rise when last l returned from Edinburgh.
and almost dropped
There it is, Gordon!" l screamed, pointing
to the right Don't you sec it standing
alone there? All the chimneys are smok-
Ing. They must have company"
And settling down To work again played
fierccr and fercer, and Rance stuffed her
ears, and Donald encouraged me, and the
coachman, hanging ON the reins, swore we
should be headlong over precipice, but
the speed was not checked.
4 quarter of a mile more and | saw a
man in a field near the house. He stood
looking toward us, shading his eyes with
his hands He gazed thus for perhaps half
minute; then suddenly turning he made
off as If he were pursued by the enemy of
mankind. 1t was Duncan. | shouted to
him, | waved his own pipes and but for the
pace would have leaped down and run after
him. Compelled to keep my seat, struck
up again faster and fiercer and more dis
cordantly than any piper blew since pipes
were invented by Adam.
The girls will sing, and the boys will shout,
And the ladies they will all turn out,
And Wen all feel gay when Johnny comes
marching home.
At last we were off the county road and
into the avenue-the avenue to Kilgour
House. l was blind and dizzy and dis
tracted. 1 played, but heaven alone knows
what the tune was or how many tunes were
hashed up together. Up we went at gal
lop, the barouche bounding like ball when
it struck stone, the horses dripping, the
driver like ghost. Duncan had reached
the house and given the alarm, and people
were hurriedly gathering on the lawn
Heavens aboveI There were my mother
and Isabel and Sir Thomas Gordon and my
fatheri
made heartrending effort to strike up
1.-The Highland Laddie." There was
noise, but no tune Finding myself help
less a musician, got to my feet and
n.-hirlnd the Ilirnas q hn11t hand in, ad