People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-03-21

go on" l answered; 81 promise
not to laugh"
I'm your case" he continued, "the
pathognOmOnic, if you will excuse med
ical slang, were every now and then
broken BY the intrusion of altogether
foreign symptoms"
l listened with breathless attention.
Indeed, on several occasions. when.
after meditating on your case until !
was worn out, | had fallen half asleep
by your bedside, came to myself with
the strangest conviction that l was
watching by the bedside of a woman"
THANK Heaven l exclaimed, start
ing up, "she lives still"
AS soon as my friend would permit
me, l set out for Scotland.
l made the journey by easy stages,
chiefly on the back of a favOrite black
horse, which had carried me we'll in
several fights, had come out of them
Scared, like his master, but sound in
wind and limb. 1t was night when
reached the village lying nearest To
my birthplace.
When woke in the morning, found
the whole region filled with a white
mist; hiding the mountains around.
When | had finished my breakfast,
went down and wandered about among
the people. Groups of elderly men
were talking earnestly; and young mer
and maidens who had come to be
feed, were joking and laughing. They
stared at the SasSenach gentleman, and
little thinking that he understood every
word they uttered, made their remarks
upon him in no very Subdued tones.
| approached a stall where brown old
woman was selling ginger bread and
apples. She was talking to a man
with long, white locks. Near them
was a group of young people. One of
them must have said something about
me; for the old woman, who had been
taking stolen glanceS at me, turned
rather sharply toward them, and re-
buked them for rudeneSS.
"The gentleman is 10 SaSSenach." she
said. He understands everything You
are saying"
This was spoken in Gaelic, of course.
| turned and looked at her with more
observance. She made me a courtesy,
and said, in the same language:
Your honor will be Campbell, I'm
thinking"
Il am a Campbell" I answered, and
waited.
"YOur hOnOr's name wouldn't be Dun
can, SirT
1T is Duncan" l answered; "but
there are many Duncan Campbells."
"Only one to me, your honor, and
that's yourself. But you will not re-
member me"
l did not remember her. Before long.
however, urged by her anxiety to assO-
ciate her present with my past she en-
abled me to recall in her time-worn
features those of Il servant in my faith
er'S house when | was a child.
But how could you recollect me?" |
said.
Il have often seen you since l left
your fathers sir. But it. was really. |
believe, that hear more about YOU
than anything else, every day of my
life"
Il do not understand YOU"
"From old Margaret, | mean"
Dear old Margaret! Is she alive?'
"Alive and hearty, though quite bed
ridden. Why, sir, she must be within
near sight of a hundred"
where does she live"
I'm the old cottage, sir. Nothing will
make her leave it. The new liar wanted
to turn her out; but Margaret muttered
something at which he grew as white
as his shirt, and he has never ventured
across her threshold again."
How do you see so much of her,
thought
Il never leave her. sir. She can't
wait on herself. poor old lady. AMI
she's like 4 mother to me. Bless her,
But your honor will come and see herr
"Of course | will Tell her so when
you 90 home"
"Will you honor me by sleeping at nv
house, SIR said the old man to whom
she had been talking. My farm is lust
over the brow Of the hill, you know -
l had by this time recognized him.
and l accepted his offer at once.
My horse was an excellent walker.
and let him walk on, with the reins
on his neck, while l, lost in a dream
of the past, was singing a song of my
own making, with which / often COM
fOrted my longing by giving it voice.
l was reused by a heavy drop of rain
upon my face. l looked up. A cool
wave of wind flowed against me
Clouds had gathered; and over the
peak of hill to the left the sky was
very black. Old Consistency threw his
head up, as if he wanted NE to take the
reins, and let him step out. remem-
bered that there used TO be an aWk-
ward piece of road somewhere not far
in front, where the path, with a bank
on the left side, slOped to a deep de-
scent on the right If the road was as
bad there as it used to be, it would be
better to pass it before it grew quite
dark. So | took the reins, and away
went old Consistency. We had inst
reached the spot, when a keen flash of
lightning broke from the clouds over
head, and my horse instantly stood
stock still, as if paralyzed, with his
nOstrils turned up toward the peak of
the mountain. sat as still as he. to
give him time to recover himself. But
all at once his whole frame was con.
vulsed, as if by an agony of terror. He
gave a great plunge, and then l felt
his muscles swelling and knOttins
under me, as he rose on his hind legs.
and went backward, with scaur behind
him. leaned forward on his neck TO
bring him down, but he reared high.
er and higher, till he stood bolt up-
right and it was tima IN elm oar To-.