Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-06-29
CHAPTER II.
/ COME TO MY JOURNEYS END.

CHAPTER II.
COME TO MY JOURNEYS END.
On the forenoon of the second day,
coming to the top of a hill, | saw all
the country fall away before me down to
the sea; and in the midst of this descent,
on a long ridge, the city of Edinburgh
smoking like a kiln. There was a flag
upon the castle, and ships moving or ~
ing anchored in the firth; both of which,
for as far away as they We're, could
distinguish clearly, and both brought my
country heart into my mouth.
Presently after | came by house
where shepherd lived, and got a rough
direction for the neighborhood of
Cramond; and so, from one to another,
worked my way to the westward of the
capital by Colinton, till l came out upon
the Glasgow road. And there, to my
great pleasure and wonder, / beheld a
regiment marching to the flies, every
foot in time; an old red-faced general on
a gray horse at the one end, and at the
other the company of Grenadiers, with
seemed to mount into my brain at the
sight of the redcoats and the hearing of
that merry music.
A little farther on, and / was told
was in Cramond parish. and began to
substitute in my inquiries the name OF the
house of Shaws. 1t was a word that
seemed to surprise those of whom |
sought my way. At first I thought the
plainness of my appearance, in my coun-
try habit, and that all dusty from the
road, consorted i'll with the greatness of
the place to which | was bound. But
after two, or maybe three, had given
me the same look and the same answer,
l began to take it in my head there
was something strange about the ShaWs
itself
The better to set this fear at rest, I
changed the form of my inquiries; and
spying an honest fellow coming along
lane on the shaft of his cart, l asked
they called the house of Shaws.
He stopped his cart and looked at me,
like the others
ITS great house?" I Ina asked. !.
a big, muckle house."
''Ay," said I, ''but the folk that are in
'Folk?' cries he, care ye daft?
There's nae folk thereto call folk
"WhatY" says l, mot Mr.. Ebenezerw
80, ay," says the man; there's the
laird, to be sure, if it's him you're want
ing. Whatll like be your business, man
nie?"
II was led to think that I would get
situation" | said, looking as modest
as / could.
''What?" cries the carter, in so sharp a
note that his very horse started; and
then, ''Well, mamie" he added, Sits
name of my affairs, but ye seem decent
spoken lad and if yell take word
from me, ye'll keep clear of the Shaws."
The next person [ came across was
a dapper little man in a beautiful white
wig, whom | saw to be a barber on his
rounds, and, knowing well that BARRIERS
were great gossips, | asked him plainly
what sort of a man was Mr.. Balfour
of the Shaws.
.Hoot, boot, hoot," said the barber,
mae kind of man, nae kind of man
at ALL" and began to ask me very
shrewdly what my business was; but /
was more than match for him at that,
and he went on to his next customer no
wiser than he came.
/ cannot we'll describe the blow this
dealt to my Illusions. The more indis-
tinct the accusations were, the less !
liked them, for they left the wider field
for fancy. What kind of a great house
was this, that all the parish should start
and stare to be asked the way to it? or
what sort of a gentleman, that his i'll
fame should be thus current on the way
side? If an hours walking would have
brought me back to Essendean, | had
left my adventure then and there, and
returned to Mr.. Campbells. But when
had come so far away already, mere
shame would not suffer me to desist till
l had put the matter to the touch of
proof; | was bound out of mere self-re-
spect, to carry it through; and little as
| liked the sound of what / heard, and
slow as l began to travel, | still kept
asking my way and still kept advancing.
1t was drawing on to shutdown when /
met stout, dark, sour-looking woman
coming trudging down a hill; and she,
when L had put my usual question,
turned sharp about, accompanied me
back to the summit she had just left,
and pointing to a great bulk of building
standing very bare upon a green in the
bottom of the next valley. The country
was pleasant round about, running in
low hills, pleasantly watered and wooded,
good; but the house itself appeared to
be kind of ruin; no road led up to it;
no smoke arose from any Of the chin
neys; nor was there any semblance of a
garden. My heart sank. ''Thatv' /
cried.
The woman's face lit up with a malig-
nant anger. '"That is the house of
Shawsv she cried. "Blood built it:
blood stopped the building of it, blood
shall bring it down. See herev' she cried
again-"I spit upon the ground, and
crack my thumb at it. Black be it's fall!
If We see the laird, tell him what We
hear; tell him this makes the twelve
hummer and nineteen time that Jennet
Clouston has called down the curse on
him and his house, byre and stable, man,