Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-06-29
KIDNAPP
BEING MEMOIRS OF THE ADVENTURES OF DAVID
BALFOUR IN THE YEAR 175L
By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
CHAPTER |.
L SET OFF UPON MY JOURNEY TO THE
HOUSE OF SHAWS.

Il
month of June the year of grace 1751,
when l took the key for the last time
out of the door of my fathers house.
The sun began to shine upon the sum-
NIT Of the hills as | went down the road;
and by the time l had come as far as
the manse the blackbirds were whistling
in the garden lilacs, and the mist that
hung around the valley in the time of
the dawn was beginning to arise and die
away.
Mr.. Campbell, the minister of Essen
dean, was waiting for me by the garden
gate good mani He asked me if had
breakfasted and hearing that l lacked
for nothing, he took my hand in both OF
his and clapped it kindly under his arm.
"WelI, Davie, lad said he, Il will go
with you as far as the ford, to set you
on the way"
And we began to walk forward in 81
Ience.
''Are you sorry to leave Essendean?'
said he, after a while.
''Why, SIR said |, .'if | knew where
I was going, or what was likely to be-
come Of me, l would tell you candidly:
Essendean is a good place indeed, and
| have been very happy here; put tnen
l have never been anywhere else. MY
father and mother, since they are both
dead | shall be no nearer to in Essen
dean than in the kingdom of Hungary;
and, to speak the truth, it thought |
had a chance to better myself where l
was going | would go with good will:
"Ay?' said Mr.. Campbell. Very well,
Dayie Then it behooveS me to tell
your fortune; or so far as l may. When
your mother was gone, and your father
(the worthy, Christian MANI began to
sicken for his end, he gave me in charge
a certain letter, which he said was your
inheritance. so soon, says he, as
am gone and the house is redd up and
the gear disposed of (all of which, DAVE,
hath been done) give my boy this letter
into his hand, and start him off to the
house of Shaws, not far from Cramond.
That is the place l came from, he SAID,
and it's where it BELTS my boy should
return. He is a steady lad,' your father
said and a canny goer; and doubt
not he will come safe, and be well IlKed
.sThe house of Shawsr' cried What
had my poor father to do with the house
of ShaWSw
''Nay,'' said Mr. Campbell, "who can
tell that for a surety? But the name OF
that family, Davie boy, is the name you
bear-Balfours of Shaws; an ancient,
honest, reputable house, peradventure i'll
these latter days decayed. Your father,
too, was a man OF learning as pentted
his position; no man more plauslDly con-
Quoted school,; nor had he the manner
or the speech of common domino; but
las We will yourself remember) took
ave pleasure to have him to thu
manse to meet the gentry; and those
of my own house, Campbell OF Kill
rennet. Campbell of Dunswire, Camp
hell of Minch. and others, all Weakened
gentlemen, had pleasure in his society.
Lastly, to put all the elements OF this
affair before you, here is the testament
ary letter itself, superscribed by the own
hand of our departed brother.
He gave me the letter, which was ad-
in hands
of Ebenezer Balfour, Esquire, OF
Shaws, in his house of Shaws, these
will be delivered by my son, David Bal
four" My heart was beating hard at
this great prospect now suddenly open
ing before a lad of Is years of age, the
son of a poor country dominic IN the
Forest of Ettrick
''NIr. Campbell" | stammered, "and
if you were in my shoes, would you go?
"Of a surety said the minister, that
would |, and without pause. A pretty
lad like you should get to Cramond
(Which is near in by Edinburgh in two
days of walk. If the worst came to
worst and your high relations Gas | can
not but suppose them to be somewhat
of your blood should put you to the
door, We can but walk the two days back
again and risp at the manse door. But
l would rather hope that We be well re-
ceived, as your poor father forecast for
you, and for anything that | ken, come
to be a great man in time And here,
Davie laddie, he resumed, sit lies near
upon my conscience to improve this part
ing and set you on the right guard
against the dangers of this world"
Here he cast about for a comfortable
seat, lighted on a big boulder under a
birch by the trackside, sat down upon it
with a very long, serious upper lip, and
the sun now shining in upon us between
two peaks, put his pocket handkerchief
nnly h0t 70 Shn
There, then, with uplifted fOrehnger, he
first put me on my guard against a con
siderable number of heresieS, to which l
had no temptation, and urged upon me to
be instant IN my prayers and reading OF
the Bible. That done, he drew picture
of the great house that | was bound to,
and how | should conduct myself with
its inhabitants.
''Be soopIe Davie, in things immateri-
AL" said he "Bear We this in mind,
that, though gentle BORN. We have had a
country rearing. DinEae shame us, Da
vie, dinnae shame Us! In yon great,
muckle house, with all these domestics,
upper and under, show yourself as nice,
as circumspect, as quick at the concep-
ton, and as slow of speech as any. And
for the laird-remember he's the laird;
| say no more: honor to whom honor.
It's a pleasure to obey a laird; or should
be, to the young"
"Well, SIR" said /, sit may be; and I'll
promise you I'll try to make it So
''Why, very well said," replied Mr..
Campbell, heartily. "And now to come
to the material, or Ito make a quibble)
to the immaterial. | have here a little
packet which contains four things" He
tugged it, as he spoke, and with some
difficulty, from the shirt pocket of his
coat. "Of these four things, the first is
your legal due: the little pickle money
for your fathers books and plenishng,
Il. I T. 7 :. I
from the firsD in the design of reselling
at profit to the incoming dominic The
other three are CITIES that Mrs. Camp
bell and myself would be blithe of your
acceptance. The first, which is round,
will likely please you best at the first off
90; but, O Davie laddie, it's but drop
of water in the sea; it'll help you but a
step, and vanish like the morning. The
second, which is fiat and square and
written upon, will stand by you through