The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-27

One winter ] forSook the cottage At
Drumtochty. in spite of the pure white
now and the smell wind from Ben
Urtach, and took rooms In Edinburgh.
1t was q poor exchange. for the talk Of
professors and advocates, although
good enough in its way. was not to be
compared with the wisdom Of James
Soutar, bu there were more books in
Edinburgh than In the glen, and 1t was
there that ! met my probationer. From
time to time We passed upon the stair.
when he would shrink into . landing
and apologize for his obstruction, N
II In sheer forgetfulness / said Fine
day." with the rain beating on the
windows. he nervously agreed. With
his suspicion of clerical attire and his
deferential manner. he suggested some
helot of the ecclesiastic world. whose
chiefs live on purple and fine linen, and
whose subordinates share with tram
way men and seamstresses the honor
Of working harder and receiving less
pay thar any other body in the COM
m~onwealth. BY his step l had identified
him as the tenant Of a single room, and
one wonders how any man could move
so little n SO gently. If he shifted
. chair IL war by stealth, and IL In pok-
ing his fire q coal dropped on the hearth
he abandoned the audacious attempt.
One grew SO accustomed to these
mouselike movements that II came as
a shock when my neighbor burst into
activity. 1t was on a Friday afternoon
that he seemed to be rearranging his
furniture so as to have a clear pas
sage from enr ~ end of the room, and
then. after &c mad adjusted the chairs
n table to his satisfaction, he began
q wonderful exercise. Sometimes he
would pace swiftly backward and for
ward with a murmuring sound as one
repeating something by rote. with &C.
oaafnna oaAo 49, Ia
seemed to refresh his memory. Some
times he stood before the table and
spoke aloud, rising to a high pitch,
when one could catch a word or two,
n then he would strike a book, quite
fiercely for him, and once or twice ne
stamped his foot almost as hard as a
child could. After this outbreak he
would rest a while, and then begin
again on the lower key. and n knew
when he reached the height by the re-
frain, ALBANIA and Pharpar, rivers of
Damascus" 1t was an amazing de-
velopment, and stimulated thought.
NO" explained our excellent land
lady; hes no daft, though we MIGHT
think sac. He's a minister without a
kirk, an he's Just learnin' his sermon;
but, Losh keep us, he's by ordinar' the
day.
Hes my Cousins son, We see'-and
Mrs. Macfarlane settled to historical
uetdlI- dH his nOtnST , a WeeQOW.
She focht to get him through St. An
drews', an hoo she managed passes
me. Moo he's what is called a proba-
toner, an, eh, but he earns his Twin
hard.
His business" continued Mrs. Mac
farlane, lis TO TAX the pulpit when a
minister Is ava at a sacrament or on
his holiday, and a Sabbath he MIGHT
be at Peterhead and the next at Wig
town. He gets his orders on Friday,
an he sets off wi his bit bag on Sat-
urday. an a weary body he is when he
comes back on Monday NIGHT. An it's
little he maks for a he does: bare 20
shillings a week clear; but ~naebody can
stand this collie shangle disturb
ance." For above the landlady's ex-
position rose the probationer's voice,
ALBANIA and Pharpar, rivers of Damas-
Gus"
What she said to her cousin once re-
moved / know not, but it was not in
vain, for in the evening this was
brought by the %ervan
Dear Sir-It affords me sincere re-
greet to learn that you have been dis
turbed in the midst of your literary
ayocations by sounds and movement
emanating from my room. They are
unfortunately and unavoidably on
nected with a new method of profess
sional work which / have been advised
W adOBi Wy tAptiitiiItu itild IL
would. however, be unrighteous that
one man should hinder another i'm his
daily labor, n / would be greatly
obliged If you would indicate any time
OF absence during which l might be free
to speak aloud n move with energy
in my chamber without offense. Apol-
ogizing for my unwilling annoyance, l
am, You respectfully,
HIRAM CLUNAS."
1t was written on poor paper and a
single sheet, but the handwriting was
that of a scholar-a man accustomed to
form Hebrew and Greek characters.
The very flavor of pedantry was at
tractive, so thai one wanted to know
the writer, and / seized the excuse of a
personal answer.
He was quite un~prepared for my
coming, and upset a Hebrew lexicon
and our German books on the Proph-
cts before he could get a chair in his