Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-16
CHAPTER I.
\ Meet NV Father.

Meet My Father.
Come in hithcr. joe Janet, Here You
will see at one eye-bliuk TIE whole cursed
pack kcnncicd. tn tying priest that Sian
dered ne. The fItted English calf that
d,sinhcritcd M. and the gap-toothed old
hound that hestt nle-aud did me other
disservi"e besides"
These are the first words that I ever rc-
member hearing my father sHcak-cIearly
that is. for l must have both seen and
heard him often enough IT my innoccncy
before that l grew word-coEscious.5
can recall the scene Yet as clear IN my
minds cyc-aye. clearer than the dinner
have this day eaten or The pattern on the
laced-Siik waistCuat which lies folded in the
drawer at my elbow.
1t was in the wide kitchen or house place
of James RrydsoIi's chang. house or COM
mon wayside inn which sits on the brae
overlooking the little Scottish town of New
MilnS- low door il had. To enter which
your head had to bow and your feet Siuul-
taHeouSly to descend till with Il crck and
double twist of the spine presently you
found yourself within. and aftrr ,he sun
shine blinking and sneezins i'll the blush
smother of the peat reek that biiluwed and
hellied between You and the thatch But
ErydSnn'S inn VII mostly fT-queuIed by
Ve1verS. ana the! had bowed backs any
way. So its peculiarly ri access matterad
little. though now ami then 4 gentleman or
hill farmer broke his head on the cross
beam-
I remember I WAS sitting or a creeple
Stool by the peat tire warming my feet At
the red glow and almiriug the Siintjng Of
the little flames on my new silver shoe
buckles l had gone thither from the lodge
cit, which was ny r7utli"r'S dwelling
ChDSlEE to my grandfather ndnd. As |
went my feet hal hardly touched the
ground. 50 firm hold h. tOUk Of nv wrist
and such long strides as he conquered the
ground witHal. Sir James Stanslirld Of New
Milns. he was called a line. outstanding,
Well-regar!ed man a. any in that country.
rtNTreUt ct dcmeauuT. gracious of speech
and exceeding Seemly to the eye with his
bITdd-brimmod hat, Wid,-<kirtcd coat of
fine bin" cloth. white silk uHdrrCoat white
stockings and The siIver-buckled shoes that
Were copies IN great OF mine There was
no finer gentleman in al ,he southiands
OF Scoti'tEd than my grandfather.
He seemed at once to auapble and to H.
Illuminate that smoky LITTLE hostclry as he
sat in the hish-backed cibow-ch;tir and tap
ped the bare boards lightly with his glove
tips With him Wee Mr.. John Bell
preacher Of the gospel. in who's, discourse
other times he would laugh heartily ut his
simplicity. and Umphray SpUrway. the cd
ntduufactuTrr-a great rett EusliShn}a n
from Yorkshire. at WHO'S laugh You seemed
to see the rdtters dirl Is IL. threw back his
head and battered aFplstUS. with his palm
On the whit"-~cour~d deal OF tn, inn table.
To these three gentlemen. sitting At their
vine in tn" change hpU-" kitchen IF New
Minis that snowy December night in The
year o. our Lord : grace. IL there entered
fourth ana with him pres, uyiy 4 fifth.
at sight of whom silence fell upon tht. men
and CrHStrtiHt upon ;E-- women folk. James
T.rydSou. tine landlord Wa~ oat upon his rs.-
cs.SiIuS- and 7 mind nothing ui him But
Mistress Eryi~oH. the ituditd-. sat in tn
corner hv "a tircScriu= C:.IiSIy lamp defrIv
ami silently a spider spinning a web
a - linz
hJ3m"redly all tn" white she glanced W.
and caught the eye nj this on. and thtJ
among her guests, proud ! W"rI. that Sir
James himself did not dIStjsiH tn leave his
great furnished hnHSt. to sit with his guest
in her kitchen. : urJui woman. rs ali might
See. was Lucky I:ryd-un. Smiliua, and beck
ing at her ea~e as the WING. bone knitting
pms clicked and twIuHIed in tn. rr.,-S
lights. ShSiy ana ut times Slylv vhisrcr-
Ing. noidiug and CnnfidinE :. crecieS to each
other. girls will. her TWO daughters
EiSpie and Margit. sto0d by the door of the
Inner room where the entrance 10 the eel
lar was I suppose they wgrr bpnny enough
r"Sy-Checked wepches. l was not vet of
age to note or care But this / know
that Elspi" was Kind Ia me. and often gave
me fine FAIRIES Of cake with honey in the
comb spread thereon literally I had 70
fault t" find with EiSpeth Brydson that
night or any night. but sat CornpOsedlv
munching my piece and busting the crurI-
hilngS from my huSen. lest. when / return
ed to New Ailns. nay granEie's eye should
note that had been eating between meals;
A heinouS sin I'm the decalDeUe of Lady
Griseldd S.ausfeli which must indeed have
been written upon two tables OF stone
The talk had been brisk and merry all
the evening. and such of it IS | can re-
member now goes 10 show how debonnair
and kind my grandfather was when he
escaped from his wifes leading strings fer
an hour. unbnding his wits and ungirdfre
his waistband In a place where mirth was
not counted uneOdlineSs and laughter COM
pared with trite asperity) To the cracking
o. th0rnS under pot
Ma. E;spie. lass" he had cried when
he came In, CroOking a finger to the elder