Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-05-19

English in dress than in face, holding
her head rather proudly and walking con
ndentiy-she was on the stage before her
marriage. With her was Miss Barrie, Il
Quietly dressed, rather colorless woman,
not one to draw attention from the three
men who followed her. The taIlest of
these three, the one in ministerial
black, :, high hat on his snowy head,
was DR.. Oglivy, brother to Barrie's moth
er. The other white-haired man-doubled
over, as are so many in this land of
looms. and wearing great hobnailed shoes
for he likes to take care of the pretty
garden at the top of the brae-was Bar
ric's father. Between them was a slight
figure of boyish slenderness. Though
small he was not dapper, and we
we looked at his face with cagcrness.
1t is a thin, dark face, almost hag-
gard; delicate, sensitive, wistful some
how, but stronger than we had expected
it to be. The dominating sadness of his
face makes almost real shadow over it.
He smiled once or twice, but his face did
not once really light up. But sad and
thin as it was, it is a face that one
would not soon forSet-yes. and that one
would be glad to remember.
Here's the thrums," said an old wom-
an who was laboriously spinning at i
loom in her little cottage. with proper
scorn, that Jeoms Barrie wrote so
muckle aboot, We ken" The thrums are
the loose ends left after cutting the fin
ished web out of the loom. and the old
woman looked at US with secret scorn
and pity when we gave her a SiXpence for
a handful of them. They are of no use
whatever, and we were given to under
stand that it is a village grievance
against Barrie that he should have called
it after something which is 20 nae man
ner o use to OnybOdy." We went about
to all these places, and everywhere the
people welcomed us and-wondered at us.
Their attitude toward Barrie is a queer
mingling Of respect and resentment with
more wonderment than either. n few Of
,t,,1- Iii .rtl Il
kirriemuir. But most of them agree that
the books which have won the hearts of
thousands and have brought a fortune to
their writer are 'haVerS an nonsense
kirriemuir can't get over that fortune
1t is spoken of with big eyes. and the
people look curiously 1T the wee black
mon" who has made fortune wi juist
writin haVerS an nonsense.
In the gable end of tiny cottage was
4 wee bit of windowIsmall even for
Thrums. where they have the very
smallest windows have ever seen jess
cottage is one of the few white-washed
ones in the village. Most of them are Of
warm. pinkishred stone. 1t is a quaint
was once so out of repair that it was
almost uninhabitable. But for the uneX-
pected fame which came to 1t II would
Undoubtedly have been allowed to go ut
terly to ruin. LAY, it was in an awfu
state" said the neiShbor with whom
gossped over the stone wall. but it was
father was fearin' they would be tearin
it down. an some fowk thoct that Mais-
ter Barrie would buy it himseI. But he's
no muckle for such things. The window
oop there's no the oreeginal window.
Ma, ma, That's the attic window
whaur Lceby gaed to see II the smoke
wair comm 'oot o the meenlsterS chim-
ney. If there was ony window below, as
Master Barrie says there was. its no
there moo: but the mon as has bocht it
was sayin he thoct he'd put ane in