The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-01-29
A WIDOWS CATCH.
By DR.. A. S. Alexander.

fishing clachan Of Lochfruiu beheid
daft Jamie McPhail sitting below the
stern Of the time-and-tattered herring
smack Katie Of Lochgoyle." and mo-
ticed that he was busy with brush and
'paintpot. business for the nonce was
suspended in consequence and house,
pots and brushes forsaken till the mys-
terry should be solved.
The coterie Of matrons ensconsed be-
hind dry-stone dyke talked long and
excitedly seeking a solution Of the prob
lem. and when Jamie's brush at last
proclaimed in struggling fashion to the
watching popnlace that the ancient
boat was to sail under the license num-
Der OF G. X. 4S31--altho' nobody took
exception to the fact that the angle
Of the figure four pointed west in
stead of east-light dawned upon old
Betty Armour and she cried; "Ou ay,
wiyesl The weedy Poole has no for
gotten. That's her mans old number
back again for shair. Ye mind that
nicht we lifted his corp from the sands
O. Dornockside. the tail-board O the
smack cam ashore wi hin-ay-ay-
puir mani A mind well the number
wis Asian illfaured. unlUcky num-
Der say I. They'll no sail again wi 1t
shairlyw
But next morning when jamie was
putting on the finishing touches with
yellow paint and the "Weedy" and her
s0nsie daughter Meg were seen bus.
mending the old nets that had come
forth from their hiding place in the
COW byre, the verdict Of the court OF
matrons was rendered in Betty's
words: yen min me nool Weedy
Poele's to START the boat the year WI
daft Jamie for skipper Megsty me'
Sic Haversr The body's clean doft
nae doot. The number 1881 maun
sink them sairtin."
I Little. however. did the wise women
Of Lochfruin understand the thoughts
that stirred the bosoms Of the widow
and her child as they toiled afresh at
the work laid aside years ago when the
remorseless tide threw Ben Poole's
corpse high up upon the sands. They
forgot how long 1t lay among the dank
seaweeds, where the sea-pinks nodded
/ their heads solemnly in rhythm TO the
mournfll screaming Of the gulls, until
daft jamie found t. They knew not
OF the heart-sores still unhealed that
we're rent that day when jamie stag
gered into the cottage with his CHASTITY
burden and exclaimed: Janet Poole,
hae brocht We yer manw
Nor did they know Of the stern bat
tie the mother and daughter had fought
with the world TO keep up appearances
in the village and send the many
BARNS well fed and clad 10 school.
They took It for granted that her
man" had left "a fell wheen siller."
but even Jamie. who never FOR a
moment forsook the family that had
sheltered him in brighter days. could
have told ln some sort Of fashion. had
he cared to do SO, Of days when hun
gers pangs we're stayed with "dulse"
ana mussels from the rock-p0ols Of
the bay; of days-yes. weeks on end
when "saut herrin'" had "saut her
rim" for sauce, and the oatmeal, even,
was well-nigh gone in the girnel.
Do not think for a moment. either,
that Meg's elad" knew OF these things,
for such things are sacred TO the proud
"puir folk" OF Scotland: and when on
every Saturday night for seven long
years he had entered the cottage with
| his customary remark: TITS wee wild
ootside the bar the nicht." OF "it's to be
saft the morn. Meg blushlngly set
forth upon the table some steaming iid-
BIT never tasted BY the family. But
then Donald Moir was not just "guid
In the uptak.n tho as honest and In.
dustrious as any young hsherlad in
the district: and maybe that explains
why no ring yet showed on Meg's
plump fnger-a fact that annoyed
"Weedy" Poole sorely and led Meg TO
close many a wordy argument with
"Gie him time. pulr fsllow-gie him
timew
often before Ben Poole was drowned
had the swain seemed close upon the
question. but as the old skipper lent
but little announcement to the suit.
more time was taken. and since the
burial day Donald hung back and went
on as before. while Neg understood.
sighed. hoped and waited.
The bairns we're growing big lads
and iassies nov. and the 4wee kale
YARD and "ae COO" 10 longer kept
pace with appetites Justify nuriured b.
salt sea air and sturdy exercise. Some
thing had TO be done. and Neg it was
who proposed one night that the old
Katie or f.ochKoyle should be launched
once more and the fishing Be tried IN
some way or another
jamie took kindly 10 the work and
uith ire strong womeu's assistance.
showed the Old boat boldly into the
waters of the bay That was a launch
- BE- remembered. for the Katie had
fsrrotten how TO swim. The cool
waters r1shed ioyousiy into her sun
burst cracks and she settled speedily
and peacefully to the bottom. jamie
--.-f-~ i.rnf her hIfaf~ Thfe fher ffa