The Republican journal., 1901-12-05
IN KING EDWARDS DOMAIN.
Notes of Six Weeks Trip to England and
Scotland.

IL was CIlo luIelIlOu VI d lew OI the
party, at least, to climb to Arthur's
Seat on the morrow; hut we woke to
find heavy mist overhanging ''Scotia's s
darling seat" and speedily came to the
conclusion that we must relinquish that
pleasure We were determined, how
ever, to climb something, and finally
decided upon the Scott Monument. We
started out with good courage, three
strong, determined to do or die-and
all but died. We walked along the
beautiful Princes street, famous the
world over, until we arrived at the
monument erected to one of the noblest
of Scotchmen. Paying our ''tuppence'
to the custodian, we entered the turn
stile and had begun the ascent of a
flight of stone steps almost before we
realized it. After going short dis
tance we began to think that ascending
the Scott Monument was not quite so
enhancing as it appeared. The stairs
were very narrow, lighted only by
narrow Sits in the stone work, and
were winding to the greatest ex-
treme. Round and round and round
about we toiled,-u up, up, up! ever
up, until we saw tiny CLEAN Of light
above us and emerged, breathless but
triumphant, on the first landing, or gal
lery, where from the seat surrounding
the railing, we could watch the people
in the street below, hurrying along like
multitude of ants While we were
resting an old man appeared from some
unknown source, and with great iang-
ling of keys, and hollow cough, very
ostentatiously opened the little museum
for our benefit. There we saw the
first editions of Scott's works, portraits,
drawings and other interesting relics Of
Sir Walter. Again we started on our
upward journey, and climbed two more
flights of stairs, each narrower, darker,
and, if possible, more winding than
their predecessor. Discouraged, tired
and dizzy, with two more of the horri-
BILE Nightmares before us, we decided to
forfeit our pride to comfort, and so de-
scended, somewhat crestfallen and ex-
ceedingly hot and tired. to terra firma.
Our journey down did not improve
either our wearing apparel or our tenn
pers, and we sought bench in the open
space below to rest and contemplate on
our attempt; or, like Kate Douglass
Wiggin's Penelope" to dream, dream.
She says:
While | was rhapsodizing Salemina
and Francesca were shopping in the
Arcade, buying some of the cairngorms
and Tam O. Shanter purses, and models
of Burns cottage, and copies of Mar
nlion' in plaided covers, and thistle
buckles, and bluebell penwipers,
with which we afterward inundated
our native land. When my warlike
mood had passed, / sat down upon the
steps of the Scott monument and
watched the passers-by in sort of
waking dream. | suppose they were the
usual professors and doctors and minis
ters who are wont to walk up and down
the Edinburgh streets, with a Sprink-
ling of lairds and leddies Of high degree
and a few Americans looking at the
shop windows to choose their clan
tartans; but for me they did not exist
In their places stalked the ghosts of
kings and queens and knights and
mobiles; Columbia, Abbot of Iona; Queen
Margaret and Malcolm-she the sweetest
saint in all the throng King David riding
| toward DrumSheugh forest on Holy
Rood-day, with his horns and hounds and
huntsmen following close behind; Anne
of Denmark and Jingling Geordie; Mary
Stuart in all her girlish beauty, with
| the four Maries in her train; and lurk.
ing behind, Boutwell,, that over sune
step-faither, and the murdered RizZiO
and Darnley; John Knox, in his black
| Geneva cloak; Bonnie Prince Charlie
! and Flora Macdonald: lovely Annabella
| Drummond; Robert the Bruce; George
Heriot with banner bearing on it the
words 4 distribute chearfully;' James
| |. CARRYING The Kings QUAR-; Oliver
| Cromwell; and a long line of heroes
martyrs, humble saints, and princely
knaves.
"Bebind them, regardless of preced
ence. came the Ploughman Poet anG
the Ettrick Shepherd, Boswell and DR.
johnson, DR.. John Brown and Thomas
Carlyle, Lady Marine and DrummonG
| of awthornden, Allen Ramsay and
| Sir Walter; and is it not proof of the
Wizards magic art that side by side
with the wraiths of these real people
walked, or seemed to walk, the Fail
Maid of Perth, Jeanie Deans, Mes
Merrilies, Guy Mannering, Ellen, Malmi
on and a host of others SO sweetly
familiar and SO humanity dear that ever
the street-laddies could have named
and greeted them as they passed by"
Whatever our thoughts might have
been, we quickly dismissed the phan
toms of the past and realities of the
present, when it was proposed that we
explore the nearby market in quest OF
a book which one of the ladies haC
seen in stall on a previous visit. Re
freshed by our brief rest the PROPOSE
ton was readily agreed to, and we were
soon descending the steps leading tC
the gallery. We entered sort of bal
cony extending the length of one side
of large room. Opposite us, on the
lower floor, were stalls, occupied earlier
in the morning by green grocers, bakers
fruiters, etc. Along one side of the
balcony also were small stalls where
books, stationary, candy, etc, were sold