The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1902-04-25

OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
sy DAVID MACLURE


I'm Gods name" cried, what
thing has happened?"
He put his mouth close to my ear
and said hoarsely, "Thc lairds game
daft"
what mean we, man?" said l, push
Ing him from me. and my heart fairly
stopped in its beating. HAS aught O.
II befallen him?"
And If to gang daft is no an i'll
thing" he returned, with IL show of re.
sentiment at my words, ''thcn deed the
masters just in his or'ner and doin'
fne'
"Hoots, ye silly body, and what O
my laird?"
"Hearkcn," he said, coming nearer
and glancing about in the dark as if
he feared an uncanny visitor, I'D no
say but auld Tibbie is at the bottom O.
it."
"At the bottom O. what?' demand.
ed. beginning to lose patience. Speak
cot. man."
"At the bottom o. the laird's awfu
daftness." he said, with his face close
to mine and his long nose pointing at
me.
said no more to him than Course We
for gomeril"' and hurried up the court
and into the house, where | asked for
the laird.
He was not in the house, and none
OF the people knew where he was. /
made diligent search within and then
went out to inquire further. The lar,
had not been home for his dinner but
that was not an unusual thing and no
one within or without could tell of his
whereabouts, though l made active in
quiry, nor yet was there any unusual
news of him among them.
- started out to find GcOrtlic again,
thinking l might get at the meaning
or his words and learn something that
was doubtless hidden in them, but a
servant lass told me that Gcordie and
another had gone to DalQuharran to
see an acquaintance who was lying at
the point Of death. so | was fain to
content myself with waiting in the
hope that the laird would be home be.
fore bedtime.
went to my Office in the west tower
Ing the Killochan bay, looking out
across the court and the Abbeyfont
highroad to the far vault Of blue where
the sky and water merged and melted
In the darkness. 1t was n still night.
still as death, and the sky was clear,
with stars sharply glittering in the
prt and only Il faint breath of wind
coming gently In from the sea, carry
Ing an odor Of brine with 1t. BY the
light Of the stars, for the moon had
gone down an hour earlier, could see
the waves in long lines moving over
the surface Of the bay and breaking
In little crests of white as they rolled
silently shoreward.
AS | sat / heard the clock down the
stairway announce the hour Of mid.
plight, and then l heard steps coming
along the court pavement 1t was not
80 dark but that could make out two
tgures approaching as | leaned out
eagerly, and one Of these was Geordic
Gillespie back from Dalquharran.
Down stairs went and found him i'm
the hall, but 1t was plain that he had
seen more than sick neighbor at the
Clachan and that the Clachan brew
had fortified him against any evil
spirits that might have haunted the
long, lonely road home.
When ] entered the hall, he was try.
Ing to sing In weak, maudlin key an
old song had heard in our parts many
time. one verse running:
Ma saddle tae me the white" he said
ma saddle tae me the brown.
But saddle tae me the swiftest steed
In a. my stables roun',
For I will neither eat nor drink
TIL bring my lady hame."
When he saw me, he made q grea