Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-08-25
Black
Rock
By RALPH Common
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anu TAKE some circuit 10 UlySelI lHdI
in my reply | gave her no bidding to
join our band, but rather praised the
work she was doing in her place, tell
ing her how / had heard of it from
Craig.
The summer found me religiously do
ing Paris and Vienna, gaining a more
perfect acquaintance with the extent
and variety of my own ignorance, and
so fully occupied in this interesting and
wholesome occupation that l fell out
with all my correspondents, with the
result of weeks of silence between us.
Two letters among the heap waiting
on my table in London made my heart
beat quick, but with how different feel
ings. one from Graeme telling me that
Craig had been very i'll and that he
was to take him home as soon as he
could be moved. Mrs. MAYORS letter
told me Of the death of the old lady,
who had been her care for the past
two years, and of her intention to
spend some months in her old home in
Edinburgh, and this letter it is that ac
counts for my presence in a miserable,
dingy, dirty little hall running off a
close in the historic Cowgate, redolent
Of the glories Of the splendid past and
of the various odors of the evil smell
ing present. l was there to hear Mrs.
Mavor sing to the crowd of gamins
that thronged the closes in the neigh
borhood and that had been gathered
into club by "a fine leddie frae the
west end" for the love of Christ and
his lost This was an Eat home" night,
and the mothers and fathers, sisters
and brothers, of all ages and sizes,
were present. OF all the sad faces
had ever seen those mothers carried
the saddest and most woe stricken.
Heaven pity usp' l found myself say
ing. as this the beautiful, the cul-
tured, the heaven exalted city of Edin-
burgh? Will it not for this be cast
down into hell some day if it repent
not of it's closes and their dens of de-
Element? Oh, the utter WEAKNESS, the
daZed hopelessness, of the CHASTITY
faces! Do not the kindly, gentle
churchgoing folk of the crescents and
the gardens see them in their dreams,
or are their dreams too heavenly for
these CHASTITY faces to appear?
l cannot recall the programme of the
evening. but in my memory gallery is
a vivid picture of that face, sweet,
sad, beautiful, alight with the deep
glow of her eyes, as she stood and sang
to that dingy crowd. AS sat upon the
window ledge listening to the voice
with it's flowing song my thoughts were
far away, and | was looking down
once more upon the eager. coal grimed
faces in the rude little church in Black
Rock. was brought back to find my
self swallowing hard by an audible
whisper from a wee lassie to her moth
err:
"Mither! See till yon man. He's
greetin"
When l came to myself, she was
singing "The Land O. the Leal." the
Scotch Jerusalem, the Golden" i'm
mortal, perfect. 1t needed experience
of the hunger haunted Cowgate closes,
chill with the black mist of an eastern
haar to feel the full bliss of the vision
of the words:
There's nae sorrow there, Jean;
There's neither cauld nor care, Jean;
The day is aye fair in
The Land o. the Leai."
A land of fair, warm days. untouched
by sorrow and care, would be heaven
indeed to the jewellers of the Cowgate
The rest of that evening is hazy
Enough to me now till l find myself
opposite Mrs. Mavor at her fire, read
ng Graeme's letter. Then all is vivid
hgain.
l could not keep the truth from her.
knew it would be folly to try. So
read straight on till l came to the
words "He has had mountain fever,
whatever that may be, and he will not
bgll up again. If can, l shall take
him home to my mother" when she
suddenly stretched out her hand, say
ng. "Oh, let me read!" and l gave her
he letter. In minute she had read
and began almost breathlessly:
Listen. My life is much changed
Iy mother-in~law is gone. She needs
ne no longer My solicitor tells me
90, that, owing to unfortunate invest
hents, there is need of money, sc
Ereat need that it is possible that eli
her the estates or the works must go
Iy cousin has his all in the works
ron works, you know. 1t would b,
wrong to have him suffer. | shall
i've up the estates. That is best"
She paused.
"And come with meY' cried.
"When do you sail?"
"Next week." answered eagerly.
She looked at me a few moments
nd into her eyes there came a ligh
oft and tender as she said:
Il shall go with you"
And so she did, and no old Roman
II the glory of triumph carried
rouder heart than as | bore her an
err little one from the train t
Fraeme's carriage, crying:
I've got herr
But his was the better sense, for b
ood waving his hat and shoutin;
~ oil icrI1f