The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-06


hurried and abrupt at the close. Th
Black Dwarf is rather more abrupt il
its ending than most of SCOTS novels
and II is said that he brought the story
10 an end before he had carried out hi
original scheme for It because Of the ad
vice of an over hnicky friend Who dix
rot like the character of Elshender thu
Recluse. If this is true, it IS pity
for one can see that there were grea
possibilities remaining in the tale wheI
the author abruptly closed it. Elshendel
himself is disposed of In a most sum
mary manner and we cannot but wisl
that Scott had been allowed to tell us al
he knew about him. even to the end
There never was a case on earth where al
author OF the first genius took the advic,
of sincere, gifted and admiring frient
hat he did not make a mistake by doing
II. Had Scatt's meddlesome friend KEEP
his advice to. himself the story of the
Black Dwarf would have been about twice
long as it is, and, in all probability
would have ranked among the very best
of the authors works.
TN one of the most remote districts OF
southern Scotland. where an imagin-
u airy line drawn along the tops OF
lofty and bleak mountain divides that
land from her sister kingdom, Halbert, or
-'Hobbie,'' Elliott, a substantial farmer,
who boasted his descent from old Martin
Elliot, of the Preakin Tower, was return
ing as evening was closing in from an I'M
successful deer stalking expedition aross
that barren heath known as MuclLestane
Moor to his farm of Hughfoot Hobbie
did not relish crossing the Mucklestane
Moor after dark. for in the middle of it,
upon slight eminence, stood an upright
shaft of unhewn stone. around which were
scattered many smaller stones It was,
probably, the burial place OF some great
hero whose fame was lost in the darkness
of an unrecorded primeval history. raised,
perhaps. by thousands of faithful follow
ers who lamented and wept around their
work. but whose very tribal name had
persisted before the Olympiads.
To popular superstition, however. that
upright stone and the smaller ones scat
tered about represented an old witch and
the geese she was driving TO market
when, in a fit Of rage at the wandering
propensities Of her charges, she made I'M
complimentary remarks about the devil, TO
whom she had sold herself and was there
upon, changed with her geese into the pet
rified exhibit which now crowned the
mound. So Hobbie called to his side the
brace of greyhounds with which he had
been pursuing the chase, and to keep up
his courage, began whistling the warlike
ditty of Jock of the Side"
Much was he gladdened to hear then
behind him the call of a human voice,
and more glad when. pausing for the
man who had hailed him to come up. he
recognized in his accoster young Earns
cliff of that ilk' who had recently sue
ceeded to a dilapidated fortune and a |
small castle and estate located not many
miles away. Earnscliff. like Hobbie, had
been hunting, but had had better luck |
and declared that one OF his deer should |
be sent over TO the Hughfoot from his
own house, whittier he had dispatched |
them by his attendant with his horse. AS
there was no one at Earnscliff to walt |
for the young laird except the house
keeper and the cat, he gladly accepted |
invitation to take supper with Hobbie, |
and they journeyed on, talking gayIy, |
Hobbie descanting upon the merits and |
the beauty Of Grace Armstrong, his cous-
In, who lived with his family, telling
what a good old woman his grandmother
was, who took the place of his dead |
mother TO him, and what fine girls and |
boys were his fatherless sisters and |
brothers. He spoke something in jok-
ing way about the attention which Earns /
fIif all "a Inn
paying to Miss Isabel We're, the daugh-
ter OF the wealthy Laird of Ellselaw But
Earnscliff Redeemed and cut short that
train of remarks.
Suddenly both Hobbie and the young
laird stopped. short and something like
fear shot through the hearts Of both Of
them, for, there among the scattered
stone of the mound which they were now
passing, they saw a strange, weird be-
ing waving its arms and talking to itself
apparently in frenzy, while It paused
now and then to tug at some of the seat
tered powders. ITS the Brown Man
OF the Mort cried Hobbie. cor else
the old witch herself come back" and
was for rushing away. But Earnscliff |
after his first feeling OF trepidation had |
passed, insisted upon approaching the |
spparition and found it TO be a singular |
looking dwarf, apparently slightly de-
mented. He had a huge body, with long /
and, evidently, powerful arms. But ma
ture seemed TO have started in to model |
n giant and then in a sudden freak de- |
cided upon "a dwarf and omitted the legs
and thighs. for the feet seemed Joined |
directly to the body. The creature was /
dressed in a coarse gown girded about /
the waist with a sealskin girdle and |
ordered Earnsclin to pass on and dis
turb him not
Come with me, my friend, said the |
laird. 81 cannot leave you here alone In
the name of common humanity you must |
be provided with food and shelter" Com |
mon humanity" shrieked the dwarf
where got you that catchword-that
moose for woodcocks-that common dis
guise for msntraps?'' u tell you,' re-
piled Earnsciff, that you are incapable
of judging OF your own condition and
you will perish here. in this Wilderness
my blood be upon my own head if
perish here returned the dwarf, land
yours be upon your own head If you so
much as touch the skirt of my garment"
Earnscliff saw glittering in the light OF
the moon. which had now arise, a long
weapon which was either a dagger or
pistol and seeing that in any attempt to
force the strange creature to accompany