Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1920-05-28

Nicol Muschat's Cairn, beneath Safn
Anthony's chapel"
After attempting in vain 80 induce
Jeanne to explain the message, he re
turned to visit Fife again, 10 the Toll
booth, only to'be compelled, On his ar
rival there, to tell the whole story,
lest he be convicted of guilt in the
Porteous affair. And then he was sent
home, under bail not to leave Libber-
ton, nor to communicate with any
member of the family of Fife Deans.
But If his experiences were to him
incomprehensible they were by no
means so to the authorities. BY piec-
ing together his testimony with those
of others, they rightly determined that
the stranger in the I.ing's park. the
leader of the Porteous mob, and the
father of Effie's child were one and
the same person: namely Geordie
Robertson, comrade of Wilson the
smuggler, and but lately escaped from
the very prison in which Effie Deans
was now confined. Accordingly, they
planned to capture him that night at
Muschat's Cairn. But before they
could reach that. place, Robertson had
time to beg Jeanne to save her sister
at the trial by testifying that Effie had
disclosed to her her condition. Then
he escaped.
Merely that slight falsehood would
have removed the case of Effie Deans
from under the letter of the cruel
Scotch statute But Jeanne, steadfast-
ly. devoutly truthful, was utterly I'M
able to placate her conscience in bear
ing false witness Nor could the dis
appointment of Fife herself, whom she
was at last permitted to visit in the
strong-room of the prison, alter her
resolution. "He wanted that I suld
be mansworn," she said. ~ told him
that / daurna swear to an untruth."
AT the trial, when Jeanie was
brought in to testify, Fife, in human
weakness, cried, 80 Jeanne, Jeanne.
save mel" But when the solemn oath,
-''the truth to tell, and no truth to
conceal. as far as she knew or was
asked" was administered "in the name
of God, and as the witness should an
swer to God at the great day of judg-
ment," Jeanie, educated in deep rever-
ence for the name of the deity, was
elevated above all considerations save
those which she could, with a clear
conscience, call Him to witness. And
when the advocate came at length to
the point of asking her. what your
sister said allied her when you in
quired" Jeanie could only answer,
nothing" When the sentence was
pronounced by the doomsman, Effie's
own eyes were the only dry ones In
the court. "God forgive We, my lords"
she said "and dinna be angry WI me
for wishln' tive a need forgiveness"
The next morning found Jeanne
Deans travelling alone and sfoot on
the long road to London ito see the
Queens face that gives grace" and
beg for her sisters pardon. Her tar
tan screen served all the purposes of
riding habit, and of an umbrella; a
small bundle contained such changes
of linen as were absolutely necessary.
She had few guineas, and letter
from Reuben Butler to the Duke of
Argyle. whose grandfather had been
under obligations of the deepest to
the famous Bible Butler, grandfather
of the poor observation-disclosures now
sick at Libberton.
She passed luckily, on the whole,
through so weary and dangerous a
journey, and at length, through the
intercession of the duke, secured the
pardon which she sought.
I. Before she reached Scotland again,
Effie had eloped with her lover. who
was In reality George Staunton. son
of an English nobleman. The sisters,
who had last met when Fife was sit
ting on the bench Of the condemned,
did not meet again for many years,
though Lady Staunton wrote some
times to Jeanie-now Mrs. Butler,
wife of Mr.. Reuben Butler, pastor of
Knocktarlitie.
Finally. by chance Sir George
learned that Meg Murdockson, who had
attended Effie In her illness, had not
murdered the child as they had al
ways supposed. He traced the boy to
certain troop of vagabonds, of which
Black Donald was the chief. In an
ARRAY with Black Donald's men. Sir
George was shot by young lad called
"the Whistler" who proved to be the
lost son. The lad disappeared, and
escaped to America. Lady Staunton,
overcome by the tragedy. after vain
efforts to drown her grief In society
retired to convent in France. Al
though she took no vows, she remained
there until her death. But her In
fiuence at court accomplished much
| for the children of her sister Jeanne
who lived happily on in the good par
ish with which the bounty of the
Duke of Argyle had provided her hus
| band.
The Heart of Midlothian Is notable
for having rather fewer importan
| characters, q smaller variety of incl