Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1920-08-13

TO us, as they passed, that the North
Berwick law-fire was blazing, and that
II was thought that the alarm had
come from Edinburgh castle. There
were a few who galloped the other
way, couriers for Edinburgh, and the
laird's son and Master Clayton, tn,
deputy sheriff, and such like.
But early In the morning we had oul
minds set at ease. II was gray and
cold, and my mother had gone up to
the house to make pot Of tea for
us, when there came gig down the
road with Doctor Horscroft Of Ayton
in II and his son Jim. The collar OF
the doctors coat came over his ears
and he looked In deadly black hui
NOR, for Jim, who was but fifteen
years OF age, had trooped of to Ber-
wick at the first alarm with his IA.
TIERS new fowling piece. All night
his dad had chased him, and now there
he was, a prisoner, with the barrel of
the stolen gun sticking out from be-
hind the seat. He looked as sulky as
his father, with his hands thrust into
his side pockets, his brows drawn
down, and his lower lip thrust out.
'It's all lie," shouted the doctor,
as he passed. "There has been no
landing, and all the fools in Scotland
have been gaddlng about the roads for
nothing" His son Jim snarled some
thing up at him on this, and his father
struck him blow with his clenched
fist on the side Of the head, which
sent the boys chin forward upon his
breast as though he had been stunned.
Now all this has little enough to do
with what I took my pen up to tell
about; but when q man has q good
memory and little skill he cannot
draw one thought from his lind with
out dozen others trailing out behind
1t. And yet, now that come to think
Of 1t, this had something to do with It
after all; for Jim Horscroft had so
deadly a quarrel with his father that
he was packed Off to Blrtwhistle's
Berwick academy; and as my father
had long wished me to go there he
took advantage Of this chance to send
me also.
There was from the first great
friendship between Jim Horscroft, the
Doctors son, and me. He was cock
boy OF the school from the day he
came, for within the hour he had
thrown Barton, who had been cock be-
fore him, right through the big black
board in the classroom. Jim always
ran to muscle and bone, and even then
he was square and tall, short of speech
and long OF arm. much given to loung-
Ing with his broad back against walls,
and his hands deep In his breeches
pockets. can even recall that he had
n trick Of keeping straw in the cor
ner of his mouth. Just where he used
afterward 10 hold his pipe. Jim was
always the same for good and for bad,
since first l knew him.
Heavens! How we all looked up to
him. We were but young savages,
and had savage's respect for power,
What tales we used to whisper about
his strength; how he put his fist
through the oak panel OF the game
room door. How when Long Merri.
dew was carrying the ball, he caught
up MelTidew, ball and all, and ran
swiftly past every opponent to the
goal. II did not seem fit to us that
such one as he should trouble his
head about spondees and dactyls, or
care to know w'o signed the Magma
Charta. When he said In open class
that King Alfred was the man, we
little boys all felt that very likely II
was so, and that perhaps jim knew
more about II than the man who wrote
the book.
For two years we were close friends,
for all the zap that the years had
made between us, and, though In pas
son or i'm want of thought he dld
many thing that CALLED me, yet
loved him like brother, and wept as
much as would have filled an ink
bottle when at last. after two years,
he went or 10 Edinburgh to study his
fathers profession. Five years after
that did blde at Birtwhistle's, and
when left had become cock myself,
for l was rs wlry and as tough as
though l never ran TO
weight and slnew, like my great prede-
cessOr, 1t was in jubilee year that
left Blrtwhlstle's, and then for three
years l stayed at home, learning the
ways OF the cattle; but still the ships
md the armies were wrestling, and
still the great shadow Of Bonaparte
ny across the country.
How could I guess that I, too,
should have hand in lifting that
shadow forever from our people?
CHAPTER II.