Year: 1874

TIE FIVE BROTHERS OF DAKROClI.


Fair and fine Is the Maid Of Killoena.
Her foot is light ON the heather as the
roe-deer on Corrabhal her eyes are bluer
than the blue seas round Uig; when she
speaks the valley rejoices. And she has
no lover. the Maid Of Killeena her
heart is as free as the winds Of the morn
ing /; the young men are afraid of her
laughing they avoid the road to Killec.
ma"


Such were the phrases, mere echoes Of
Macpherson's Ossian, that were running
through tie head Of young lad who lay
on the beach Of the far aud lonely island
of Darroch, in the HebrlJes. He was
dressed in rough. dark blue isherman's
costume: his hands and face were brown
ed with the weather; but somehow he die
not seem to have the robust and hardy
look common to the Inhabitants Of that
rough coast. His face was pensve and
sad his eyes large and thoughtful; his
limbs appeared slender aud supple rather
than thickset and strong. AT this mo-
ment he was regarding with absent and in.
different look the sea before bim the il.
land that stood black in the pale colors Of
the water, and a large brown rowing-boat
which was being pulled out through one
Of the channels TO the open PLAIN beyond
II that boat were his four brothers. He
was to have gone out fishing with them as
usual: bat he had forgotten the time an2
missed them. and he had run down to the
projecting point OF the coast to hail them
as they went by. For second or two
they held on their oars, and seemed in.
clinod to pull in for him but then he
could zee his eldest brother. Duncan. turn
round and address his companions with
many angry gestures; and presently the
oars we're dipped in the waves again, and
the boat made out for the open sea. The
young lad, Alis'er Lewis by name, lay
down on the shiuglc, disappointed, ashanl.
cd and wretched. His heart was not in
the fishing. and every one knew it; still
it was hard that he should be left at home
to mind the farm as if be were girl or
an old woman. But as he lay and dream
ed of all these things, his fancy took him
away TO the ncighboring island of Killee-
na and to small farmsteading there,
where mother and only daughter lived.
The daughter was Atlas Macdoneld-the
Maid of Kitleena. the boy used to call
her to himself land his heart grew ID
thinking Of her. The picture before his
immagination was really one to dwell with
delight on; that Of young girl Of six
teen, graceful in figure, with light brown
hair that, uuIoosed, would have rippled
down to her feet. eyes brightly blue and
shaded with dark cyeashes, and dispo-
sition as merrg and bright and innocent
as ever cheered up rude home. And
that was a rude home enough the small
farmhouse Of Carn Sean, which was set
| in the middle of moor, with few fields
reclaimed from the black peat-moss all
around, and with but scanty show OF
sheep on the drIer uplands abuttlDg on
the farm. She had no lover, this Maid
of Killeena; but there was some one over
the marrow channel that separated the
the island from Darroch who let his boy
ish iancies cluster around her in tender
and wistfnl fashion, keeping the secret as
he imagined, sacred to himself


Ii was no secret. however, TO his -four
brothers, the eldest OF whom--a short
thickest, hardvisagcd man Of fierce tenn
per and passionate speech was himself
supposed to harbor some wish that %
might in year or two get this prlgn