Year: 1878

ed as IOr Clufcn WucltAtL AlslNt oCCA


her: at least, in some dark stuff, which


seemed new, with sort Of mob cap and


arrangement Of muslin about her throat


and brows, snowy in hue and full OF
frilling and plaits But this was merely


The framing for the lady herself. She


had such bright eye and quick tongue,


was so decided in her opinions upon all


subjects and had so crisp q way
of stating them, that she made
the same lasting impression upon my
memory sthat new and sharply cut
die does when it is stamped upon wax.
. And there was an energetic enforcement
of herself upon you which you had no
wish to resist. Mrs. McGregor had
come from Scotland to that frontier
country there was no telling how long
before she had been married there was
no saying how often she was possessed
of nobody knew how much property,
besides the home she lived in by herself.
Owing to long separation from the
church of her childhood, she had, l fear,
become somewhat negligent as to her
religious duties. A fact flashes upon me
this moment which l had forgotten since
the day it occurred. Happening to at
tend the funeral of a friend, she had
been so affected by the solemnities Of
the occasion that she had united herself
to my church, and the week after GER
tain lady, also an old settler, had asked
me "Djd your voice tremble, sir, when
you read out her name from the pulpit?
People say it did" And then, with
mysterious meaning Il wouldn't
blame youl"


But this makes it necessary that l
should make a word of explanation be-
fore proceeding. A certain estimable
friend of mine, General Murdock, had
introduced me, on my first coming to
the place, to almost every inhabitant in
turn. After almost every such intro
duction he was sure to remark, as soon
as we were out of hearing: "NOw, that
is a man who had history before COM
inc here" As his only explanation was
GA history, / tell you, sir" was left
in the dark as to details. He had GER
tainly had his history before coming, as
happened to know; but he was, ike
most Of the people there, that much the
better worth knowing. During years
Of acquaintance /, at least, came to like
them, too, the longer they were known.
As a rule, the past was let alone there.
True, when you were introduced to
new conner, after asking 4" "Where are
you from, 5ir?' it was standing joke
to add And what was it you did there,
sir? In the case, however Of Mrs. Nc
Gregor the reference was purely to the
exercise of a certain vigOr on the good
lady's part in days past, for which she
was not more to be blamed than
are her countrymen for Ban
nockburn. 1t was impossible
not to become very much attached
to Mrs. McGregor. Certainly more
original person one does not often
slA9et. She .ygss 50 sRreWdly, sGpgible- J
5fodJ OL A AA-t-.-,-&N. = ~
.tptking at the very heart OF matters IN
all she said


Il was an event to dine with her, after
special invitation. She lived in double
log cabin. it is true; but it was white
washed until marble could not have been
winter and the prim yard in front was
radiant with flowers. No other house.
keeper could make the Oaken floors so
clean; the Redeemed fireplace so bright,
filed as it was in summer with ever
green's the rag carpet and oval mats,
woven Of many-cOlOred strips, so
smooth. as was the case in her house.
The door Of the corner cupboard in the
parlor was aiar, 50 that you could see
how much silver there remained over
aud above that used upon the table.
And what q dinner it wasl So great
was the variety, every thing was cooked
80 much better than anywhere else. She
was so importunate in her hospitality
that the choice was q hard one to make
between an illness from having already
indulged too freely and the risk of Of
Tending her by decling to eat any more.
But the best Of the feast to me were the
Scotch words, which / had never before


met with outside of Scott and Burns
words treasured by her during all
these years, like old coins, more care
fully than were her teaspoons and the
fashions of her caps and frills


My peasantest surprise was the night
of her marriage. She was about the
same as ever, for it was out of the ques-
ton for her to be neater than she always
was but I could hardly believe my eyes
when the old Squire stood up beside
her. It was plain that she had got him
ready for the ceremony herself. You
could not have wished to have seen a
more decent, even venerable man. He
was cleanly shaven, for the first time in
20 years, and stood, with his flowing
white hair, erect, triumphant in his char
acter of somewhat suddenly made
''John Anderson, my Joe, John"


Immediately after the marriage they
went on q bridal tour to Scotland, the