Year: 1872



 "Weary, och, no I never weary"

 And then she told great many of the concerns of the1r dairy life. In speak ing of tho COW, she said that he had taken habit of wandering which was very troublesome to Mary in the gloam- ing that sometimes he would keep them up till eleven o'clock at night, when he would return then he milked him and went to bed.

 Rut they had little comfort in bed, she said, for the rats were so terribly strong that they had to lie in bed with sticks to drive them off even the cats fled in terror at the sight of them. She also mentioned that once all the cats had kittens at the same time: the number of kittens was therefore greater than desired, and she took them all 1n her apron to pool in the burn wherein she deposited the young army. "But," she added, "they did na like the water, an l oouldna run after them, and they were hame again before me.

 It was strange to note the difference in the two faces, as they sat and talked side by side, whilst the sun disappeared behind the hills. That of the young man was smooth and well cared for; an unobser- want face, with no remarkable feature or expression. The old woman's face was wriRkled, withered, and weather-beaten to the utmost degree; but she was eighty eight, and had lived perhaps more out of doors and in all 'weathers, than indoors; every wrinkle and line in her face told a tale of labor and hard work-perhaps of suffering and hardships; for here were two women on the lone hillside, far away from all friendship end assistance, toiling, planting and gathering, matching even their own house, and doing everything for themselves to keep life gong, although their days were more than threescore years and ten.

 Whilst she talked, her eyes wandered carelessly over the roof and across the burn to the ruins, but she ever now and then looked curiously at the stranger; on one feature of her face Time had strangely spared his ravages; her eyes were still very blue and almost bright, Plainly enough, they must have been beautiful in their day.

 The stranger asked her whether she would give him light for his pipe, and she instantly arose from the ground with an agility that was surprising, and led the way to the house.

 "Have these cottages been standing in ruins long2" he inquired.

 "lt will be perhaps thirty years since 1 they were lived in," she said; and, with. out once looking at them, she entered the house.

 It was a wonderful interior, which at first impressed you with the idea that the whole place was going to fall about your ears. There were two beds, approached by !hole in the wall, and they looked dark and dreadful inside. Along the roof were shelves filled with all kinds of things, among which were Gaelic books over two hundred years old.

 The stranger filled his pipe, and offered tobacco to the old woman, which she took, and with her wrinkled hands filled her own pipe, and sat down on the stone floor, and with her knees up to her chin, smoked; every fresh position she took, Q perfect picture.

 Even over the careless stranger came an impression that the woman and her cottage were entirely in keeping with one another, and that neither of them seemed

 to belong to the present day.

 By and by some one entered, and the

 stranger looked up, and concluded that

 this was Mary. It was 8 woman with

 short grey pettieoat and brown jacket, a

 sturdy, powerful frame, and with almost

 masculine movements. She instantly ad-

 vanced with smile and held out hand

 cordially, although she had never seen

 him before, and kAew nothing about him

 It was, of course, impossible to guess

 what her face might have been in youth

 Nov it seemed coarse and stupid, and hel

 movements were ungainly; but about the

 face of Maggie, the elder one, there was

 something which attracted you, you scarce

 knew why, and her movements were per feet, weird and strange as they were. "Will ye talk milk ?" she inquired o the stranger, and without waiting for ar

 answer, she cried out to Mary, who wa. ! still standing smiling beside the stranger "Get bowl"

 Mary was, however, very deaf, and al first did not hear, and Maggie again oriet

 out with marvellous power of lungs

 "Get bowl! this time with success for Mary turned about and directly fetched a bowl from the dresser, and apparently understanding all that was desired, filled it with rich creamy milk.

 Whilst she was thus occupied, Maggi,

 told the stranger that Mary had two day before walked to Brodick and back, si7 miles each way, and that she had bough 8 loaf of bread, and on coming home hat l placed it sn the shelf above the bed bu the next morning they found that the rat had been busy with it in the night ant had not left them one scrap of it. The stranger asked them whether the, would not like to go down and live in th Y village amongst people; but they told hin they had lived all their lives where the, Y were, and that it would be impossible fo , them to live for day amongst "people, . and that it would kill them to hear chil dren's voices.

 = The stranger thought them a queer ol, !, couple, and then took his departure. Tn

 two old women stood at the door watch I ing him go, whilst the sun had passed tn I hill tops and was bidding good night witt l the purple and gold lights down the glens g the moorland looked gray and csld, am I they returned indoors and closed the doc

 behind them, without so much as one lool F on the ruins on the other side of tn

 crawling burn. l They never looked across to them ? never wandered round them in the gloam ing, thinking of auld lang syne, and ye 7, long ago they had loved and lived there V at the time when there had been man !. other houses on the hillside, in the lon dead days when Maggie and Mary wer o blooming lassies, and had lovers in plenty r And there was a strange history con n cerning these two old women, for the t were not sisters, or even relations i n -~a only incidents which had happsne @ in youth that had brought them together t In those days Maggie was the bonnie r of the two, but Mary had her full shar - of good looks, and light, merry nature 7 which perhaps drew her more admirer