Year: 1872

"Weel, he'll he eighty-four, or eighty
six, or eighty-seven, Gamma tell ony
way, he's four years younger nor me-"


"And you two live here quite alone.
Do you never weary ?"


"Weary, och, no never weary"
And then she told great many OF the
concerns of thelr dairy life. In speak:
ing of the 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 MIXED
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 ut 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 In her
apron to pool in the burn wherein she
deposited the young army. "But, she
added, "they did ma like the water, an |
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
ny side, whilst the sun disappeared behind
the. hills. That of the young man was
smooth and well cared for; On unobser-
want face, with no remarkable feature or
expression. The old woman's face was
wrinkled, 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 and assistance, toiling.
planting and gathering, thatching even
their own house, and doing everything for
themselves to keep life gong, although
their days were more than threescore
years ard 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 tire
way to the house.
"Have these cottages been standing in
ruins long?" he inquired.


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


1t 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 ROOT
were shelves filled with all kinds ofthings,
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,
perfect picture.


Even over the careless stranger came
an impression that the woman and her
cot age were entirely in keeping with one
another, and that neither of them seemed
to belong to ths present day.


BY and by some one entered, and the
stranger looked up, and concluded that
this was Mary. 1t was a woman with
short grey pettieoat and brown jacket, a
sturdy, powerful frame, and with almost
masculine movements. She instantly ad-
vanced with q smile and held out hand
to the stranger, whom she greeted most
cordially, although she had never seen
him before, and knew nothing about him.


1t was, of course, impossible to guess
what her face might have been In youth.
Now it seemed coarse and stupid, and her
movements we're 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 TAX milk ?" she inquired of
the stranger, and without waiting for an
answer, she cried out to Mary, who was
still standing smiling beside the stranger,
"Get BOWL


Mary was, however, very deaf, and at
first did not hear, and Maggie again cried
out with a marvellous power of lungs,
Get BOWL" this time with success,
for Mary turned about and directly fetched
bowl from the dresser, and apparently
understanding all that was desired, filed
it with rich creamy milk.


Whilst she was thus occupied, Maggie
told the stranger that Mary had two days
before walked to Brodick and back, six
miles each way, and that she had bought
loaf of bread, and on coming home had
placed it on the shelf above the bed ; but
the next morning they found that the rats
had been busy with it in the night and
had not left them one scrap of it.


The stranger asked them whether they
would not like to 60 down and live in the
village amongst people; but they told him
they had lived all their lives where they
were, and that it would be impossible for
them to live for day amongst "people,' y
and that it would kill them to hear chill
dren's voices. g.
The stranger thought them a queer old
couple, and then took his departure. The
two old women stood at the door watch
ing him go. whilst the sun had passed the
hill tops and was bidding goodnight with