Part 11

“He cairried a box in his hand Friday a week, an' pit it ablow the seat in the kerridge; it wes aboot auchteen inches square and nine deep, an' markit 'Hoggs' Patent Soap;' thae new soaps are brittle; a' dinna wunner he wes carefu'.

“Ye sud hae heard him on the drinkin' at Muirtown market an' the duty of total abstinence; he wantit Hillocks tae tak the pledge at the Junction, but Drumtochty fouk's dour an' ill tae manage.

“Milton wes that agitat when he got tae Kildrummie that he lat his box fa' on the platform; a' wes juist wunnerin' whether they sell soap in bottles noo, when he said, 'It 's ma medee-cine, for the circulation o' the blood; a 'm a frail vessel.'

“A' thocht that we micht hae been kinder tae Milton, an' him sic a sufferer; twelve quart bottles is a sair allowance o' medeecine for ae puir man,” and a far-away look came into Jamie's face.

Jamie's interest in Milton deepened every week, till he seemed to charge himself with the vindication of Milton's character against all aspersions, and its interpretation to a critical public. When it passed round Kildrummie fair that that guileless man had landed a cow on Mary Robertson at a high price, which was fair to look upon, but had a fixed objection to giving milk, Jamie declared it was an invention of the enemy, and assured Milton of his unshaken confidence in the presence of seven solemnised neighbours.

“Some ill-set wratches,” he apologised to Milton, “canna bear the sicht o' a raelly gude man, an' are aye gettin' up stories aboot him. Tae think ye wud cheat a puir wumman aboot a coo.”

“We maun juist bear reproach,” began Milton, with his best accent.

“Na, na, a' said tae them,” and Jamie refused to listen, “ye needna tell me ony sic stories. Milton is no an ordinary professor, an' he kens his Bible. Div ye think he's forgotten the passage aboot robbin' the widow?”

“Ye're makin' a mistak--”

“Ma verra words, Milton, 'It's been a mistak,' a' said, 'an' the meenut he finds it oot, Milton 'ill gie back the money. What richt hae ye tae consider him little better than a twa-faced heepocrite?'”

“There's no a man in the Glen wud hae got Mary's notes back frae Milton but yersel, Jamie,” said Drumsheugh, celebrating the achievement in the kirkyard next Sabbath. “There's a michty poor in a nippy tongue.”

Milton lost his second wife shortly after he came to the Glen, and it fell to Jamie to explain the widower's feelings to the fathers.

“'It 's a sair dispensation,' he said tae me, 'an' comes heavy when the calves are young; but we maunna complain. There's aye mercy mingled wi' judgment. She micht hae been taken afore she hed got the hoose in order.

“'A 'm houpin' for the best, an' a' think the root o' the maitter wes in her; there wes times a' wud hae liked tae hear a clearer testimony, but we hevna a' the same gifts, an' there's nae doot she wes savin' wi' the gear.

“'She expressed hersel as thankfu' for oor merridge, an' considered it a priveelege; but ma first wes mair experienced in doctrine, and hed a gift o' prayer, though fractious in temper at a time. Ye canna get a'thing, ye ken.'

“He hes a photograph o' the laist ane abune the fireplace in a frame wi' an inscription, an' he wipit his eyes an' says, 'We maun look up, ma freend, an' be resigned; it's an awfu' job tae ideelize the creature.'

“'Ye'ill no dae weel withoot a wife here, Milton,' says I; 'hoosekeepers are dear, an' ye 'ill never get the wark o' yir wife oot of ane; it wes maybe a peety ye lat her trachle (fatigue) hersel when she wesna strong, but gin a man be busy wi' speeritual affairs he disna notice,' an' a' askit him if he wes thinkin' o' a third.”

“Did ye dae that, Jamie?” said Hillocks, “an' her no gane a month. Milton 'ill think us a gey hard-hearted set in Drumtochty,” and the fathers looked as if Jamie had gone too far.

“He 's no hed ony time tae think o 't yet,” continued Jamie, quietly, “an' is tae leave himsel in the hands o' Providence. 'I 'll be guidit, nae doot, an' a' maun juist wait.' His langidge wes beautiful tae hear. 'Half the rent o' Milton 'ill need tae come oot the dairy, but we maun mairry in the Lord.' He wes sair affeckit a' left, and speakin' aboot 'Mama.' A' gie him sax months masel.”

“Yir tongue got the better o' ye that day, a' doot, Jamie,” and Hillocks, who had married twice with fair pecuniary success, was distinctly nettled. “What 's a man tae dae with-oot a wife tae haud things in aboot an' see tae the hens? Forbye, bein' company,” throwing in a sentimental consideration.

“Gin a man wants a woman tae gither eggs an' sew buttons on his sark (shirt), he micht mairry twal times rinnin', an' naebody need say a word. But what richt hes sic a man tae speak o' wife or... luve? He's juist a po-leegamist.”

“Lord's sake,” ejaculated Hillocks, and the kirkyaird felt that this was very wild talk indeed, and even personal.

“Naethin' else,” and Jamie's voice vibrated with a new note. “Gin a man gaes afore his family tae America tae mak a hame for them, an' leaves his wife here for a whilie, is he no mairrit? Wud he mairry another wife oot there tae keep his hoose, an' say he hed juist ae wife because the sea wes rollin' atween the twa women?”

“He daurna,” replied Whinnie, who never saw six inches ahead; “the polis----” But Drumsheugh waved him to silence.

“Weel, gin the woman leaves the man an' passes intae the ither warld, is she deid, think ye, neeburs, an' is she no' his wife? An' mair nor that, are the twa no' nearer than ever, an'... dearer?

“Ye 'ill be sayin' in yir hearts, it 's no for Jamie Soutar tae be speakin' like this, him at 's been alane a' his days; but a've ma ain thochts, an' the deepest thing, ay, and the bonniest, in the warld is a man an' a wumman ane in luve for ever.”

Jamie turned round and went into the kirk hurriedly, but Drumsheugh lingered behind for a minute with Dr. Maclure, who was making his quarterly attendance.

“What think ye o' that, Weelum? It bore a wee hard on Hillocks, but it wes michty speakin' an' gared (made) the blood rin. Jamie's a hard wratch ootside, but he's gude stuff inside.”

“Did ye ever notice, Drum, that Jamie hes hed a black band on his Sabbath hat as far back as a' can mind? A' his freends are deid mair than thirty year syne. Wha 's it for, think ye? A 'm thinkin' naebody 'ill get tae the boddom o' Jamie till he fins oot the meanin' o'that band.”

“Ye may be richt, Weelum, an' a've wunnered tae, but Jamie 'ill never tell; he hes his ain secret, an' he 'ill keep it.” The two men followed their neighbours, and Drumsheugh said to himself, “Puir Jamie; the auld story.”

The kirkyard kept Jamie in exercise, but it was on one of our rare public occasions that he made history, and two of his exploits are still subject of grateful recollection, and a bond between Drumtochty men in foreign parts. One was the vote of thanks to the temperance lecturer who had come, with the best intentions, to reform the Glen, and who, with the confidence of a youthful Southern and a variable hold of the letter aitch, used great freedom of speech. He instructed us all, from Doctor Davidson in the chair down to the smith, whom he described as “an intelligent hartisan,” and concluded with a pointed appeal to Domsie to mend his ways and start a Band of Hope in the school.

“Solomon says, 'Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will never depart from it;' and I 'll apply these words to the Glen of Drumtochty, 'Train hup a child to 'ate the bottle, and when he is old he 'ill never depart from it;'” and the lecturer sat down in a silence that might be heard.

There was something approaching a rustle when Jamie rose to propose the vote of thanks--several charging themselves with snuff in haste, that a word might not be lost--and no one was disappointed.

“Doctor Davidson an' neeburs,” said Jamie, “it wudna be richt that this young gentleman sud come sae far o' his ain accord and give us sic a faithfu' address withoot oor thanks, although he 'ill excuse us puir country fouk for no bein' able to speak his beautiful English.

“We a' admired his ingenious application o' Proverbs, an' he may be sure that nane o' us 'ill forget that new Proverb as lang as we live; a' micht say that it 'ill be a household word in the Glen.

“Gin it's no presumption tae say it, it's verra interestin' tae see hoo much experience the lecturer hes for his years in the up bringing o' bairns, and a' mak nae doot the learned bodies in the Glen, as well as the parents, 'ill lay his words tae heart.

“There wes a man in a glen north-bye,” modestly offering an anecdote for the lecturer's future use, “'at wes sober (ill), an' the doctor, wha wes a verra ignorant man, said he wud need a small tastin' tae keep up his strength. But the man wes of the lecturer's persuasion, and wud drink nothing but water. The weather wes terrible cold, and one day, juist five minutes aifter he hed his mornin' gless of water, the man died. When they opened him it wes found that he hed frozen up inch by inch, and the laist gless had juist turned tae ice in his throat. It wes sic a noble instance o' conscientious adherence tae principle that a' thocht a' wud mention it for the lecturer's encouragement.” And when Jamie sat down the audience were looking before them with an immovable countenance, and the doctor held out his silver snuff box to Jamie afterwards with marked consideration.

It is, however, generally agreed that Jamie's most felicitous stroke was his guileless response to the humiliating invitation of a lay preacher, who had secured the use of the Free Kirk, and held a meeting under Milton's auspices.

“Now, my dear friends,” said the good man, a half-pay Indian Colonel, with a suspicion of sunstroke, “all who wish to go to heaven stand up,” and Drumtochty rose in a solid mass, except Lachlan Campbell, who considered the preacher ignorant of the very elements of doctrine, and Jamie, who was making a study of Milton with great enjoyment.

Much cheered by this earnest spirit, the Colonel then asked any Drumtochty man (or woman) who wished to go elsewhere to declare himself after the same fashion.

No one moved for the space of thirty seconds, and the preacher was about to fall back on general exhortation, when Jamie rose in his place and stood with great composure.

“You surely did not understand what I said, my aged friend.”

Jamie indicated that he had thoroughly grasped the Colonel's meaning.

“Do you really mean that you are ready to... go....where I mentioned?”

“A 'm no anxious for sic a road,” said Jamie, blandly, “but a' cudna bear tae see ye stannin' alane, and you a stranger in the pairish,” and Drumtochty, which had been taken unawares and was already repenting a weak concession, went home satisfied.

Hillocks was so drawn to Jamie after this incident that he forgave him his wild views on marriage, and afforded him an opportunity of explaining his hat-band.

“Ye're a body, Jamie,” he said in vague compliment, “an' every man hes his ain wys; but hoo is 't that ye aye hae a band on yir hat?”

“What think ye yersel?” and Jamie eyed Hillocks with a gleam of humour.

“As sure 's deith, Jamie, a' canna guess, unless it be a notion.”

“Toots, man, a' thocht ye wud hae been sure tae jalouse the truth o' a' the fouk in the Glen; div ye no ken that a band hides the grease an' maks a hat laist twice as lang?”

“Is that a'?” said Hillocks; “juist economy?”

“Ye hae the word,” answered Jamie, with unblushing face. “That band's savit me the price o' twa new hats in forty year.”

It was on the way home from kirk, and after Hillocks had turned into his own road Jamie took off his hat and brushed the band with a reverent hand.

When Jamie “slippit awa” and the kirkyard met to pass judgment, it was agreed that he had been a thorough-going imposter and had quite befooled the outer world, but that he had never taken in the Glen.

“It cowed a' tae hear Kildrummie lecturin' on Jamie in the third laist Friday,” said Drumsheugh, with immense contempt; “ye sud hae been there, Hillocks; a' never heard as muckle doonricht nonsense atween the Junction an' the station in forty year. Man, gin Jamie hed juist been in the train himsel, he wud hae been terrible pleased.

“'He's awa noo.' says that jultlin' (tricky) twa-faced body Sandie Mackay, that gied Jamie licht wecht wi' his coal, 'an' it's oor duty tae be charitable, but a 've ma doots aboot him. His tongue wes nae scannal, an' he wes aye maist veecious against speeritual releegion.'”

“What said ye, Drumsheugh?” inquired Hillocks, with keen expectation.

“Naethin' worth mentionin'; it's no easy pittin' sense intae a Kildrummie man. 'Ye 're wrang aboot Jamie miscain' gude men, Sandie, for he wes awfu' taen (taken) up wi' Milton; he coonted him a straichforrit, honourable man, wha wudna gie licht wecht or tak advantage o' a neebur.'”

“Ye hed him there; he wud lat Jamie alane aifter that, a'm expeckin'.”

“'It's a feedin' storm an' no lichtsome for the sheep,' wes a' he said.

“Na, na, Sandie needna speak tae a Drumtochty man aboot Jamie; he didna live here a' his days withoot oor kennin' him. There's nae doot he hed a tongue, but it wes aye on the richt side.

“Div ye mind hoo he yokit on the kirkyaird ae day for lauchin' at Airchie Moncur an' his teatotalism? it took us a' oor time tae quiet him, he wes that croose; and ye ken it wes Jamie that focht awa wi' Posty till the morning he wes drooned. He got him doon tae twa gless a day, an' micht hae reformed him athegither gin he hedna been interrupit.

“His hert wes juist ower big, that wes the maitter wi' Jamie, an' he hoddit (hid) his feelings for fear o' makin' a fule o' himsel afore the pairish.

“Sall, he wesna verra parteeklar what he said gin ye hed him in a corner. He nursit the bit lassie that lived wi' Mary Robertson for a hale day when she wes deein' o' diptheria, an' threipit tae me that he hed juist gi'en a cry in passin', an' when Lily Grant deed in London, he gied oot that her mistress hed paid for bringin' the corpse tae Drumtochty kirkyaird. He cud lee near as weel as Milton, but it wes aye tae cover his ain gudeness.

“A' coontit Weelum Maclure an' Jamie Soutar the warmest herts in the Glen, an' Jamie 's never been the same sin... we lost Weelum. The kirkyaird's no worth comin' tae noo that Jamie's awa.”

It spoke volumes for Milton's zeal that he was among the first to visit Jamie after he took to bed, and the Glen can never be sufficiently thankful that Elspeth Macfadyen was present to give an accurate account of the interview.

“'Whatna step is that at the door?' said Jamie; 'a' never herd it here afore '; and when a' telt him it wes Milton, he gied me a luke an' briskit up that meenut.

“'Elspeth, he 's come tae dae me gude, an' he thinks he hes me in his hand; pit him in yon chair whar a' can keep ma een on him, for a' canna manage him oot o' ma sicht.'

“'It's solemn tae see ye brocht sae low, Jam--Mister Soutar '; he thocht he micht try Jamie at laist, but the spunk gied oot o' him facin' Jamie. 'Thae strokes are sent for a wise end; they humble oor pride.'

“'It's no a stroke,' said Jamie, lookin' fearsome at him frae ablow his nicht-cap, 'though a 'll no deny there micht be a titch o' rheumaticks. But a' coont lumbago mair subduin'; it taks ye sudden in the sma o' the back, an' 'ill keep ye in the bit for an 'oor.'

“'A' wes thinkin' o' the hert, no the body, ma freend,' an' Milton started on the whine; 'a 've been afflickit masel, an' dinna ken what a 'd been the day hed it no been for trials.' “'Ye needna tell me, Milton, for a'body kens yir losses, but a' houp ye'ill hae the present gude wife a whilie; is she yir third or fourth? for ma memory's gaein' fast.'

“Milton said naethin' for a meenut, an' a' daurna look at him, but Jamie's een were dancin' in his heid; he wes haein' his last bout wi' Milton, an' it wes meat an' drink tae him.

“'Wud ye like me tae read somethin'?' begins Milton again. 'A've a fine tract here, “A Sandy Foundation”; it's verra searchin' an' rousin', an' he pits on his glesses.

“'Thank ye,' says Jamie, 'but thae tracts are ower deep for a simple man like masel; the Bible dis for me graund. A've a favourite passage; noo if ye didna mind readin' 't, it wud be a comfort.

“'Turn tae the 23rd o' Matthew, an' it 'ill dae fine gin ye begin at the 13th verse, “Woe unto ye, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,” an' as sure as a'm lookin' at ye, Drumsheugh, Jamie gared Milton feenish the chapter, an' ilka time heepocrites wud come he wud say tae himsel, 'Maist comfortin',' till a' hed tae gae ootside; he wes a veecious cratur, Jamie, when he hed an ill-wull tae a body.

“When a' cam in, Milton hed been wantin' tae pray, and Jamie wes layin' doon three condeetions.

“'First, ye maunna scriech (scream), for that wud gae through ma head; secondly,' just like a sermon, 'ye 're no tae gang wanderin' aifter the Jews or ony orra fouk; and laist, there's tae be naethin' personal, for a' wud coont that doonricht impidence.'

“'A'm astonished at ye,' says Milton; 'hoo cud ye expect a blessin' on sic a prayer?' an' he rises tae leave. 'Ye 're sure there's naethin' on yir mind, for a 've hed experience.'

“'Weel, Milton, noo that ye 've mentioned 't, there is a maitter tribblin' me, but it's no every man a' cud trust, an' a' dinna want tae burden ye.'

“'Is't a sin o' omission or commission?' an' Milton wes as keen as a ferret. Puir cratur, little he kent Jamie.

“'Curious tae say, it's baith; it's maist extraordinar' hoo near ye've come tae't; hoo cud ye ken?'

“'We 're a' frail, Mister Soutar,' an' Milton lookit as if butter cudna melt in his mooth; 'ye michtna think it, but a v'e been tempit masel--lang syne, of coorse; baith, omission an' commission, did ye say? that's no sae common.'”

“'Na, it taks an accompleeshed sinner tae manage baith at the same time, an' a 'll tell ye the case,' an' a' saw something wes comin'.

“'Ye ken Sandie Mackay, wha sells coals at Kildrummie station on week-day and preaches roond the country on Sabbaths. Drumsheugh's Saunders brocht up ma laist load frae Sandie; “half a ton best burning coal” wes on the paper, an' wud ye believe me, a hundred-wecht short measure, an' half o' them third quality--omission an' commission.'

“'A' can see ye 've scandalised, for a' mind noo, ye 've been acquant wi' Sandie in meetings; noo, Milton, a' wes calc'latin' that a 've lost sax and twopence exactly, and gin ye cud get it oot o' the waefu' wratch, this week, a'd sough awa easier.' Milton made aff withoot anither word, an' the bed shook ablow Jamie.” The afflicted patient was sitting up in bed when Doctor Davidson came in, and would have concealed his occupation had it been possible to get a large paper kite out of sight.

“It's for Saunders's laddie at Drumsheugh,” he apologised; “he's ane o' the maist impi-dent an' mischievous smatchits (little fellow) in the Glen. If a' didna help him wi' his bit trokes there wudna be a floor left in ma gairden; the bairns are juist the trachle o' ma life.”

“Quite so, Jamie; and of all the people in the Glen there's nobody you like so well and none that love you more. The more you scold them, the more they come to you. As for the women, you 've been criticising them for a generation, and now they're all fighting for the honour of nursing you.”

“Havers,” responded Jamie, “it's juist tae get a sicht o' the inside o' a weel-kept hoose, and tak a lesson in order, though a 'll no deny that Elspeth Macfadyen an' auld Mary hev been verra attentive, as weel as Bell Baxter an' Annie Mitchell.”

“It's just a pity, Jamie, that so good-hearted a man never had a woman of his own. What set you against marriage?”

“Wha sed a' wes against merridge, Doctor Davidson?” and Jamie's face flushed. “Did ever man or woman hear me speak lichtly o' the mystery o' luve? The Glen hes thocht me an auld cankered bachelor, an' a've seen a lass leave her lad's side on the sicht o' me. Little they kent!”

No man knew better than the minister when to be quiet, and the ticking of Jamie's big silver watch was heard throughout the kitchen.

“Doctor Davidson, ye've been an honest man in the pulpit an' oot o't a' thae years, an' yir warks hev aye gane afore yir words. A 'll tell ye ma secret afore a' dee; ou ay, a' ken a'm deein', an' a'm rael pleased.

“Ye 'ill no mind that forty-five year syne a' workit a hale winter near Kildrummie, gaein' and comin' nicht an' mornin'.

“A' met... a lassie there, an' a' cam tae luve her aince an' for ever. No that a' wud hae spoken tae her, for a've been an ill-made, ill-tempered, thrawn body a' ma days, an' she... she wes as gude as Marget Hoo, though different. What mair can man say?

“The day ma wark wes dune a' said gude-bye tae her, an' that micht hae been the end, but a' turned sudden, an' a' saw the luke on her face.

“She cud hae taen her pick o' a' the lads roond Kildrummie, but nae man can lay doon the law tae luve; she... tuke me, that hed naething but a faithfu' hert, an' we gied oor word ane tae the ither for life... an' deith, as a man an' wuman sud aifter Christ's comin'.

“We cudna be mairrit till the summer, an' we agreed tae write nae letters tae set the foukes' tongues gaein; we wantit tae hae oor ain secret.

“So we trysted tae meet aince a week at a stile in the woods atween here an' Kildrummie, an' we hed... seeven evenings thegither; that wes a' we ever saw o' ane anither in this warld.

“It wes the month o' May in an early spring that year, and the leaves were oot in their bonnie first green, an' the birds were busy wi' their nests, an' the lambs were still wi' their mithers in the field. A' nature wes glad wi' us, an' blessed oor luve.

“The gate hes fa'en tae pieces lang syne, and the gap's built up wi' a dyke, an' the trees are cut doon an' the hawthorn rooted up, but it's... the same place tae me.

“A' can see the tree where we sat, an' the primroses at oor feet, an' the sun shinin' on her face, an' the look in her eyes; a' see her wavin' her hand tae me on the road aifter we pairted, an' the glint o' her goon through the firs the last nicht.

“When a' cam the next day she wesna there, an' a hoddit amang the trees for a ploy, but it wes lang waitin', for she didna come, an' a' gied hame wi' fear in ma hert.

“It micht be that she cudna get awa, a' said tae masel as a' worked at a dyke, but the dread wes hangin' ower me, an' when there wes nae-body at the stile the next nicht, a' cud bide nae langer.

“A' set aff tae her hoose, and ilka turn o' the road a' lookit for Menie. Aince ma hert loupit in ma briest like a birdie in its cage, for a wumman cam along the near road frae Kildrummie, but it wesna Menie.

“When a' saw her brither wi' his face tae Drumtochty a' kent, afore he said a word, that he wes seekin' me, an' that Menie wes dead. Never a tear cam that day tae ma een, an' he telt me, stannin' in the middle o' the road where it begins tae gae doon the hill.

“'It wes her throat, an' the doctor wes feared frae the first day; the nicht she didna come she wes carried (delirious); she... said “Jamie, Jamie,” ower an' ower again, an' wanted tae rise.

“'Aboot daybreak she cam tae hersel, and knew oor faces. “A'm deein',” she said, “an' a' didna keep ma tryst last nicht. It's ower late noo, an' a 'll no see him on earth again.

“'“Tell James Soutar that it wesna ma blame a' failed, an' gie him ma Bible,” an' a while aifter she said, “A 'll keep the tryst wi' him some day,” an'... that 's a'.'

“Her brither gied me the book an' waited, expeckin' me tae say somethin', but a' hed nae words, an' he left me on the road, coontin' me hard o' hert; a' wes a' that nicht... at the stile.

“Doctor, wull ye obleege me by gaein' tae that cupboard and bringin' me ma Sabbath hat?”

Jamie took off the ring of crape, thin and faded with the years, and held it for a moment in his hand.