"Yes, yes, Miss Robina," said I; "that"s quite satisfactory; and so, I"ll fill in your name now, if you please."
"Yes," she uttered, with a sigh. When we came to the age column--"Is it absolutely necessary," said she, "to fill in the age? Don"t you think it is a most impertinent question to ask, Mr. M"Lauchlin?"
"Tuts, it may be so to some folk; but to a sweet young creature like you, it cannot matter a b.u.t.ton." "Well," said Miss Robina--"but now, Mr. M"Lauchlin, I"m to tell you a great secret"; and she blushed as she slowly continued: "The minister comes sometimes to see us."
"I _have_ noticed him rather more attentive in his visitations in your quarter of late, than usual, Miss Robina."
"Very well, Mr. M"Lauchlin; but you must not tease me just now. You know Miss M"Farlane is of opinion that he is in love with her; while Miss Susan thinks her taste for literature and her knowledge of geology, especially her pamphlet on the Old Red Sandstone and its fossils as confirming the old Mosaic record, are all matters of great interest to Mr. Frazer, and she fancies that he comes so frequently for the privilege of conversing with her. But," exclaimed Miss Robina, with a look of triumph, "look at that!" and she held in her hand a beautiful gold ring. "I have got that from the minister this very day!"
I congratulated her. She had been a favorite pupil of mine, and I was rather pleased with what happened. "But what," I asked her, "has all this to do with the census?"
"Oh, just this," continued Miss Robina, "I had no reason to conceal my age, as Mr. Frazer knows it exactly, since he baptized me. He was a young creature then, only three-and-twenty; so that"s just the difference between us."
"Nothing at all, Miss Robina," said I; "nothing at all; not worth mentioning."
"In this changeful and pa.s.sing world," said Miss Robina, "three-and-twenty years are not much after all, Mr. M"Lauchlin!"
"Much!" said I. "Tuts, my dear, it"s nothing--just, indeed, what should be."
"I was just thirty-four last birthday, Mr. M"Lauchlin," said Miss Robina; "and the minister said the last time he called that no young lady should take the cares and responsibilities of a household upon herself till she was--well, eight-and-twenty; and he added that thirty-four was late enough."
"The minister, my dear, is a man of sense."
So thus were the Miss M"Farlanes" census schedules filled up; and if ever some one in search of the curiosities of the census should come across it, he may think it strange enough, for he will find that the three sisters M"Farlane are all ae year"s bairns!
=Distributing His Praises with Discernment=
Will Stout was a bachelor and parish beadle, residing with his old mother who lived to the age of nearly a hundred years. In mature life he was urged by some friends to take a wife. He was very cautious, however, in regard to matrimony, and declined the advice, excusing himself on the ground "that there are many things you can say to your mither you couldna say to a fremit (strange) woman."
While beadle, he had seen four or five different ministers in the parish, and had buried two or three of them. And although his feelings became somewhat blunted regarding the sacredness of graves in general, yet he took a somewhat tender care of the spot where the ministers lay.
After his extended experience, he was asked to give his deliberate judgment as to which of them he had liked best. His answer was guarded; he said he did not know, as they were all good men. But being further pressed and asked if he had no preference, after a little thought he again admitted that they were all "guid men, guid men; but Mr.
Mathieson"s claes fitted me best."
One of the new inc.u.mbents, knowing Will"s interest in the clothes, thought that at an early stage he would gain his favor by presenting him with a coat. To make him conscious of the kindly service he was doing, the minister informed him that it was almost new. Will took the garment, examined it with a critical eye, and having thoroughly satisfied himself, p.r.o.nounced it "a guid coat," but pawkily added: "When Mr. Watt, the old minister, gied me a coat, he gied me breeks as weel."
The new minister, who was fortunately gifted with a sense of humor, could not do less than complete Will"s rig-out from top to toe, and so established himself as a permanent favorite with the beadle.
=Mallet, Plane and Sermon--All Wooden=
In olden times, the serviceable beadle was armed with a small wooden "n.o.b" or mallet, with which he was quietly commissioned to "tap" gently but firmly the heads of careless sleepers in church during the sermon.
An instance to hand is very amusing.
In the old town of Kilbarchan, which is celebrated in Scottish poetry as the birthplace of Habbie Simpson, the piper and verse maker of the clachan, once lived and preached a reverend original, whose pulpit ministrations were of the old-fashioned, hodden-gray type, being humdrum and innocent of all spirit-rousing eloquence and force. Like many of his clerical brethren, he was greatly annoyed every Sunday at the sight of several of his parishioners sleeping throughout the sermon. He was especially angry with Johnny Plane, the village joiner, who dropped off to sleep every Sunday afternoon simultaneously with the formal delivery of the text. Johnny had been "touched" by the old beadle"s mallet on several occasions, but only in a gentle though persuasive manner. At last, one day the minister, provoked beyond endurance at the sight of the joiner soundly sleeping, lost his temper.
"Johnny Plane!" cried the reverend gentleman, stopping his discourse and eyeing the culprit severely, "are ye really sleeping already, and me no"
half through the first head?"
The joiner, easy man, was quite oblivious to things celestial and mundane, and noticed not the rebuke.
"Andra," resumed the minister, addressing the beadle, and relapsing into informal Doric, "gang round to the wast loft (west gallery) and rap up Johnny Plane. Gie the lazy loon a guid stiff rap on the heid--he deserves "t."
Round and up to the "wast loft" the old-fashioned beadle goes, and reaching the somnolent parishioner, he rather smartly "raps" him on his bald head. Instantly, there was on the part of Johnny a sudden start-up, and between him and the worthy beadle a hot, underbreath bandying of words.
Silence restored, the reverend gentleman proceeded with his sermon as if nothing unusual had occurred. After sermon, Andra met the minister in the vestry, who at once made inquiry as to the "words" he had had with Johnny in the gallery. But the beadle was reticent and uncommunicative on the matter, and would not be questioned at the reception the joiner had given his salutary summons.
"Well, Andra," at length said the reverend gentleman, "I"ll tell ye what, we must not be beaten in this matter; if the loon sleeps next Sunday during sermon, just you gang up and rap him back to reason. It"s a knock wi" some _force_ in"t the chiel wants, mind that, and spare not."
"Deed no, sir" was the beadle"s canny reply. "I"ll no" disturb him, sleepin" or waukin", for some time to come. He threatens to knock pew-Bibles and hymn-books oot o" me, if I again daur to "rap" him atween this and Martinmas. If Johnny"s to be kept frae sleepin", minister, ye maun _just pit the force into yer sermon_."
=Using Their Senses=
The following story is told by one of the officers engaged in taking a census: One afternoon, I called up at Whinny Knowes, to get their schedule; and Mrs. Cameron invited me to stay to tea, telling me what a day they had had at "Whins" with the census paper.
""First of all," said she, "the master there"--pointing to her husband--"said seriously that every one must tell their ages, whether they were married or not, and whether they intended to be married, and the age and occupation of their sweethearts--in fact, that every particular was to be mentioned. Now, Mr. M"Lauchlin, our two servant la.s.ses are real nice girls; but save me! what a fl.u.s.ter this census paper has put them in. Janet has been ten years with us, and is a most superior woman, with good sense; but at this time she is the most distressed of the two. After family worship last night, she said she would like a word o" the master himsel"."
""All right," says John, with a slight twinkle in his eye.
""When they were by themselves, Janet stood with her Bible in her hand, and her eyes fixed on the point of her shoe. "Sir," said she, "I was three-an"-thirty last birthday, though my neighbor Mary thinks I"m only eight-an"-twenty. And as for Alexander"--this was the miller, Janet"s reputed sweetheart--"he"s never asked my age exactly; and so, if it"s all the same, I would like you just to keep your thumb upon that. And then, as to whether he"s to marry me or not, that depends on whether the factor gives him another lease of the mill. He says he"ll take me at Martinmas coming if he gets the lease; but at the farthest, next Martinmas, whether or no."
""Janet," said my husband, "you have stated the matter fairly; there is nothing more required."
"And John, there," continued Mrs. Cameron, "has made good use of Janet"s census return. This very forenoon Lady Menzies called to see us, as she often does. Said John to her ladyship, says he: "He"s a very good fellow, Alexander Christie, the miller--a superior man. I"m sorry we are like to lose him for a neighbor."
""I never heard of that," said her ladyship. "He is a steady, honest man, and a good miller, I believe. I should be sorry to lose him on the estate. What is the cause of this?"
""Oh," replied my husband, "it seems the factor is not very willing to have a new lease of the mill without one being built. Your ladyship,"
added John, "can see what Alexander is after."
""Oh, yes, I understand," said she, laughing. "I will try and keep the miller"; and off she set without another word. Down the burnside she goes, and meets Alexander, with a bag of corn on his back, at the mill-door. When he had set it down, and was wiping the perspiration off his brow with the back of his hand, Lady Menzies said: "You are busy to-day, miller."
""Yes, my lady," said he; "this is a busy time."
""I wonder," said her ladyship, coming to the point at once, "that a fine young fellow like you does not settle down now and take a wife, and let me have the pleasure of seeing you as a tenant always with us."
""You wouldn"t, my lady," said the miller, "have me bring a bird before I had a cage to put it in. The factor grudges to build me a house; therefore, I fear I must remove."
""Well, Christie," said her ladyship with great glee, "you"ll look out for the bird, and leave it to me to find the cage."
""It"s a bargain, my lady," said Alexander. "My father and my grandfather were millers here for many a long year before me; and to tell the truth, I was reluctant to leave the old place."
"In the course of the forenoon, the miller made an errand up the burn to the "Whins," for some empty bags; and as we had already got an inkling of what had pa.s.sed between him and Lady Menzies, I sent Janet to the barn to help him look them out. When Janet returned, I saw she was a little flurried, and looked as if there was something she wished to say.
In a little while--"Ma"am," says she to me, "I"m no" to stop after Martinmas."
""No, Janet?" says I. "I"m sorry to hear that. I"m sure I"ve no fault to find with you, and you have been a long time with us."
""I"m not going far away," said Janet, with some pride; "the bairns will aye get a handful of groats when they come to see us!"