Auld Licht Idyls | Page 9

pickaxe, which sat lightly on his broad shoulders (he was not even
back-bent, and that showed him no respectable weaver), Henders
delved his way to the nearest house, which formed one of a row, and
addressed the inmates down the chimney. They had already been
clearing it at the other end, or his words would have been choked.
"You're snawed up, Davit," cried Henders, in a voice that was entirely
business-like; "hae ye a spade?" A conversation ensued up and down
this unusual channel of communication. The unlucky householder,
taking no thought of the morrow, was without a spade. But if Henders
would clear away the snow from his door he would be "varra
obleeged." Henders, however, had to come to terms first. "The chairge
is saxpence, Davit," he shouted. Then a haggling ensued. Henders must
be neighborly. A plate of broth, now--or, say, twopence. But Henders
was obdurate. "I'se nae time to argy-bargy wi' ye, Davit. Gin ye're no
willin' to say saxpence, I'm aff to Will'um Pyatt's. He's buried too." So
the victim had to make up his mind to one of two things: he must either
say saxpence or remain where he was.
If Henders was "promised," he took good care that no snowed-up
inhabitant should perjure himself. He made his way to a window first,
and, clearing the snow from the top of it, pointed out that he could not
conscientiously proceed further until the debt had been paid. "Money
doon," he cried, as soon as he reached a pane of glass; or, "Come awa
wi' my saxpence noo."
The belief that this day had not come to Henders unexpectedly was
borne out by the method of the crafty callant. His charges varied from
sixpence to half-a-crown, according to the wealth and status of his
victims; and when, later on, there were rivals in the snow, he had the
discrimination to reduce his minimum fee to threepence. He had the
honor of digging out three ministers at one shilling, one and threepence,
and two shillings respectively.

Half a dozen times within the next fortnight the town was re-buried in
snow. This generally happened in the night-time; but the inhabitants
were not to be caught unprepared again. Spades stood ready to their
hands in the morning, and they fought their way above ground without
Henders Ramsay's assistance. To clear the snow from the narrow
wynds and pends, however, was a task not to be attempted; and the
Auld Lichts, at least, rested content when enough light got into their
workshops to let them see where their looms stood. Wading through
beds of snow they did not much mind; but they wondered what would
happen to their houses when the thaw came.
The thaw was slow in coming. Snow during the night and several
degrees of frost by day were what Thrums began to accept as a revised
order of nature. Vainly the Thrums doctor, whose practice extends into
the glens, made repeated attempts to reach his distant patients, twice
driving so far into the dreary waste that he could neither go on nor turn
back. A ploughman who contrived to gallop ten miles for him did not
get home for a week. Between the town, which is nowadays an
agricultural centre of some importance, and the outlying farms
communication was cut off for a month; and I heard subsequently of
one farmer who did not see a human being, unconnected with his own
farm, for seven weeks. The school-house, which I managed to reach
only two days behind time, was closed for a fortnight, and even in
Thrums there was only a sprinkling of scholars.
On Sundays the feeling between the different denominations ran high,
and the middling good folk who did not go to church counted those
who did. In the Established Church there was a sparse gathering, who
waited in vain for the minister. After a time it got abroad that a flag of
distress was flying from the manse, and then they saw that the minister
was storm-stayed. An office-bearer offered to conduct service; but the
others present thought they had done their duty and went home. The
U.P. bell did not ring at all, and the kirk-gates were not opened. The
Free Kirk did bravely, however. The attendance in the forenoon
amounted to seven, including the minister; but in the afternoon there
was a turn-out of upward of fifty. How much denominational
competition had to do with this, none can say; but the general opinion

was that this muster to afternoon service was a piece of vainglory. Next
Sunday all the kirks were on their mettle, and, though the snow was
drifting the whole day, services were general. It was felt that after the
action of the Free Kirk the Established and the U.P.'s must