Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush | Page 8

"a've seen
mair than most. It doesna become me to boast, but tho' I say it as sudna,
I hae buried a' my ain fouk."
Kirsty had a "way" in sick visiting, consisting in a certain cadence of

the voice and arrangement of the face, which was felt to be soothing
and complimentary.
"Yir aboot again, a'm glad to see," to me after my accident, "but yir no
dune wi' that leg; na, na, Jeems, that was ma second son, scrapit his
shin aince, tho' no so bad as ye've dune a'm hearing (for I had denied
Kirsty the courtesy of an inspection). It's sax year syne noo, and he got
up and wes traivellin' fell hearty like yersel. But he begood to dwam
(sicken) in the end of the year, and soughed awa' in the spring. Ay, ay,
when tribble comes ye never ken hoo it 'ill end. A' thocht I wud come
up and speir for ye. A body needs comfort gin he's sober (ill)."
When I found George wrapped in his plaid beside the brier bush whose
roses were no whiter than his cheeks, Kirsty was already installed as
comforter in the parlour, and her drone came through the open window.
"Ay, ay, Marget, sae it's come to this. Weel, we daurna complain, ye
ken. Be thankfu' ye haena lost your man and five sons, besides twa
sisters and a brither, no to mention cousins. That wud be something to
speak aboot, and Losh keep's, there's nae saying but he micht hang on a
whilie. Ay, ay, it's a sair blow aifter a' that wes in the papers. I wes
feared when I heard o' the papers; 'Lat weel alane,' says I to the
Dominie; 'ye 'ill bring a judgment on the laddie wi' yir blawing.' But ye
micht as weel hae spoken to the hills. Domsie's a thraun body at the
best, and he was clean infatuat' wi' George. Ay, ay, it's an awfu' lesson,
Marget, no to mak' idols o' our bairns, for that's naethin' else than
provokin' the Almichty."
It was at this point that Marget gave way and scandalized Drumtochty,
which held that obtrusive prosperity was an irresistible provocation to
the higher powers, and that a skilful depreciation of our children was a
policy of safety.
"Did ye say the Almichty? I'm thinkin' that's ower grand a name for
your God, Kirsty. What wud ye think o' a faither that brocht hame some
bonnie thing frae the fair for ane o' his bairns, and when the puir bairn
wes pleased wi' it tore it oot o' his hand and flung it into the fire? Eh,
woman, he wud be a meeserable cankered jealous body. Kirsty,

wumman, when the Almichty sees a mither bound up in her laddie, I
tell ye He is sair pleased in His heaven, for mind ye hoo He loved His
ain Son. Besides, a'm judgin' that nane o' us can love anither withoot
lovin' Him, or hurt anither withoot hurtin' Him.
"Oh, I ken weel that George is gaein' to leave us; but it's no because the
Almichty is jealous o' him or me, no likely. It cam' to me last nicht that
He needs my laddie for some grand wark in the ither world, and that's
hoo George has his bukes brocht oot tae the garden and studies a' the
day. He wants to be ready for his kingdom, just as he trachled in the bit
schule o' Drumtochty for Edinboro'. I hoped he wud hae been a
minister o' Christ's Gospel here, but he 'ill be judge over many cities
yonder. A'm no denyin', Kirsty, that it's a trial, but I hae licht on it, and
naethin' but gude thochts o' the Almichty."
Drumtochty understood that Kirsty had dealt faithfully with Marget for
pride and presumption, but all we heard was, "Losh keep us a'."
When Marget came out and sat down beside her son, her face was
shining. Then she saw the open window.
"I didna ken."
"Never mind, mither, there's nae secrets atween us, and it gar'd my
heart leap to hear ye speak up like yon for God, and to know yir content.
Div ye mind the nicht I called for ye, mother, and ye gave me the
Gospel aboot God?"
Marget slipped her hand into George's, and he let his head rest on her
shoulder. The likeness flashed upon me in that moment, the earnest
deep-set grey eyes, the clean-cut firm jaw, and the tender mobile lips,
that blend of apparent austerity and underlying romance that make the
pathos of a Scottish face.
"There had been a Revival man, here," George explained to me, "and
he was preaching on hell. As it grew dark a candle was lighted, and I
can still see his face