Show man manBy By S R Crockett j Copyright copyright lOO 10 bis S R IL R Crockett ctt Notably among amon my fathers papers j Was aS one bundle Quite ule by ty y themselves he had always looked looke upon with wih I peculiar veneration They Tey were writ written wrt written pular ten In crabbed handwriting on ancient very much creased at the folds paper per er and nd bearing baring the marks mark of diligent perusal in days past pat My father could eo ld not pot read rad these thee but had great great reverence for them thes because of ot the thu great goat names could be b deciphered here here and there such as a Mr D Mr MrA A G and d in especial Mr Samuel How these came Into lato possession of ot otIn HoW fathers forbears forbear I have no information In mY tion They were always known in the th I family as papers though so far s I can now make out that tha cele celebrated celebrate covenanter COv had nothing to do dovith with brate the theror or at least least is never men mentioned mentioned in them On the other hand I toned the th family Bible written as asa fini linci from fr i ia a fn note notE over against the entry of t my I mothers death Aprile Aprie the 1731 the words Cozin to Mr Ir Patrick Walker V ker chapman c apman of ds to t port ort Edinburgh Th letters and narratives are in inmany Inmany many hands and vary considerably in daP dae some being as early erly as the great high hi rh days davs of presbytery about 1638 high whilst others oher in a plainer rl ln r hand have manifestly whist been copied or rewritten rewrite In Inthe InthE Inthe the thE early years of the last century NI N v aler alter I camp came from college and nd before n nJ j marriage 1 had sometimes Inns i n with wit little to do So having baying long got some insight into ancient handwriting from my friend frend Mr r Jam of the college of St St Mary May Maryan Mayan an expert ExErt in the same a good golfer golier goler also aiO nd a ft better beter fellow tel ow I set me nie to 10 work ork to decipher these manuscripts both for my m own satisfaction and for lor forth th pleasure of rending them hem to my father on Saturday nights night when I was wasti ti in the thc habit of or driving over to see my mother mothr at on onry my way wa from uniting my patients patent in the th Glen of K Keils That which follows Is from the first frt of 0 these thEe documents document which I 1 read to my father faher fa He was as so much taken by it that he beg hr d me to publish it I as as be he beld said ld as a corrective of the sinful con com and shameless sham defections ol of 01 plants th times And though I am little sanguine of oC any good gorI It may do do from a a high hish e ecclesiastic e point of view the facts fads are ar Interesting enough in them tem I The manuscript is clearly writ written ten tn out In a tall tal copybook k of stout bluish paper without ruled lines and andIs Is bound bund In a n kind of gray sheepskin The name Harry Har Wedderburn is upon the cover here her and there ther and within is a definitive title tte in capitals very ver ornately described THE STORY OF THE TURNING OF OFlE ME lE HARRY FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT BY BYTHE BYTHE THE TILE MEANS EANS AND INSTRUMENT OF MR SAMUEL RUTHERFORD OF ANWOTH SERVANT OF GOD The Lord hath bath spared me rue Harry Wedderburn these many years yeas delay delayIng dela Ing Ig ln the setting of my y sun un till ti once m rn re the green gen where once mr I saw the blood He lie le rod rd r and I 1 wait in patience to lay In my old head beneath the sod of f a quiet aulet land This s is my m story stor writ at the instance of good 10 Mr Patrick Patick Walker Volker and to be I ready at his next coming into our I reay parts part The slack between hay ha and ad harvest of at the year of deliverance delv race 1689 is the time of writing I 1 Harry Har Wedderburn of Black Blak Craig of Dee D acknowledging the mercies of G C Gd d and repenting of my sins set Ret these tese things down In my ray own hand of or write Sorrow and shame are ae in my heart that my sun waa so high in the heavens be before be before fore tor I turned me from rom evil evi to seek af after ter tr tir good goo We were a wild wid and forward set In those thos thos days in the of the KeIls It I was not long since the com corn coming coming cornIng ing of a law stronger than tha that of the Strong Hand Had Our had ha driven cattle from the English border the th borer yea YIa even out of oC the fat fields felds of Nid and over oVir the flower fower of Solway Sol way And if I a man offended another he went his hs straightest way vay home and took gun and ani hinger to He lie le in wait alt ait for his enemy Or he met him foot root to tv foot wih with ith quarterstaff on the highway If I he heHn Hn of ungentle heat hea t nd possessed pistol nor I mind well wel that year 1636 more than fifty years byge by I being then in the year ar of my age ae a cast castaway cat castaway away without God and without hope hopE in the world My father had been In his day a douce sober man yet he hec c mid uld do little to restrain myself or my brother Joh John who wis wS th they y said ten aurs than I For for there was wa a wild wid set In the Gl Glen i KeUs Kells in those days Li of and Roaming Ralf RaI of st being enough to toO poison O Sn a parish We Ve four used to fore foregather foregather gather to drink the ak out and the In two or three times in the week a at the of the Clachan El th Vogie It I and ad no good Jod name it got among those thos t f religion reI ony aye or either ethe a bouncing n buxom piece as ever give ve a aman aman anan good god liquor into a man nan a lour dour on the head for ch h hr chin r under the plump v and I Iha But these are ar vain aln thoughts thought hap ha had of a long season seaon no pleasure In la ther Yet I do not deny that Els Eis Elspeth peth Vogie though sore left to her herself herself herself self was wa wa a quean and nd d well wel favored farol of her person verson Si S I at some j of us drinking the and the For hairst was wa late that Jar yar Ia r a md and I the weather mostly backward atil duur d ur There Ther had come however with the thC advent of th month a warm war drowsy spell of windless wIndle days the t e sun shining from morn to even oven through a mor kind of f unwholesome mist and the corn cor standing on the as stamIng the gray and Ud calms cairns on the gy The fa and cotters coter looked at their roods of and prayed f r a r using wind from the Lord Lr to winn ninn w v away aw the still sUl dead dad easterly mist and gar ear the corn reeste ear eara asam a int t ear Ear so that it might fill fl and andr r r jn n for or the ingathering t Pu nut vie Wp w that were to sin ani aM bonded to iniquity oung young plants ff of f i Hath rath and forlorn of grace grce tul a as little for the backward year as A i f did lid for the sad state of Scotland an ani l the that were fast fat coming UTon on that land So long as a our pint ui was vas wa filled fled and rattle on neck K in the pouch sorrow the crack ff of ff ho h thumb we cared for harvest or sl 1 h hearing king kins or bishop Bible or OJ morse pot potT v nt T 1 u sitting il thus On fn the th Sabbath abbath mining mOring wizen when U hati hn ha better be tola to toli li la lav Wn l en sleeping t in our naked nake beds b a thre ame In on Rab Aitken of oC Auch uch k with us Rab Rb was wass s king his morning or raft craft of wf French brandy and to us usand USand tVr i and roisterers he heIT IT 1 to come upon unon us fresh as the then ji n the white hie thorn in the front of or orIa Slav Ia Fur he had a 8 clean sark upon nm him a d lace ruffle rume about his neck and bl hs H hair was wa still wet with wih the good food goodWell Well ell eU water In which he had bad lately a h d 1 Whither away Rab Rb we cried cred uis is isIt isi 11 It i in t visit fair Meg Mcg o 0 the glen bIen so early erly 1 the tho mornin He Be is on his way to the kirk cried cred Mother another ther If I so Us to stand all al day on the stool I of repentance declared another aoth r ren Then en In the whining voice he h added Robert Aitken deleted and ci f med to comper at both diets o ov v for the heinous elnous crime of and fr Sn s forth This was Wa an excellent im imitation Haton of o the th official method of sum s p a culprit tots nd his I it vas as Patie Pate Robb of who fail Ba 11 this And he had hod had the te best op J for perfecting perre UnS himself in the thet t exercise laving having stood the Ibe the session s tind nd re j ld ed the open rebuke on three thre sev se seX X fai occasions two of ot them theta in i one twelvemonth which Is counted a shame even among shameless men menNo menNo No Ko Patie Pate said Robb in answer I 1 Iam am apt indeed f tir ir the kirk but on no sic ap can errand erd as takes you there tere twice in the te year yer my man I no s to hear the gospel preached For there ter Is Isto to be a a stranger frae fre the south shore at atthe atthe atthe the kirk bf of Kelts Kelis Kels this day da and they say say ay he h has a mighty power of or words And Ant though ye scoff scot and make maks light o 0 me meI I care not I 1 am neither nor ye say True but there tere is isa isa Isa a whisper in my m heart h art that sends send me there this day I thank t ye bonny mis mistress tress I 0 He took tok the te and with w h a abow abow bow of his hs head bead and an inclination of his hi body he did his service serice to Mistress I peth who fresh as a himself himsel had come forth from fro her chamber to re relieve relieve lieve lev t I Jean McCalmont who poor thing had been een going goig to sleep on her ber feet for for many weary hours Then Th n Roaring Ralph cried cred out out Land we will wil a gang I had bad pews news P Y of this ploy The he new bishop luck to him has ha another pf of the highflying prating This man goes oes to Edinburgh to t be tried before his bet bat betters batter bette ter te He is to preach In Kells Kels this very morn on the for the minister thereof is with wih himself We will wl all al gang and if f he gets a bearl for his rebels rebels cant why lads you are tre not the men I tak talc you for forSo forSo forSo So they he cried crIe out Weel Veel said Roar RoarIng Ing lag Ralf Raif RI and got gat them ready to go as best ther the could For some were red ot of fade fa e and some were ringed of eye and all l were touched with a kind of ot disgust for the spirit of or the te night night But a a dabble in the chill water of ot the e and n a 1 rub rb of the rough rugh spun towel brought us all al to some de decent deet decent cent et pr For Fr youth easily esly recovers r co r itself isel while it lasts lat though In Inthe Inthe the thc latter later end It pays for r such things twice OV We partook vartook of such s breakfast as we e c could manatee manage manaJ and that tat was no great gat thing after such a night But we each ach Q h drank down a stirrup cup and ind nd with wIn various good speeds to i th Vogie Vogle Voge and her maid we wan to horseback and so down the to the kirk of Kells It I sits on the tite summit of a 0 litt knowe knor with wih the golden about abut it at all al times of the year yer and the loch like a ap painted p sheet spread b olow below low We Ve could see the folk come core flocking from afar aar and near from their mail mailings mailIngs ings and lands lauds their farm towns and in half hal a dozen parishes We JYe are ar in lucks way lads cried cred LIdderdale called caled LIdderdale because he could drink that number of o stoups of brandy neat it is a great gathering of the godly shutting of this mares mouth will wili wi make such a lin un as a will wil be b heard of through trough all al Galloway Galoway And so to our o r shame shae and my sorrow we made it up We Ve were to go the rounds the meeting and gather to together together together gether all al the likely lads who would woul stand with wU us There were sure to bs be plenty such who had no good will l ili to And with wih these In one place we could easily eany shut the mouth mout of the fanatic rier against law and order For so in our Ignorance and folly foly we called caled him Because all al this I sort such as a I myself was wa then hated hate the very er name of religion and hoped to find zid hi easier and an nd better beter for them when the g King should have have his way wa and when the bishops would pro pre present pr sent sent none to parishes but what we called caled good fellows by which we meant meat men as a careless of principle as ourselves and I Ier eve ers er such as Q in truth they mostly were themselves But when we came that August Augst morning to the kirk lIrk I Irk of Kells Kels lo 10 there before us was wa outspread such a sight as my ray eyes never beheld The kirk knowe was Wa fairly black with wih folk A little way vay off of you could see them pour pouring pourIng ing lag Inward in bands l te the spokes of ofa ofa ofa a wheel Further oil off of yet yet little black dots straggled down hillsides or up through glens disentangling them themselves th themselves m selves from clumps of birches and scurry thorns for all al the world like the ants of the wise king Catherine home hOne from their travels Then we w were very ver content conten and made mad it I our business to go among the gay young blades blaes who had come for forthe forte forthe the te excitement or as it might be be because b because cause all al the pretty lasses lases of the coun countr tr side were sure to be b there in their best best And with wih them we arranged that we should keep kEep silence till Ul the fanatic minister was wa well wel under way with wih his treasonable paries panes Then we e would rush rushin rushIn rushIn in wl wih with h our swords drawn carry carr him himoff himot himoff off ot down the steep and duck him for fora a traitorous oon In the loch beneath To this we all al assented and shook hands upon the te pact pact For we knew right what would be our fate if in the battle batte which was wa coming on the land lad the coTenant men won ron the day Perforce we must subscribe s to deeds and engagements attend kirks kirk lay aside aide gay colors forswear all al pleas pleasant pleasant ant with wih such as a Elseth Vogie and ad Mary her maid not that there therewa was wa anything wrong with wit my m own practice with such uch I speak only of others Tie e clatter claUer of the dice would be heard no more The cartes them themselves selves sj t of which then made the gentleman would be looked pon i the e dells dels picture books An Angood Angood Angood good broa broad oath would mean a fine fineas as ILS a broad Instead of chanting loose catches we would have to o listen to tot sermons t five hours long anI an be whip whipped pOd pea for all al the te little pleasing transgressions which made life Ife worth living So Hush flush we ve e said we will l salt this mans kail for him We will wl drill dri him wand vad hand and working hand so that he cannot stir str We Ye will wl make day him hUn drink his fill fl of Kells Kels loch this dayAll All Ai this while we knew not so much muchas mucha as a the te name of oC the te preacher nor in indeed indeed indeed deed cared cred v He came from the south so much we knew and ad he be had a great geat repute for godliness and what the t called caled faithfulness Which being interpreted signified that he h condemned the king and nd the bishops and held to the old figments about doc doe free grace and the authority of the Holy Eol H l Kirk KIrt The mn had not arrived arive when we reached the te kirk of Kells Kels Indeed it was not Jong ing l te ng before the te hour of service serice when hen UD UP the we saw a caval cavalcade cavalcade cavalcade cade ap at a Then we were angry For we said this spoils our sport port These are doubtless soldiers of the jing ing who vho have haLve h ve been sent to put a stop to the meeting We e shall have no chance thIs thIR tUr day dar dR |