cated to me, by way of a spur to hasten my re- by this time discovered that he had committed a turn, which I may narrate in passing. mistake, "there is a plaster for every sore, as the gifted Maister Rabshake Rumblethump says. The weather being warm, you will not feel the want o' your hair, and here is a bottle o' spiritualized bear's grease, which will mak it grow as quickly, or nearly sae, as it was crappit!" There had arrived at Dreepdaily, in prosecution of his lawful avocations, a young commercial traveller, or bagman, Benjamin Bluebottle by name. The aforesaid Bluebottle was quite a buck in his way, and was just as particular in showing himself off to advantage as the wares These words, instead of producing a sedative which it was his mission to vend. One evening effect upon the excited bagman, appeared to agafter dinner, Benjamin sought my shop for the gravate him into a perfect frenzy and whirlwind purpose of having himself tonsorially beautified of rage. Confound you and your bear's grease!" (these were the dominie's own words) prior to he exclaimed, "I wish I saw you and it frying in making his appearance at a "cooky shine" and one of the dripping-pans of Tophet! Look here, dance given by Mrs. Bailie Bouncer, the spouse you miscreant! Will the lard of all the bears in of one of his leading customers. Now, it so Christendom ever cure this ?" Uttering these chanced that on this occasion the bagman's post-words, the demented Bluebottle made a clutch at prandial potations had not been strictly limited his scalp, and pulled off A WIG! to cold water, and he had no sooner seated him. self in the professional chair than he emigrated into the land of Nod before he could give my journeyman an inkling of the specific services which were required at his hands. Job, who was, as usual, more than half seas over, took it upon himself to decide that the customer had come for the purpose of having his hair cut, and proceeded to act upon that theory without delay. So vigorously did he ply scissors and comb, that ere the world had become ten minutes more antique, the poll of the oblivious Bluebottle was cut close as the back of a new-shorn sheep! It is hardly necessary for me to say that the state of matters indicated by the above recited tragical passage, urged me to hasten my departure. Accordingly, I took my ticket in the Edinburgh mail-coach, immediately on receipt of Mr. Paumie's epistle, and the same evening beheld me progressing homeward at the rate of twelve miles an hour. The night being fine, I contented myself with an outside place, and was fortunate enough to secure a moiety of the box-seat. I use the word fortunate, because, as it so chanced, the driver was quite an original in his way, and at once He had good-humoured and communicative. some story to tell connected with almost every leading object upon the road, and as I took care to "wet his whistle" at each halting place, I managed to acquire a vast amount of gossiping information in the course of my locomotive journey. "There is a curious story relating to that house," said my whip-flourishing friend, as we were leaving a way-side house, "built for the refreshment of pilgrims" (to use honest John Bunyan's cherished phrase). Having expressed myself desirous to hear the legend, Thomas Thong was-for so the Jehu named-indoctrinated me with the substance of the following narrative, for the truth of which he pledged his credit. Having concluded operations, Mr. Sheepshanks gave his client an emphatic shake, and informing him that the needful had been done, craved the customary honorarium. Up started Benjamin, thoroughly sobered by his snooze, and drawing his hand over his chin, asked Job, with an oath, whether he called that shaving? "Dinna swear, Sir!" hiccuped my locum tenens, who, being a New Light, Old Connexion, Reformed Cameronian, always uplifted his testimony against the profane-"dinna' swear in sic a regardless way. As for shaving, my razor never touched a hair o' your beard, but I flatter mysel that your head has been as weel cowed this blessed night for that matter." "What is that you say?" yelled the miserable Bluebottle. "Do you mean to tell me, unhanged vagabond that you are, that you have been experimenting upon my head?" Without waiting for a reply, the victim rushed to the looking-glass, when in one moment Near the famous town of Montrose, therehe became aware of the crowning misfortune dwelt, not many years bye-gone, a landed prowhich had befallen him. It was indeed enough prietor, answering to the name of David Dregto make a saint blaspheme! His corporeal cli horn. His estate was denominated Hungry max was almost as bare as one of the blocks Knowes, and so far as its owner was concerned, which stood before him! no designation could be more fitting or appro"Never mind, Sir," now interjected Job, who priate. If the misers of Scotland had agreed to ANENT THE APPARITION WHICH MANIFESTED elect themselves a king from amongst their num- the evening had terminated, and the landlord ber, most assuredly the crown would have fallen upon the head of David, that is on the supposition that thrift was the leading qualification sought after. He was the very incarnation of grinding penuriousness, and used to be quoted as such by the whole country side. Though possessed of a large income, and having a goodly sum to his account in the bank, he denied himself not only the luxuries and comforts, but almost the very necessaries of life. There was not a cotter of Hungry Knowes, who did not usually sit down to a better dinner than did his Laird, and as for garments, few beggars would have exchanged habiliments with the wealthy pauper. On more than one occasion, he had been observed recruiting his wardrobe from the rags of a potatoe bogle, and if a compassionate stranger (as was sometimes the case,) offered him the benevolence of a penny, he never scrupled to pocket the donation, with a mumbled benediction upon the head of the giver. With the exception of a female drudge of all work, the only domestic in the house of Hungry Knowes, was an ancient male servitor, called Gavin Park, who was nearly as great an economist as his principal. In fact, the familiar saying, "like master, like man," never had a more complete realization than in this pair of skin-flints. Only once a year, on the anniversary of his birth, to wit; did Laird Dreghorn relax the Lenten rule which governed the balance of his existence. On that epoch he was in the habit of giving an entertainment to such of the neighboring gentry as chose to be on visiting terms with him; and on these occasions none of the guests had cause to complain of the quality of the feast. The table presented every luxury which the contiguous markets could supply, and as for the wines they were of special and almost unique excellence. David Dreghorn had found the cellar of Hungry Knowes richly replenished when he succeeded his father in the property, and as not a bottle was ever consumed except on the occasions above referred to, the stock suffered but slender diminution for many years. was obligated to procure an additional allowance. A formidable difficulty, however, presented itself to this consummation. The Laird had imbibed so copiously of his vinous treasures, that though in full possession of thought and speech, his limbs refused to perform their regular functions. Sundry attempts did he make to rise from the table, but all in vain. He was to every intent and purpose as much a fixture as if he had been sculptured in marble or carved in ivory. In this predicament, one of the guests whose locomotive organs were in more available order, offered his services to enact the part of butler, and bring the desiderated fluids. This proposition met with a stern and decided negative from the host. He vowed and protested that he would not part with the key of the sacred crypt to the Great Mogul, or the Queen of Sheba, let alone to a parcel of north country land loupers! At length, the minister of the parish, Doctor Drouthycraig hit upon a method of solving the difficulty. He suggested that Mr. Hercules Hor ning, an Aberdeen lawyer, and the Laird's favourite man of business, should carry his client upon his shoulders to the cellar, and so act at once as his Bucephalus and Ganymede. This proposition was at once acceded to. The jurisconsult uplifted the agriculturist, placed him upon his back, and with a gait tolerably steady, all things considered, carried him out of the festal chamber. After a short interval the rider and his bipedal steed returned, amidst the congratulatory shouts of the expectant revellers, each laden with a supply of stimulants amply sufficient to lay the whole synod under the table, a catastrophe which actually occurred before cock-crow! There is only one other feature connected with these birth day entertainments, which falls to be condescended upon. On the ensuing day it devolved upon Gavin Park to collect the fragments of the feast, such as cheese, fruits, &c., and having carefully disposed of them in baskets, conveyed them to the purveyor in Montrose who had furnished the same. The dealer, in accordance with a previous bargain, weighed whatever reliquiæ were in a merchantable condition, and gave the Laird credit for the same at the settlement of This cellar and its contents formed the leading boast of the Laird of Hungry Knowes, and so jealously did he conserve the precious local-accounts.* ity, that no one was ever permitted to act as his deputy in exploring its recesses. Not even in the case of Gavin Park, was a rule relaxed which was as stringent and inexorable as the laws of the Medes and the Persians. On one of Dreghorn's periodical saturnalia, the supply of wine fell short, before the festivities of The only near relative of the Laird of Hungry Knowes was a sister who had married an officer in *There is nothing fictitious in the preceding account of Mr. Dreghorn's convivial peculiarities. They must be familiar to many Scotsmen whose memories can reach back to half a century.Ed. A. A. M. the service of the East India Company. This lady and her husband died within a short time of each other, and their sole issue a son, was sent to England in order to be educated. When John Embleton, for so was the young man named, had attained majority, Mr. Dreghorn invited him to take up his abode with him, throwing out a hint that on his decease the nephew would step into the shoes of his uncle. As Embleton's means were far from being plethoric, such an offer, attended though it was with many drawbacks, was not to be sneezed at, and, accordingly, he soon found himself an inmate of the most comfortless mansion which Scotland, in all probability cortained. It is unnecessary to detail the mode of life which John was now constrained to pursue. Enough to say that had he been a Trappist monk his privations and mortifications could hardly have been exceeded. These drawbacks he felt more in consequence of the luxuries to which he had been accustomed in Hindostan. His life there had, comparatively speaking, been the life of a prince, here, he was obliged to submit to sumptuary grievances, which would have driven to insubordination a palanqui bearer of Bombay, frugally as these unsophisticated children of the sun sustentate nature. In fact, so signally did the feelings of young Embleton revolt against the system of semi-starvation to which he was subjected, that six months would have terminated his probation, had not a powerful motive constrained him to put up with the domestic purgatory. To make a long story short, John was over head and ears in love, and mutual vows of constancy had been exchanged between him and the object of his affections. It must now be patent to the most obtuse, how it came to pass that the gay, and high spirited John Embelton could force himself to endure the thousand and one annoyances which prevailed at Hungry Knowes. Upon his uncle's favour depended, to all human appearance, whether he should ever be in a condition to fetter with a plain gold w-ring the fourth finger of the plump left hand of his dearly beloved Dorcas ! Rough as was the lot of poor John, it might have been rougher still, but for the anxiety which Gavin Park uniformily displayed, to ameliorate its ruggedness. From the very first, Gavin had conceived a strong liking for the young Laird-as Embleton was generally designated, and this liking was more firmly cemented by the fact that both parties were devotedly attached to field sports. Miserly as Gavin was, he never begrudged the cost of powder and shot, and the frequent sallies which the pair made against the feathered and piscatory tribes of the domain, had the effect of creating between them, a union, offensive and defensive strong as that which characterised Castor and Pollox, Damon and Pythias, or John Doe and Richard Roe! Often when John Embleton disgusted at some extra-miserable commons, threatend to leave the inhospitable dwelling, did the faithful, and more prudent Park prevail upon him to give up his determination. On such occasions the majordomo would refer to the senectitude and complicated infirmities of Dreghorn, and remind the murmurer that a man of seventy-nine, endowed with rheumatism and asthma, was not likely to live for ever! The selfevident truth of this proposition never failed to produce a soothing effect upon the irritated expectant, and, thinking upon the charms of Dorcas Rubric, he continued to masticate oat-meal porridge, and watery beef-less broth, with resignation if not with relish. But a sorer trial than any thing of a mere gustatory nature, was in reserve for the hapless heir expectant of Hungry Knowes. Dorcas Rubric was the third daughter of the Reverend Augustine Rubric, under whose roof Embleton had received a modicum of what proverbs assure us is better than house and land, learning to wit. It is more than doubtful, however, whether the excellent ecclesiastic would -have admitted the orthodoxy of the above cited Laird Dreghorn had been through life a confirmproposition. With all his learning- and its ripe-ed, and dogmatical advocate of single blessedness. ness was beyond controversy-he had never been The female sex he regarded as natural enemable to attain a higher step on the ladder of pre-ies to the masculine species of humanity, and ferment, than a curacy of some seventy pounds per annum, and, unless the sky should rain patrons, he had no prospect of ever bettering his financial condition. When to this is added that the number of juvenile Rubrics amounted to sixteen, it will readily be imagined that the portion which Dorcas could reasonably reckon upon, must have been almost too microscopic for even fractional arithmetic to calculate. firmly opined that their leading destiny was to deck themselves with haberdashery superfluities to the empoverishment of the lords of creation and generally keep the aforesaid lords in boiling water. The few prints which adorned the wall of his dwelling room had all reference to this main and engrossing idea. For instance the picture gallery of Hungry Knowes embraced, inter alia, the following subjects, Dalilah shearing the locks of the confiding Sampson,-Pandora peep-dence McThrift of Glen Skinflint. "A braw estate ing into the prohibited box.-Diana translating (as the old gentleman took care to state,) in the the overly curious Acteon into a stag.-Helen adjacent parish of Sour Sowans, worth twa thoulevanting from Troy.-Venus flirting with that graceless cavalier Mars.--Lady Macbeth egging on her remorseful good-man to cut the throat of honest King Duncan. Millwood seducing George Barnwell to serve out his uncle after a cognate fashion, and last but not least, in the Lairds estimation, for David was a rigid Episcopalian, Janet Geddes hurling her sacrilegious joint stool at the head of the prelatical parson in St. Giles' cathedral! Young Embleton being well cognizant of the above mentioned peculiarty in his uncle was one day filled with no small astonishment at being told on his return from shooting a few birds, and a brace of hares or so, that there was a lady in the drawing room! Such a phenomenon had not been witnessed at Hungry Knowes during the incumbency of its present owner, and had John certiorated that an elephant or hippopotomus was enacting the part of hospes up stairs, but slender addition would have been made to his surprise. The perplexity of the stripling was by no means abated, when Gavin Park informed him him that Laird Dreghorn had not only received the dame or spinster (as the case might be) with every demonstration of cordiality but had even gone the length of bringing up from the cellar a bottle of sweet wine, for her especial discussion! Surely exclaimed the wonder smitten servant, dooms-day must be close at hand! Just think o' the Laird drawing a pint o' Lisbon that hasna' its marrow out o' the Kings' cellars, and this no his birth-day! But aboon a' to think that he does sic an unheard o' thing to petile up a creature in petticoats! If some marvel does na' happen after a' this, may I never bring down a muir fowl again!" Whilst Gavin was thus giving expression to his excited feelings, the bell rang, and having answered the summons, the factotum of Hungry Knowes returned with a request, or more properly speaking mandamus, that Embleton would transfer his person to the drawing-room. So in duty bound the young man lost no time in complying with the requirement, and having hastily made some improvements upon his toilet, he entered the chamber of audience. No sooner had he developed himself than Mr. Dreghorn took him by the band, and with all the formality of the olden school, presented him to the fair visiter whom he introduced as Miss Pru sand sterling a year if it was worth a plack, and of which Miss McThrift was the sole and unfettered owner! The Laird added that Miss Prudence had hitherto been residing in Edinburgh, but, being desirous of superintending her property in person had recently removed to Glen Skinflint where she proposed dwelling in future. Mr. Dreghorn concluded by inviting his nephew to drink a glass of wine to the health of their visitor, and their better acquaintance. Though belonging to the gender which by the prescriptive usage of politeness, is called fair, there was but little to justify a literal application of the word to the Chieftianess of Glen Skin-flint. In height, she closely bordered upon six feet, but her bulk was far from being of corresponding proportion. Indeed, for that matter, a whipping post conveyed no very far-fetched idea of the lady's general appearance. Her eyes were small, greyish in hue, with a slight dash of verdancy, and exhibited that restless, peering, poking expression which irresistibly conjured up the comparison of a gimlet on active service. Inoculation not having been practised during the "green and sallad days" of the virtuous Prudence, her visage bore testimony that small pox had been among the ills to which her flesh had fallen heir: and a wrinkled sheet of antiquated parchment was peculiarly suggestive of the maiden's neck, at least so much of it as the profane were permitted to behold! Upon the whole, John Embleton could not avoid coming to the conclusion, that if all the women in the world bore an intimate resemb lance to the heiress of Glen Skinflint, few clergymen would ever be called upon to perform the matrimonial office! He likwise opined that had Prudence been the captive Princess whose honor Scipio Africanus conserved, that warrior could have claimed but slender merit on the score of continency! It is only necessary to add that if the damsel lacked those external charms which usually command the devoirs of the oppsite sex, there was every reason to conclude that she possessed the more solid and utilitarian qualities alone to be acquired in the school of experience! A few grey hairs, which feloniously peered from behind the rampart of her yellow frontlets, told a story not of yesterday's date. Indeed, for that matter, the baptismal of Sour Sowans furnished conclusive evidence, that never more on this terrestrial globe, could the fortyseventh birth-day of Prudence McThrift be celebrated with any PAUL PRY AMONG THE BLUE NOSES. chronological propriety! If the nephew was somewhat lacking in admiration of the visitor to Hungry Knows, not so the uncle. He appeared to regard her as the very paragon and perfection of womankind-in fact, as something too precious and sublimated for the common wear and tear of existence. To the most ordinary observations, which she enunciated, he listened with appetized attention, as if from her thin and pursed up lips there had been gushing torrents of wisdom--and so marked was his devotion that a third party would not unnaturally have concluded that Dan Cupid had made an orifice in the senior's heart! After a season Miss Prudence took her departure, having previously exacted a promise from Mr. Dreghorn and John, that they would favour her with their company to dinner on the following day. Embleton would fain have excused himself, as feeling no special vocation to undergo the irksomness of penance, but the Laird effectually knocked his intention on the head, by accepting the invitation on the part of both, with a scream of jubilate ! As John retraced his steps up stairs, after seeing Miss McThrift safely deposited in her rickety old gig, which was propelled by a living skeleton of a horse, he could not help asking himself what all this was to grow to? "Can it be possible," he soliloquised-"that my uncle contemplates wooing and wedding yon animated vinegar cruet? If so, there will be but a sorry look out for poor Dorcas and myself! The sooner that I depart, and commence pushing my fortune the better! Heigh ho!" [At this epoch of the story, the mail coach came to a halt for the purpose of changing horses, and as a matter of course, Mr. Thong had to intermit his narration for a season.] No. 1. ON a sunny morning in October, 1853, not “two men on horseback," but two men in a a light waggon might have been seen," and, in fact, were seen, progressing along the north shore of North Britain from Shediac. One was a descendant of the Acadian French, dressed like the rest of them in dark blue homespun, straw hat, and home-made shoes, whom a sufficient consideration had induced to officiate as driver of a pair of lively ponies; the other an individual engaged in the pursuit of knowledge under difficul ties for the benefit of society in general, and the readers of the Anglo in particular. For about forty-eight miles along the coast the farmers and oyster-diggers are nearly all descendants of the Acadian French: but the mechanics, merchants, and business men, British, by birth or descent. The women of the former class invariably wear an antique dress of black homespun. Attempts on the part of individuals of either sex to vary their modes of dress are of rare occurrence; when they are made they are usually promptly repressed by the ruling power. They are almost as enterprising as their cousins in Canada East-instances will shortly be given to that effect. A ride of 18 miles through a rather level country, occasionally diversified by rivers (over one of which, the Cocagne, is a very long bridge), brought the aforesaid persons to the village seaport of Buctouche, where there is nothing particularly noteworthy-two steam saw-mills, a river with two mouths, a few vessels afloat, and one or two ashore, constituted the most prominent objects. Another 18 miles through an equally mo notonous country, and the explorer pitched his tent for the night in the lively village of Richibucto, on the river of the same name; the word in the Indian tongue signifying "the river of fire." The village is neatly built; the houses usually have small gardens attached to them. In natural beauty it is deficient, as there are no hills in the vicinity; it contains about 700 inhabitants, who appear to be generally in comfortable circumstances, prompt in their business transactions, British in their habits and feelings, industrious A man in earnest finds means; or, if he can- and intelligent. The majority are probably New not find, creates them. Brunswickers by birth; of 465 immigrants, all The world is all up-hill when we would do, all but ten are from Great Britain and Ireland; of down-hill when we suffer. Weaknesses seem to be even more carefully and anxiously concealed than graver and more decided faults, for human nature is more ashamed of the first than the last. these ten, four are from other British possessions. Shipbuilding, sawing and exporting timber, seem the main business of this place, as well as of the village of Kingston, which is rather picturesquely |