DISCOVERED:

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8161, 16 April 1895, Page 4

DISCOVERED:

There are many queer charactera in Ballantyne'a printing bouse in Edinburgh, and one of them declared that he knew who wrote the Waverley norels, " almosb as coon as the master," Mr James Ballintyne. " I had .juat began a new sheeb of ' Guy Maonering," he would aay, "one night awhile after 12, and all the compositors had left, when in comes Mr Eallantyne himself, with a letter in his bind and a lob o' types. " I am going to make a sma'l alteratioD, Sandy," sad he. «• Unlock the form, will you 1 I'll nob keep you many minutes. 11 Well, I did as I was biddeD, and Mr Ballantyno looked ab the letter and altered three lines on one page and one line on another. •"That will do now, Sandy, I bhink,' were his words, and off ho went, never thinkiog he bad left the letter lying on my bank. I had barely time to get a glimpse ab it) when became back, but 1 kenb the hand wcel ami the signature, and it was « Waller Sc tr,' I bad a greib lang ballant (ballad) in Sir Walter's am hand o' writ 9 ab bame, bo tbab I was nae • stranger to it. S?, you see, gentlemen, I kenb the grand sfcret when ib waa a sscref-."— Youth's Champion.