Bits from the Longbush.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 191, 20 August 1901, Page 1

Bits from the Longbush.

Story Column.

THE BAMBOOZLING OF TH& B\NK LR A RESURRECTIONIST STORY. (By our Contributor

I > the town ofAbersheea there vra'i a train ng c ll"ge for medical students: I have submitted the a-.me of the tow'd to a learned etymologist ami he tells me it means the mouth of the shoe; Aber being a m> tt h or opening* and sheen being the local name for shoes* Farther north they wear brouges or or shano, and fu'ther south they wear Clogs, which has got nothing at all to dd with my story;

They were getting very hard up fo£ subjects in Abershean, the kirkyardfr b ing carefully w itched or otherwi.d guarded for twenty miles round. Thd head d'.ctor or p of ssor had a personal friend in a wmall town about forty miles away, which We will calt Sea itly. On cornplai i g to him of his difficulties, he undertook to trf and Lupi-ly.him with what he wanted This friend was banker, commissioti agent, factor, collected rents, etc., anything hy which he could make moneys He was also a strong pillar of the kit kf ruling elder arid treasurer. The principal proprietor of the parish was the next thing to an being nearly always away in London, France, or anywli *re but at hom -v The minister and ths banker ruled thd aff.irs of the pariih, Whitt anything was to be coasid *.red, the<e two irtefe cither at the rrianse or the house, and over a few tumblers o i toddy everything vtas settled, Then there was a meeting of thd kirk session, for form sake, and they said “Amen,”

When any poor lassie who had loved not wisely b it too well, had to appeal be fore the kirk session, the minister had a kind heart arid a spark of pity for such as she and let her dowd easily; but woa to her when the banker stood up. He was a keen mad of business, aid would have his jus-fc dues to the la-t farthing* Suuuld anyone complain of his hardness, hid favour!m saying was: “ \Vs must bd diligent in business, fervent in spirit* fearing the Lord.” He was ver/ punctual and a t-uitive to bis duties a S an elder, go’ng .to comfort the widoflf and the fatherless in their affliction} with ail the more comfort and satisfaction to himself, knowing that he had the gudeman safely nailed up in a bo* and on the way to Abeisheen. “ Oh, stop ; I said to" the exciseman} ho mast have been a confounded hypocrite and a d •

“ VVetJbht, laddie, dmua swear, ye’rd young yet and dinaa ken the ways o’ th# world. ’*

Then he entered into a long defendd of the banker, but in a cynical way that made it a greater condemnation. Hd said it wa* purely a matter of btismesd with the banker, and to oblige his friend; Hs did not steal the Codies himself, hd only acted as agent, and paid cash td thoae who did. To be sure he Ivss thm half what he got from thd doc*or, but then that was business; thd middleman had always the lion’s share. He said ; To succeed in business, rt man must be diligent in business—that is, grab all he can get hold of; He said a man cannot get up in the world without treading on the necks of othei? people j find if yod want to die rich and therefore respected you must makd others sweat for you. Neither would he allow that thd banker w<a a hypocrite. He was ad elder, and took a most active part id the affairs of the kirk. He went round with the ladle regularly evety Sunday) and gave an exact account of ever f bawbee collect, d. He v?as an eianlple trf tho'whole pari-h, he never went to exces# with liquor in daylight} if he did taktf anytl ing extra be Waited till near bed- 1 time, and so on, but I need not follow hmi farther in what be said oil that head* I beliovo in pretending to defend thd banker, ho was only trying to show up a character which may not be altogether 1 extinct even in the twentieth century toil all I know.

The banker’s agendy iri subjects ha<i beep going on quietly and smoothly foif a considerable time, and no one. knevtf anything about it but the purveyors and the doctor, but suddenly a disagreement rose between the banker and his obit/ purveyor. who struck for higher ,pay;

It appears three pounds pet subject Was what the banker allowed, while h>J got from seven to riihe pounds. from the doctor. The purveyed' had A partner who kept in the background, sh that got Only thirty shillings bitchi It was never known for dertain who th& partner, was* but it was fitronglf suspected afterwards tbit i|. was_ the-” parish grave-digger himself. The one who dealt directly With thd banker was what in Scotland is colled it cadger. Se went about the country with an old dart and ah old sCrevV of A ho; se wl h legs of unequal length | itraight' wha,p they should hafe betli crooked and crooked- where they'should have besa straight. Ha Sold flah lo thd season when they oohld be got. At other times he uollectedbonesj tags) Sl6.| and sold an article in great sdemshi amongst farmer’s wives, vih„ dalVe^

ennets, used lor cheese making Hid ‘ :>oall y called yernins. The oadg-Ts as a class were chronically ooor, and therefore nob They may have been honest f rail that, but I ki'.ow of one at least whom my' mother did not think cither honest or respectable.

She had brought a yernia from him, heatly folded up and covered with salt in the u>nal way. She did not examine H particularly but put it in the jar a ei for t httt purpose.

Some time after, in asmg some of the contents of the jir she found it did n t act on the milk as it should have douu* On examining her yernin f-he found it was the waist b.»nd of a pair of moleskin trousers with the buttons folded which has got all to do wuh ray siery.

The banker and the cadger d’ about the prices, and as there wtre n 4 resurrectionist ufcious or arbit at 6a boards in tbo-ie days, trade b tween th m ca ne to a standstill.

As no e of them wou'd yield, the banker as became an elder t dd the cad ,e: to go to Jericho. The cadge* concnvji • be boid idea of to headquirton.

Ue thought his old hone would in mage to reach Abersh en in two i», s, nod with the higher price he con'd get th.-rs ‘he would bo able to get a better hors •: On consulting his partner he f mu I that he would i un no risks ; he was willing to he'p him to get fan cargo, but he must have his thirty shillings downy then let him go where In liked and get hat he cou d. The Cadger findm}? him had to submit, and scraping t-'g- 1 her every shilling he had, paid h'S pother the money. He'got what he wanted and covering it car< fully in the cart with old bags and a bit of tarpau ! in v lie sfa-ted one morning before daylight fnr Aber»heeft.

It Was in the month of De ‘ember, b it uncommonly fine fresh we it her for that season of the year. He managed ab nit twenty miles that day, and reache 1 a farm at night, where he got a dish »f brose and a shake-dawn in the bai n.

Starting early next mununu, hi reached Abersheen at dark ; he 1 ft hii horse and cart at an inn, and went at once to see the doctor, who bold him where to go and his assistant wo. d meet him, take it in and pay hir. Fortunately before starting for t A rendezvi ua he had a peep under the tarpaulin to see that all was right, wh n to Ins horror he found m toad «t the body be had put there, he had tl A carcase of a young c'-lf.' We can fancy what his f el ngs w i re afrer all his bright draarni, and tin substantial sum of money he was so sure of. And now he was stranded he e without s single sixpence to pay for a mo 1 for him-elf or his pee; hoiae, witli that cursed cilf in hn-cart, and peroapi the police after him. Ha was afraid 1C go back the way he came ; someone must have made the exchange at she farmhouse he stayed at, and knew all aboni it. He dared never go th *b vay again. He had no hu ( .e, but yoke up and go away at night by a o iff-rent route, get rid of the calf in the hist ditch, and camp in the ee of a stack where we Will leave hi n for a time.

It was n-.ver known for curtain w. ho tn.de tho exc .angs, but it was strongly suspected that two ploughman at 'ho farm Were the rogues. They had b-tii away somewh re, and cimir g home late, saw the ca Igor’s cart, and had the curiosity to look what was in it. Tho body was carried to a neighbouring firm, and propped up against the kilch-.n door.

The farmer at this place was an oil bachelor, and had an unmarr.ed sister as housekeeper. She w s cordially detested by all who had served at the fa>m, oi account of her penurious w-.yn It waj Said that she was mfc a intent with skimming the milk, she shaved it, and that her milk cellar seemed to Lave a great attraction for thunderstorms, since her mi k was always sour. The everlasting green kJe brose was minus the generous lump of butter with which good-hearted housewives crown the dish. When ihe housekeeper got up at 5 o’c'ock in the morning her first cam was to disint r the bits of peat that had been carefully reested or banked up at night, then rake all the ashes ia.o the ase backit, which was a square woo La box like a large scoop, and cirried in front of the body hy two handles.

When she reached the door she rested the edge of the ase backit against tbs door post while che undid the bar. Then what was pnpped up outsidi fell inwards knocking her over, while the red hot ashes fell all over her feet.

The former hearing her screams ran to her assistance and dragged her out» She was severely burned but it being dark she did not know what hud knocked her over t and it was mercifully kept a seoret £o n her* Whoever did the raac.lly trick dese. ved to bj severely punished; it have co-t the poor woman her reason. (To be continued *)