Wild Adventures round the Pole
Page 60
of fresh green ginger, and produced the bun--the wonderful bun,which was a pudding one day and a cake the next.
Silas kept smirking and nodding so long at Rory over his first drop ofgreen ginger, that Rory knew he was going to say something, and so, byway of encouragement,--
"Out with it, Silas," says Rory.
"Only this," says Silas: "Success to the wooing."
Well, who else in all the wide world could Rory have taken advice fromexcept from Silas, in one little matter that deeply concerned his futurewelfare?
"Go in and win," had been Silas's advice. "Go in and win, like the manyou are. Faint heart never gained fair lady."
It is pleasant for me to be able to state that Rory took his oldfriend's advice to the letter. Now we know that the course of true lovenever did run smooth, and the course of Rory's wooing proved noexception to the proverb, but everything came right in the end, as Roryhimself was fond of observing, and all is well that ends well. Just oneyear after this visit to Silas, Rory led Helen Edith McGregor to thealtar. What a beautiful bride she made--more modest and bonnie than therose just newly blown, or gowans tipped with dew!
Rory and Allan were not greater friends after the wedding than they hadbeen before--that were impossible; but they were now brothers, and Allanmade a vow that Rory should make his home in Glentruim.
There is a mansion there now as well as a castle, and in it dwell Roryand his wife.
Years have passed since the days of which I have been writing; they havenot made very much change in our Irish hero. He is still the painter,still the poet, only there is not one only, but two little listenersnow, that gaze up round-eyed and wonderingly at their father, wheneverhe takes up his magical instrument, the violin! Old Ap teaches theselittle ones to cut boats out of scraps of wood, and to rig small yachtsin the summer evenings. The glen and castle both are wonderfullyimproved. There is some good after all in ambition, if it is an honestone, and some truth, too, in the motto of the Camerons, "Whatever a mandares he can do."
Every year Ralph, brave English Ralph, comes to the castle on _the_twelfth, and always spends a month; and every year Allan and Rory gosouthwards to Leigh Hall to return the visit. And they never go withouttaking Silas and McBain with them, so you may be sure these are veryhappy, very pleasant seasons.
What about Seth? Oh, merely this, Ralph offered to take him back to hisown country, and to re-instal him as an Arctic Crusoe in his farnorthern home.
"Gentlemen," said Seth, "I'm right sensible of all your kindness, but Iguess I'm getting old, and if my young friend here wouldn't mind, I'dprefer leaving my bones in the glen here. Civilisation has kind o'spoiled the old trapper, and he'd feel sort o' lonely now in his oldfarm. There ain't many b'ars in the glen, I reckon; but never mind, oldSeth can still draw a bead on a rabbit."
"And so you shall," said Allan. "I'll make you my warren-master, andhead of all my keepers."
So Seth has settled down to end his days in peace. He dwells in one ofthe prettiest little Highland cottages that ever you saw. It getssnowed over in winter sometimes, it is true, and that might be lookedupon as a drawback; but oh, to see it in summer, when the featherybirches nod green around it and the heather is all in bloom!
Peter played a little trick on poor old Seth, which I cannot helprecording.
"It will never do, you know," Peter told him, "for a Highland keeper onthe estate of Glentruim not to wear the kilt."
"Guess you're a kind o' right," said Seth, "but, bless you, Peter, mylegs ain't o' no consequence, they ain't a bit thicker than old Bran thedeerhound's, and I reckon they're just about the same shape."
"Well," replied Peter, "I grant you that is a kind of an objection, butthen custom is everything, you know."
So, lo and behold! one fine summer morning, who should stalk into thecastle yard but old trapper Seth arrayed in full Highland costume. Nowonder the dogs barked and ran away! no wonder Allan and Rory laughedtill their sides ached and they could hardly hold their guns! no wonderold Janet shouted and screamed with merriment, and Cockie whistledshrill, and Freezing Powders nearly went into a fit! No, Seth's legswere but little thicker than Bran's. Seth arrayed in skins from head toheel was passable, but Seth in a kilt!!!
Poor Seth! it was somewhat unkind of Peter. However, the trapper neverwore a kilt again.
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The End.