An Comunn Gàidhealach Publications > Deo-gréine > Volume 13, October 1917-September 1918

AN DEO-GREINE.
43
(An Gkidheil glan ! na ’m biodh am feile beag
air!!!)
Bha ’n darna te ’putadli na t6 eile, feuch co
bn dluithe ’shuidheadli air. Chaidh brath a
mach a dh’ ionnsuidh nam mnatban uaisle mora,
gu’u robh Albannach urramach an deidh tighinn
do ’n bhaile, agus naoh fhac iad duine riamh
cho briagh ris a’ seasamh air urlar.
Thug an sgiobair mu ’n ear a chur a dhanns’
a rithist, ’s th&inig ise g’a choimhead. Mu ’n
robh an righle leathach. thuit i ann an trom
ghaol air. (Nach bu mhath Mac a’ Chiobair !
Na’m biodh am feiie beag air !!)
Thug fear nan luingeas mu ’n ear am bail a
sgaoileadh, agus an duine a chunoail na ’n
gabhadh e cumail. Aig cho mor’s a bha e ’ga
shealltuinn fhein, cha robh e debnach fuireachd.
Luigh iad air, mu dheireadh, ’ga chuireadh, gus
an dodh’fhan e’n oidhche ud ; agus an te bha
cdig bliadhna gun suidlie le a h-athair ’s le a
mathair aig biadh, shuidh i lebtha.
An l^i ’r-na mhaireach, an uair a dh’ dirich e,
thug e tri cheud punnd Sasunnach do’n tb a
ghlan na brbgan aige.
Bhuail e stigh aca uile gu Ibir, gu’m bu duine
anabarrach comasach e.
Bhruidhinn ise r’a h athair airson gu’m
pbsadh e i; agns bhruidhinn a h-athair ris-san
airson gum pbsadh e i, ’s gu’m faigheadh e a
h-uile ni a bh’ aige-san de’n t-saoghal.
Thuirt esan gu ’n robh na lebir de mhnathan
uaisle ’s de bheairteas anns an aite as an
d’ thainig e.
Bhataich* iad air. Dhiult e dhaibh. anns an
&m, gus an deanadh e turns cuain eile. Agus
an uair a dh’ fhalbh an soitheach an li ’r-na-
mhaireach, cha deach ise a stigh fo dhruim
tighe fad ’sa bha an soitheach ’na fianuis.
Dh’ innis e do ’n sgiobair mar a bha eatorra,
agus bha ’n sgiobair ro thoilichte an sin.
Thug an sgiobair da tri cheud punnd sasunn¬
ach airson nan tri cheud a thug e do ’n te a
ghlan a bhrbgan ; agus is e sia seachduinnean a
bha iad gun tilleadh chun a’ phuirt cheudna.
An uair a nochd e ris a’ pliort, dh’ aithnich
ise a’ tighinn e; ’s le barrachd toileachas-
inntinn a dhean imhris an t-soitheach a’ tighinn,
chuir iad brat urlar eadar an tigh agus an
ceatha.
Air an rathad eadar an tigh agus an ceatha,
bhuail a h-athair agus a miithair air airson a
not fallen in love with him. (What a splendid
Gael ! if only he had been wearing the kilt! ! !)
The women were pushing each other to see
who could sit nearest to him. Word went out
to all the great ladies that a Scotsman of rank
had come to the town, and that never before
had they seen such a handsome man as he taking
the floor.
The skipper contrived to send him to dance
again, and she [the owner’s daughter] came to
observe him. Before the reel was half finished,
she had fallen deeply in love with him. (Wasn’t
the Shepherd’s Son fine ? If only he had been
wearing the kilt! !)
The owner now took order to have the ball
skailed or broken up, and to have the gentleman
detained if possible. But he [the Shepherd’s
Son] now felt himself to be so important that he
did not care about staying. But they begged
him, and at last, pressed him, with their invita¬
tions so much, that he stayed the night; and
she who had not sat at meat with her father
and mother for five years, did at last sit down
with them.
On the morrow, when he arose, he gave three
hundred pounds to the girl who cleaned his
boots.
It struck them all very forcibly that he must
be an exceedingly rich man.
She spoke to her father to get him [the
Shepherd’s Son] to marry her. And her father
spoke to him to try and get him to do so, in
which case he should have everything of worldly
gear he possessed.
He replied that there were plenty of ladies
and plenty of wealth in the place whence he
came.
They urged him very strongly. But he
refused for the time [and insisted on waiting]
until he should have performed another sea
voyage. And when the ship sailed, which it
did the next day, the owner’s daughter would
not as much as go indoors as long as the ship
remained in sight.
He told the skipper what had happened
between them, at which the skipper was very
pleased.
The skipper gave him three hundred pounds
in place of the three hundred he had given to
the girl who cleaned his boots. And they were
six weeks before returning to that same port.
When he hove in sight of the port, she knew
it was he coming ; and in order to make or show
a greater excess of pleasure at the coming of
the vessel, they laid a carpet down from the
house to the quay.
On the way from the quay to the house, her
father and mother urged him to marry her;
* Bhataich—urged strongly : lit., urged on with sticks.