Perthshire in bygone days

226 PERTHSHIRE IN BYGONE DAYS.
leadstanes," and on the 10th of March, instead of follow-
ing the plough, he was standing behind the "tee." A
great dinner was arranged for in the George Inn, and he
gave his brethren to understand that something in the
form of a speech might be expected from him.
The party met, and after an inspiring portion of the good
things of this life, liquid and solid, had been discussed,
Charles rose to his feet, and placing the points of the two
pounds of dipped sixes on the table, like a radiating group
of flying buttresses, stood till the enthusiastic plaudits
had reverberated from the street-door : then, turning to the
chair, he said, " Mr. President, Croupiers, and Gentlemen, I
am pretty well disgusted with the plan of drinking indi-
viduals' health in a company where every chield is better
than his neighbour, but there is one gentleman present
to-night for whom I claim an exception, partly on account
of his personal merit and partly because it is not every
night we have him. This company are unanimous in
wishing him long life, although there are people out of doors
who wish him at the bottom of the sea. But we all have
our enemies as well as our friends. Though this gentle-
man imbibes no exciting stimulants, his strength is pro-
digious. He has been known to drink cold water, how-
ever, until he burst his jacket ; and although some folk
might call that being fou, yet he never falls himself, but is
always ready to break the fall of his friend. If any lassie
venture to gie him a kiss, she always complains that he
bites ; and if any one puts himself or herself in his way,
they will inevitably have their noses pulled. But he has
a wife of his own. When he married her she was a virgin
unsullied, but she got the upper hand of him at first, and
she keeps it. She has run away from him again and again,
but she always returns and smothers him with her kind-
ness ; while he, poor soul, submits to her embrace, and
consoles himself by the fact, that if she treats him coolly,
he has shown little warnmess to her. You must all
remember when she paid us such an unwelcome visit last
winter, how we chased her off the ice with our brooms.
His name, gentlemen, has been at the point of my fingers
all night, but I felt if I mentioned it too soon that your
enthusiasm would prevent my giving you a sketch of his
character. I now crave a full bumper to ' The health of
John Frost, Esquire, of Kamschatka and Friesland,' with
all the honours."