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Little Silver Bells
By me
Part 5
Laura said,
"Keep your voice down, Emma is almost asleep, don't awaken her. You and that over-active imagination again,
take off those boots, come over by the fire you look frozen,”
The next
morning after a breakfast of eggs and several rashers of bacon, and a mug of
steaming tea, Robert felt ready for anything. He helped Laura to clear away,
and then he pulled on his gumboots and took up the dog's lead.
Laura
said." Don't be long now, no day dreaming; Remember we've got to go
shopping.
"OK"
Robert called back, he slipped on his jacket, stuffing binoculars and map in
one pocket, and camera in the other, when he was fully loaded he opened the
door and stepped out. Ricky shot between his legs in a desperate dash for
freedom, "Come here.” Robert commanded, normally he was an obedient dog
but not this morning, he felt he could do anything he liked.
They walked out of the yard into a
sunny morning; the wind and rain were gone, turned right, past the back of the
coach-yard and was able to see for the first time that the muddy lane, in fact
continued, but it narrowed to a narrow bridle way that meandered towards a
ruined barn. They passed just above the barn around which a number of wild
looking cattle stood, watching in that suspicious way, that cattle do, they
waved their long pointed horns about in an attempt to waft away clouds of midges
that were doing their level best to upset them.
After a while they crossed Whinrigg
Hill and coming to the track that links Wedderlie to the south, with
Horseupcleugh to the north, a mist came down, and engulfed them.
Suddenly
Robert heard the a bark of another dog, and looking at Ricky, saw that he had heard
it too, he was looking about them, and after a moment they became aware that
they were surrounded by a vast flock of sheep, who seemed totally unconcerned
about their presence. Then they heard the dog bark again, and a voice behind
them asked,
"Are you
going up to Horseupcleugh, for the sale?"
Robert turned,
and saw before them, a man about his own age, but of a weathered appearance, he
carried a shepherds crook in one hand, and in the other he held a lamb.
"You're
Captain Robert Nelson, from Whinrig, Aren't ye?
Robert
answered him. "Yes. Have we met before?"
"Why!
I've seen thee, in the' market at Duns, only last week, remember me now?"
It was as the
shepherd answered, that Robert took in his appearance he was wearing a Smock,
like farm labourers wore over two hundred years ago.
Before Robert
was able to mention it, the man said.
"Come on,
We can't stand here all day gabbing.” He pointed through the now patchy mist.
“Look! Sheep
are already at the Dye Water, Come! Help me drive them across, or they'll be
all over the hill" He continued. "Don't that dog of yours, do
anything but cower at your feet, he's not much good at sheep, is he?"
With that he
was off down the slope, Robert followed in a daze thinking that he hadn't been
in Duns market for at least a year.
When they had
crossed the river, and climbed the steep slope, he turned to Robert and said, “Master
is going to build a new house up here, new farm too I reckon! Why there should
be work for all the lads and lassies hereabouts, for hundreds of years to
come."
Just then,
Robert heard footsteps on the gravel path, and a voice said,
“Hello, its
Robert Nelson, isn't it? Nice to see you again Captain, Laura and Emma not with
you? I didn't hear your car, I say, Are you all right? Come into the kitchen and sit down, you look
like you've seen a ghost.”
It was a year
since he'd last seen Mrs. McAndrews, but she looked just the same, her small
frame full of vigour and movement, far more than many townspeople twenty years
her junior.
"Hector,
are you there?" she called through to the front rooms, continuing without
waiting for a reply, "Be a dear, fetch Mr. Nelson a dram, he's here and
has no colour at all."
Her husband
came through, with three glasses and a bottle of single-malt; he then poured
out three generous portions.
"Whatever
has happened?" he said, putting a glass in Robert's hand.
Robert took a
long sip at the smooth dark liquid gold, and started to tell his story, they
both listened in silence until he had finished and then Mrs. McAndrews was the
first to speak.
"Well
Hector, What did I tell you?
Hector offered
a reply, "Yes, m' dear, it seems you were right, once again, as you so
often are, in these matters.”
Mrs. McAndrews
turned to Robert, as he was about to speak and said,
"It was
about three months ago, or was it four, I don't rightly remember, anyway we
were dining with the Duke, over at the castle. Fiona, that's his new wife you
know, well she asked us in a roundabout way, had anything out of the ordinary
occurred recently. Well of course at that time I could only answer no, but she
went on to tell us that their ghillie Rory, had been invited to fish in the
Watch Water with some visitors from Canada.
They had
arrived quite early as a mist lay over the water, when he had seen that all the
visitors had a good pitch, he set up his rods, picked out his favourite fly,
Sapphire Supreme I seem to remember, he then proceeded to wade out into the
water.
The mist was
just beginning to lift and looking across the water to the further bank, the
ruin of Sourlaw appeared. Or rather what should have been a ruin, for the bothy
had new thatch and a wisp of blue smoke curled up from the chimney, and before
he could remark on it to the visitors, he was hailed by a tall golden-haired
man. He had his kilt tucked up under a broad studded belt. He appeared to be
fishing, on the far bank.
Rory had
shouted back that the fishing was private, with that the apparition
disappeared, the bothy returning to its ruined state. Well of course Rory was
struck dumb, and says he hasn't had a dram since, in case he appears
again."
What do you
make of that?" she asked.
"I've
never experienced anything like this before," Robert said, "though
sometimes at Planting End when there was a high wind at night, we felt that
there was someone about, but we never saw anyone."
Hector stood
up, and cleared away the empty glasses, and said, "I'm going into Duns in
a few minutes, I'll run you home."
"Thanks
very much, by the way, what time is it? I promised Laura and Emma that I would
take them into Duns this afternoon, but I quite forgot the time.”
Mrs. McAndrews
looked at her watch, "Dratted thing, it's stopped" I'll just pop
through to the hall, my grandfather's old clock keeps very good time."
After some
moments she came back, muttering to herself,
"What's
wrong,” asked Hector, of his wife.
"Most
odd,” she said "every clock in the house has stopped."
"Well,
never mind, we'll get off now m'dear" Hector turned and said, "I'll pick up Mrs. Nelson and young Emma
on the way, seems silly to take two cars into town, especially on market day,
there's never enough parking places."
With that he
kissed his wife fondly on the cheek, grabbed his waxed jacket, and cap and
walked out. Robert thanked Mrs. McAndrews gratefully, and went outside to join
her husband, who by this time had brought out his trusty Volvo estate.
"Pop your
dog in the back, will you," he said.
"OK"
Robert said, and quick as a flash they were off down the lane.
Continued tomorrow
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Family Events from our database for today April 30
1818 - Birth: Amy Delila LAWS-45348, IL or TN United States
1846 - Birth: John LAWS (Comercial Traveller in Boots Clothes Hats) -3120, Chatteris CAM UK
1849 - Marriage: David LAWS (Ag Lab) -5088 and Mary MUCKLING-5089, Whaplode LIN UK
1849 - Birth: George LAWS-95274, Chatteris CAM UK
1854 - Marriage: William BENDALL (Gardener/Blacksmith) -52180 and Elizabeth LAWS-47195, Croydon SRY UKuk
1863 - Birth: Mansfield Gibson LAWS (Farmers Son) -6195, Ryhope DUR UK
1874 - Marriage: Henry James LEWIS-7850 and Alice LAWS-7196, Milton by Gravesend KEN
1887 - Death: William Thomas LAWS-50962, Gaspe, Quebec CANADA
1887 - Death: Annie Margaret LAWES (Spinster) -1375, Ramsgate KEN UK
1890 - Indicted: Frederick William LAWS (Clerk) -4746, City of LONDON
1893 - Death: Mary LAWS (Grocer) -38919, Great Yarmouth NFK UK
1898 - Birth: Mabel Eunice LAWS-48466, Owsego County NY USA
1900 - Birth: Reginald Charles LAWES (11 mth old) -94745, Exeter DEV UK
1902 - Death: David LAWS (Wasteman in Pit)-38335, Eppleton Colliery, Hetton le Hole DUR
1905 - Birth: Frederick Charles LAWS (Australian Army) -32328, Brisbane QLD AUSTRALIA
1915 - Death: Stanley Edgar LAWS (Died Young) -30148, Cowra QLD Australia
1915 - Death: James LAWS (RMLI Private (RFR B 515), 5613 (Ch) -118312, Gallipoli
1915 - Enlistment: Bertram LAWS (ARMY 5895)-50215, Milford Haven PEM UK
1918 - Birth: Edwin Ross LAWES (Australian Army) -32391, Mt Gambier Sth Aust AUSTRALIA
1919 - Death: Thomas Richard LAWS-8597, Stratford ESS UK
1920 - Birth: Emma Kathleen LAWES-47797, Norwich NFK UK
1922 - Marriage: Giovanni CHIARELOTTO-31865 and Florence Matilda LAWES-31864, Kamloops BC CANADA
1929 - Death: Ethel Eveline LAWS-28695, Enfield MDX UK
1935 - Birth: Lois V LAWS-42293,
1935 - Death: Ann LAWS-6760, Wells, Faribault, Minnesota, United States
1938 - Burial: Henry LAWES-57928, Worthing SSX UK
1938 - Death: Robert Bertram LAWS (Contractor) -8822, Stockton-On-Tees DUR UK
1946 - Death: Joseph LAWS-45375, Beloit, Rock Co WN USA
1950 - Death: Edward LAWS-123004, Herne Bay KEN UK
1951 - Miscellaneous: Jennie LAWS (Spinster) -121603,
1951 - Death: John W LAWS (Farmer LAWS-48717, Madison Co KY United States
1951 - Death: Emanuel LAWS (Jnr) -41416, Logan WV USA
2005 - Death: David LAWES-115721,
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