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047 - The New Stance · Whats Mines Mine

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  Speaker 1: Volume three, chapter thirteen of What's Mine's Mind by George
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  Speaker 1: mac donald. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: The new stance the mcru had cast his mines and
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  Speaker 1: his body's eye too, upon the small strip of ground
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  Speaker 1: on the west side of the Castle Ridge, between it
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  Speaker 1: and the tiny tributary of the strath Bourne, which was
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  Speaker 1: here the boundary between the lands of the Tulairds. The
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  Speaker 1: slope of the ridge on this side was not so steep,
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  Speaker 1: and before the rock sank into the alluvial soil of
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  Speaker 1: the valley, it became for a few yards nearly level,
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  Speaker 1: sufficiently so with a little smoothing and raising to serve
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  Speaker 1: for a foundation, while in front was a narrow but
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  Speaker 1: rich piece of ground, the bank of the little Brook.
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  Speaker 1: Before many days were over, men were at work there,
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  Speaker 1: in full sight of the upper windows of the new house.
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  Speaker 1: It was not at first clear what they were about,
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  Speaker 1: but soon began to rise plain enough the walls of cottages,
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  Speaker 1: some of stone and some of turf. Mister Palmer saw
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  Speaker 1: a new village already in process of construction, to take
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  Speaker 1: the place of that about to be destroyed. The despicable
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  Speaker 1: enemy had moved his camp to pitch it under his
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  Speaker 1: very walls. It filled him with the rage of defeat.
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  Speaker 1: The poor man who scorned him was going to be
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  Speaker 1: too much for him. Not yet was he any nearer
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  Speaker 1: to being placed alone in the midst of the earth.
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  Speaker 1: He thought to have rid himself of all those hateful faces,
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  Speaker 1: full of their chief's contempt, he imagined, ever eyeing him
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  Speaker 1: as an intruder on his own land. But here instead
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  Speaker 1: was their filthy little hamlet of hovels, growing like a fungus,
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  Speaker 1: just under his nose, expressly to spite him. Thinking to
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  Speaker 1: destroy it, he had merely sent for it. When the
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  Speaker 1: wind was in the east, the smoke of their miserable
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  Speaker 1: cabins would be blown right in it his dining room windows.
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  Speaker 1: It was useless to expostulate that he would not like it. Was,
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  Speaker 1: of course, the chiefs first reason for choosing that one
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  Speaker 1: spot as the sight of his new rookery. The fellow
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  Speaker 1: had stolen a march upon him, and what had he
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  Speaker 1: done beyond what was absolutely necessary for the improvement of
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  Speaker 1: his property. The people were in his way, and he
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  Speaker 1: only wanted to get rid of them, And here their
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  Speaker 1: chief had brought them almost into his garden. Doubtless, if
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  Speaker 1: his land had come near enough, he would have built
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  Speaker 1: his stye at the very gate of his shrubbery. The
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  Speaker 1: fellow could not like having them so near himself. He
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  Speaker 1: let his whole household see how annoying the thing was
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  Speaker 1: to him. He never doubted it was done purely to
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  Speaker 1: irritate him. Christina ventured the suggestion that mister Brander, and
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  Speaker 1: not the Chief, was the author of the inconvenience. What
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  Speaker 1: did that matter? He returned, What right had the chief,
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  Speaker 1: as she called him, to interfere between a landlord and
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  Speaker 1: his tenants. Christina hinted that evicted by their landlord, they
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  Speaker 1: ceased to be his tenants, and even were he not
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  Speaker 1: their chief, he could not be said to interfere in
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  Speaker 1: giving help to the destitute. Thereupon he burst at her
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  Speaker 1: in a way that terrified her, And she had never
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  Speaker 1: even been checked by him before, had often been impertinent
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  Speaker 1: to him without rebuke. The man seemed entirely changed, But
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  Speaker 1: in truth he was no whit changed. Things had but
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  Speaker 1: occurred capable of bringing out the facts of his nature.
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  Speaker 1: Her mother, who had not dared to speak at the time,
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  Speaker 1: expostulated with her afterward, why should Papa never be told
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  Speaker 1: the truth, objected Christina. Her mother was on the point
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  Speaker 1: of replying, because he will not hear it, but saw
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  Speaker 1: she owed it to her husband not to say so
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  Speaker 1: to his child. Mercy said to herself, it is not
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  Speaker 1: to annoy my father. He does it, but to do
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  Speaker 1: what he can for his people. He does not even
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  Speaker 1: know how unpleasant it is to my father to have
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  Speaker 1: them so near. It must be one of the punishments
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  Speaker 1: of riches that they make the sight of poverty so
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  Speaker 1: disagreeable to luxury. Poverty is a living reproach. She longed
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  Speaker 1: to see Allister. Something might perhaps be done to mitigate
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  Speaker 1: the offense, but her father would never consent to use
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  Speaker 1: her influence. Perhaps her mother might. She suggested, therefore, that
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  Speaker 1: Alister would do nothing for the sake of annoying her father,
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  Speaker 1: and could have no idea how annoying this thing was
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  Speaker 1: to him. If her mother would contrive her seeing him,
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  Speaker 1: she would represent it to him. Missus Palmer was of
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  Speaker 1: Mercy's opinion regarding the purity of Allister's intent, and promised
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  Speaker 1: to think the matter over. The next night, her husband
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  Speaker 1: was going to spend at mister Brander's. The project might
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  Speaker 1: be carried out in safety. The thing should be done.
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  Speaker 1: They would go together in the hope of persuading the
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  Speaker 1: Chief to change the sight of his new village. When
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  Speaker 1: it was dark, they walked to the cottage, and, knocking
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  Speaker 1: at the door, asked Nancy if the Chief were at home.
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  Speaker 1: The girl invited them to enter, though not with her
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  Speaker 1: usual cordiality, but miss missus Palmer declined, requesting her to
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  Speaker 1: let the Chief know they were there, desirous of a
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  Speaker 1: word with him. Alister was at the door in a
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  Speaker 1: moment and wanted them to go in and see his mother,
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  Speaker 1: but an instant's reflection made him glad of their refusal.
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  Speaker 1: I am so sorry for all that has happened, said
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  Speaker 1: Missus Palmer. You know I can have nothing to do
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  Speaker 1: with it. There is not a man I should like
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  Speaker 1: for a son in law better than yourself mc crud.
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  Speaker 1: But I am helpless. I quite understand, replied the Chief,
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  Speaker 1: and thank you heartily for your kindness. Is there anything
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  Speaker 1: I can do for you? Mercy has something she wants
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  Speaker 1: to speak to you about. It was good of you
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  Speaker 1: to bring her. What is it, Mercy, without the least hesitation.
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  Speaker 1: Mercy told him her father's fancy that he was building
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  Speaker 1: the new village to spite him, seeing it could not
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  Speaker 1: be a pleasure to himself to have the smoke from
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  Speaker 1: its chimneys blowing in at door and windows as often
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  Speaker 1: as the wind was from the sea. I am sorry,
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  Speaker 1: but not surprised Father should think so, Mercy, to trouble
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  Speaker 1: him as much against my feelings as my interests. And
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  Speaker 1: certainly it is for no convenience or comfort to ourselves
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  Speaker 1: that my mother and I have determined on having the
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  Speaker 1: village immediately below us. I thought, said, Mercy, that if
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  Speaker 1: you knew how it vexed, Papa, you would, But I
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  Speaker 1: am afraid it may be for some reason that cannot
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  Speaker 1: be helped. Indeed it is I too am afraid it
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  Speaker 1: cannot be helped. I must think of my people. You see,
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  Speaker 1: if I put them on the other side of the ridge,
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  Speaker 1: they were to be exposed to the east wind, and
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  Speaker 1: the more that every door and window would have to
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  Speaker 1: be to the east. You know yourselves how bitterly it
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  Speaker 1: blows down the strath. Besides, we should there have to
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  Speaker 1: build over good land much too damp to be healthy,
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  Speaker 1: every foot of which will be wanted to feed them.
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  Speaker 1: There they are on the rock. I might, of course
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  Speaker 1: put them on the hill side. But I have no
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  Speaker 1: place so sheltered as here, and they would have no gardens.
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  Speaker 1: And then it gives me an opportunity such as Chief
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  Speaker 1: never had before, of teaching them some things I could
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  Speaker 1: not Otherwise. Would it be reasonable mercy to sacrifice the
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  Speaker 1: good of so many poor people to spare one rich man,
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  Speaker 1: one single annoyance, which is yet no hurt? Would it
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  Speaker 1: be right? Ought I not? Rather to suffer the rise
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  Speaker 1: of yet greater obstacles between you and me? Yes, Alister, Yes,
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  Speaker 1: cried mercy. You must not change anything. I am only sorry.
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  Speaker 1: My father cannot be taught that you have no ill
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  Speaker 1: will to him in what you do. I cannot think
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  Speaker 1: it would make much difference. He will never give you
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  Speaker 1: to me mercy, But be true and God will. Would
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  Speaker 1: you mind letting the flag fly, Allister? I should have
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  Speaker 1: something to look at. I will, and then when I
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  Speaker 1: want particularly to see you, I will haul it down.
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  Speaker 1: Then if you hang a handkerchief from your window, I
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  Speaker 1: will come to you. End of Volume three, chapter thirteen,
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  Speaker 1: recording by Hannah Mary