THE VERY AIR OF THE HIGHLANDS WAS CHARGED WITH POETRY......
" One of her uncles used to say that the very air of the highlands was
charged with poetry. Surely this spirit of true poetry was like the
breath of life to many in these two families. Even Isabelle Paisley,
the
mother of nine children, breathed out her admiration for little Jeanie
in rhyme.
"Far in Ettrick's fairy wild
"She was a sweet and lovely child;
"Her cap and dress and coat of green
"Reminded me of a fairy queen.
"When near the Loga-low she strayed
"Where elves and fairies oft had played
"The beauty of the wild like scene
"Oft caused her wondering mind to dream
"And lose the fear of witches raid
"Which had her morning dreams dismayed.
"This must have been during the lonely sixteen years after all Mrs.
Paisley's own folks had come across the sea - except the good father,
(Jan: Robert) who was buried in it. When the time drew near for the
Paisleys to follow them to this new world, Isabelle walked fifty miles
to bid her husband's people good-bye."
"In 1845 aunt Belle, with her husband and children launched forth and
came to the woodland to hew out a home; imagine what it was to a
shepherd whose business had been about sheep all his life to do this.
Mr. Paisley was a reading man of large mind and clear brain. His nephew,
Geordie, called him a living encyclopedia. When the civil was declared,
he gave his oldest son, Frank, to fight for his country and afterwards
greeted him home again. When the third party in politics was formed,
Mr.
Paisley remained faithful to his principles to his death at the age
of
ninety-eight in the year 1899. Entering the world as the nineteenth
century dawned, he went out with the last of 1800's to begin the
twentieth century in a larger sphere.
"Isabelle was left lonely. It had been very pretty to see the little
woman when her "Wullie" came in tired and sat down to rest, trot about
to bring him a sup 'o tea or a bit 'o broth and offer it in most loving
way. For many years - sixty seven years, they had walked together and
now she tarried but a few months being ninety-one years old.
"Their youngest children, Nellie and Jack, who had cared for them so
long and so faithfully still abide at the homestead with Jack's two
little girls to cheer them.
"The soldier boy Frank is a motorman on the Binghamton Street Railway.
Besides these are Mrs. Elizabeth St. John, a woman of charming mind
and
manner and a great lover of poetry. She has kindly furnished these
recollections of Scotland:
"The women used to do all the work except tending the sheep and the
knitting. Mother made the plaids: father had a big long plaid sewed
up
in one corner for a pocket to hold a lamb, which he wore slung over
his
shoulder. Certainly the women did the monthly washings. We once had
a
washing stolen in which were twelve shirts of fathers. I never knew
of
but one man who milked and he was a curiosity. The women made the cheese
putting in the ewe's milk.
"They could have never done so much work if their housekeeping had been
like that of the present time but their meals were very simple. They
made bannocks out of peasemeal, and scones which were thin barley cakes
like large pancakes. Nellie did not like bannocks, if they were not
well
baked they were stringy. She never lived in Scotland but remembers the
Scotch dishes and among them a buttermilk pop made with oatmeal. (Jan:
GAG!!!)
"Mrs. Elizabeth St. John has a son, Will, and a daughter, Alta, who
have
never left home, while Mary and Henry live in or about Binghamton, NY.
Sarah is Mrs. Elmer Greene, of Mt. Ettrick Mrs. Jeannie Osterhout has
five sons and three daughters. Ernest lives nearr Hooper, Arthur is
in
Nebraska, Rober is an editor in Hudson, Mass, Wesley lives on Mt.
Ettrick. Grace is Mrs. Roscoe Jackson, of East Maine, NY and young
Jeanie and Katie are still in school. The oldest son, Will, is a
principal of a school in Florida. The next article is his delightful
contribution to this series*. H.K.G.
*Search for "SCOTTISH LOVE GAME" by Wm. L. Osterhout, Leesburg, Fla.
I
must search for author prior to posting. Its inflamatory. JBH
END PART #3
