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u l JOHNNY GIBB OF GUSHETNEUK Printed at the Free Press Office, Aberdeen, DAVID DOUGLAS, EDINBURGH. LONDON . HAMILTON, ADAMS, AND C» GLASGOWCAMBRIDGE . .. JAMESMACMILLAN MACLEHOSE. AND CO. SIXTH EDITION JOHNNY GIBB OF GUSHETNEUK PARISH OF PYKETILLIM WITH GLIMPSES OF THE PARISH POLITICS ABOUT A.D. 1843 SBith a dlossarg By WILLIAM ALEXANDER Author op •• Sketches op Life among my ain Folk ; ” “ Notes and sketches Ulusikattvp: of Northern Rural Life in the f.iohteenth Century," eto EDINBURGH DAVID DOUGLAS v? D oaX o, :<-J77 ^ PREFACE TO THE SIXTH EDITION. The first edition of “ Johnny Gibb ” was published in January, 1871, and the second followed toward the close of the same year. In 1873, the third edition was issued, with glossary, and the fourth in 1877. An edition, in royal octavo, with illustrations by Mr. George Reid, R.S.A., was published very early in 1880. The present edition corre- sponds, in point of style and typography, with the fourth. As has been said in this connection before, the continued demand for the little book is taken as an indication that the native character and pure Doric of Aberdeenshire still possesses a fresh interest for a very considerable number of readers. October, 1881. CONTENTS, CHAPTER PAGE I. JOHNNY GIBB SETS OCT FOB THE WELLS, ... 9 n. THE JOURNEY TO THE WELLS, .... 14 1IL RUSTIC COURTSHIP, .19 IV. JOHNNY GIBB’S POLITICAL EDUCATION, ... 25 V. LIFE AT THE WELLS, 30 VI. MRS. BIRSE OF CLINKSTYLE, 35 VII. BACK FROM THE WELLS, 40 vm. TAM MEERISON FLITS, 46 IX. PEDAGOGICAL, 53 X. BENJIE’S CLASSICAL STUDIES 59 XI. THE KIRK ROAD, 64 XII. THE SMIDDYWARD PRAYER MEETING, ... 70 XIII. THE DISTRIBUTION MEETING—ECCLESIASTICAL OPINIONS, 77 XIV. TAM MEERISON’S PRIVATE AFFAIRS, .... 83 XV. SANDY PETERKIN’S SCHOOL 88 XVI. A START IN LIFE 93 xvn. SANDY PETERKIN IS WARNED, .... 99 XVIII. THE PUBLIC MEETING, 104 XIX. MEG RAFFAN, THE HENWIFE, 114 XX. MRS. BIRSE AND HER OWN, 120 XXL patie’s PLUSH WAISTCOAT, 125 XXH. MAINLY POLEMICAL, 129 XXIII. JONATHAN TAWSE AND DAWVID HADDEN, . 134 XXIV. PREPARING FOR THE CONFLICT 139 XXV. THE GUSHETNEUK MEETING 144 XXVI. SANDY PETERKIN’S FORTUNE, 153 XXVn. MAINS OF YAWAL AT THE SYNOD 158 XXVIII. THE FREE KIRK OF PYKETILLIM, 163 XXIX. A CHANGE OF TIME, 168 XXX. MEG RAFFAN ENTERTAINS DAWVID HADDEN, . 172 XXXL THE ELECTION OF ELDERS, 176 CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE XXXII. DAWVID HADDEN VISITS AT CLINKSTYLE, . .181 XXXIII. THE MERCHANT’S SHOP 186 XXXIV. DAWVID HADDEN REPORTS TO SIR SIMON, . 191 XXXV. THE SETTLEMENT OF MR. MACCASSOCK, . 196 XXXVI. THE “ SETTIN’ ” OF GUSHETNEUK, .... 202 XXXVII. CLINKSTYLE AGAIN 207 XXXVIII. MEG RAFF AN GOES TO THE SHOP, .... 212 XXXIX. patie’s wedding, 218 XL. THE “ NEWS ” OF THE MARRIAGE 223 XLI. THE MANSE SCHEME, 228 XLII. SIR SIMON INSTRUCTS DAWVID HADDEN, . .235 XLIII. DAWVID HADDEN CONSULTS THE HENWIFE, . 240 XLIV. JOHNNY GIBB DISCUSSES THE SITUATION, . .243 XLVI.XLV. DAWVIDHAIRRY MUGGARTHADDEN MAKESGOES TO TWO “THE BUSINESS TOON,” CALLS,. 254248 XLVII. JOHNNY GIBB MAKES HIS WILL, ... 258 XLVIII. THE CLIMAX OF GENTILITY, 261 XLIX. THE CONCLUSION, . .... 266 JOHNNY GIBB OF GUSHETNEUK. JOHNNY GIBB SETS OUT FOR THE WELLS. “ §l|5?EELY,hin shelvin’ heely, Tam,o’ the yecairt. glaiket Fat stirk—ye hae ye beenhinna haiverin on the weat, minwin a? mileThat fae cauff hame. saick See’t ’ll be yer tint belly-ban’ owre the backbe ticht door aneuch afore noo.about blaikinWoo, lassie! that graithMan, o’ ye yours, been an’makin’ kaimin a hantle the mear’s mair adeetail, nor “balancin’ Sang, that’s yer cairt,nae vera an’ gettin’easy deen,the things I can packit tell ye, in wi’ till’t.” sic a mearmengyie ?” o’ them. Faur’ll aw pit the puckle girss to the “ Ou, fat’s the eese o’ that lang stoups ahin, aw wud like pleuchtae ken ryn ? there,Lay that an’ wupbit baukit ticht across, atween an’ the syne stays tak’ ; we the canna auP haecorn thepat beast’sye in ?” maet trachel’t amo’ their feet. Foo muckle “ We’seFour lippies—gweed—mizzour—will lat it be deein. Is their trockthat dee a’ ?”in noo, I won’er“ Nyod, ?” seerly it is.” wasIt preparing was in the to setlatter out part on hisof annualJune, 1839, journey and to Johnny “ the Walls Gibb atduction Macduff.” to him, He employed, was, at thewith moment the assistance of the reader’sof his servant intro- man,starting Tam £« Meerison,The in time “yokin’ was 4.30the A.M.cairt,” preparatory to horseJohnny “haudin” Gibb onwas the theproperty tacksman of Sir ofSimon Gushetneuk, Frissal of a Glen- two- verysnicker industrious ; and he lifetimeand his onwife the had place. spent the greater part of a IO JOHNNY GIBB OF GUSHETNEUK. Mrs. Gibb, in personal appearance, looked to be a woman preservation.somewhere approaching Dumpy in sixty, figure, in aninclining exceedingly slightly good to stateobesity of incoloured “ condition,” apple, andshe was,with nevertheless,cheeks of the understood exact hue toof bea high- “ far fae“ drows.” stoot;” Hence she was,this yearlyindeed, resort “nervish,” to the Wellsand aptat Macduff,to take renownedcome to be for a necessitytheir restorative for her. andWhen invigorating Johnny Gibb virtues, had hadgov backedthe “ neeps into doon,”the water, he took where his theycarts were to the first mill-dam, well soaked had them and then“ neep scrubbed muck.” clean,And thenafter onethe defilementof the first ofthings, driving ordinarily, out the wasIn to theprepare district for where the journey Johnny to Gibb the Wells. lived, they believed in the Wells, old and young of them. Elderly people, male and female,sea-bathing, went combinedto Macduff with to abenefit course by more the orbracing less rigorous effects of sea water taken internally, followed up by the mineral water of Tarlair ; sturdy bairns were taken thither in troops for the whosecure of complaints “ scabbit faces seemed ” and often “ sic not like of ;” a youths deadly and nature, maidens, went thereto the for Wells the benefitas they ofcould his contrive“sair een to ;” get; Peter Jamie Tough Hogg to miti-went gatesion theto “gae“rheumatics doon throu” ;” Mains on ofbusiness, Yawal, whenactually he haddrove occa- his insquare order wooden-looking that he might gighave five the miles opportunity out of hisof merelydirect routeonce in“ dookin to rest ” and at Macduff.feed, and HeI recollect“ lows’t ” distinctlythe gig and seeing put his his horse tall gaunthe strode figure away in bottle-greenstraight down surtout, from the as, fisher despising town, ceremony, or rather thestanes ropery, ” till throughhe found hillocks water ofenough slippery to ware“ dook and ” in“ knablick; and a tediousoperandi walk of Mains’s he had, “ dookin for the ” was, tide that was he out. first laidThe aside modus his hathandful and ofthe “sea-ware” bottle-green scrubbed surtout, the and, upper by partthe aidof his of person.a good ofHe the then remaining resumed part the hatof his and garments, surtout, andcompleted divesting the himself opera- followtion in thethe prevailinglike fashion. custom The ;farm and servants this, their even, belief, were had fain not to beenDrogemweal. discouraged The by doctor the physician had a semi-militaryreputation, in ordinary, the elder inas- Dr. JOHNNY GIBB SETS OUT FOR THE WELLS. II muchthreats as, of wheninvading the ourfirst Island Bonaparte and so was on, disturbingthe doctor peoplehad been by theattached “fencibles to the ” tolocal Fraserburgh militia ; and at the he timewas ofwont their to annualaccompany drill. soldierIt was relateddrink a ofquart-bottle him how ofhe seawould water make by waythe delinquentof punish- conservedment, believing the man’s that, constitution.while the thing To had his a latestpenal day,effect, when it also a unce“chap” o’ salts,”went and,to him if the for case advice, were hegrave, would would prescribe take out “ twahis to“ lance” go to andthe bleedWells himthe ; firstwinding opportunity. up by a generalAnd thus,exhortation in the Johnnyvery year Gibb before went that over of to which Pitmachie I am to about “ fee ”to a write,man, hewhen en- whocountered would asuit “ stoot his purposeyoung folia,” admirably from well,the Upperbut was Garioch, deter- minedpoun’ ” toand have a shilling“ sax poun’ of “ten arles,” ” of fee.after Johnnymuch “ offeredthreepin,” “ sax as athis last ultimatum. a compromise They was “ tuggit reached, an’ andruggit the ” bargainto no purpose, concluded, till than,on the aw “chap” ’ll tak’ thethrowing siller ; inbut this ye maunstipulation, gi’e’s “Weel,an ouk atweel, the WallsSuch aifter was the the neep repute seed.” of the Wells at Macduff in my day, placebut that all butis long totally ago unknown. ; and to me the modern Macduff is a continued“ Come Johnny awa’, noo Gibb, ; come in an awa’, impatient an’ nae tone—patience loss the mornin’,” was notthe cartJohnny’s was properlyprime virtue,—when packed and he adjusted. had satisfied His himselfwords were that addressed,“ hoverin’ ” inbetween the first the place, door andto Mrs. the kitchenGibb, whofor somehad time,been anotherone part onof Jinseher thoughts Deans, restingthe servant on Johnny girl, to and whom the cart,she con-and tinuedsure “ stillan’ plotto address ’er milk another dishes andweel, another in this exhortation, byous weather to be ; an’caller get mou’fu’, the kye an’ pitten win inoot afore ear’,” they so ranthat aheat;they might ” to see “ getthat a other“ the caufiesmatters warna that concernednegleckit,” the and proper give dueongoing heed of to the sundry place duringMrs. the Gibb absence was ofdressed its mistress. in a home-made grey wincey gown,“ mutch a very” (they precisely were old-fashioned made up and people very wellthe starchedGibbs), and close a JOHNNY GIBB OF GUSHETNEUK. tartan plaid that had been in the family for at least a genera- tion.with theShe help was of assisted a chair—Jinse, into the thecart trusty, with duebare-headed, ceremony, bare- and witharmed provisions maid, handing for consumption up after her on a reticulethe way, basket, and a crammedbig blue umbrella.“ Faur’s the lassie noo ?” quoth Johnny.