Page:Life memoirs & pedigree of Thomas Hamilton Dickson.pdf/30

 degree of patience seldom surpassed by any in similar circumstances. I was told by one who was in the house at the time, that "the smoke was that thick, Dickson, at the time, that you might have cut it with a knife and fork, and ate it as you would a daud of beef." The old wife began to cough. Says she, "Lassocks, I find an unco youder, heigh, heigh, what's that o't?" "O, mither," replied all the daughters, "the lum is stappit, and the reek is a' coming down." The smoke had now reached old Gilbert, who was snugly ensconsed in bed. He gave a sneeze and a cough like a whale when taken from its natural element, to die unpitied on shore, while he exclaims, "what's that ye’ve burnin' on the fire, bodies. Heigh saf' us, it is a fleesome smeik!" Emma ran ben and told him that the lum was stappit. "O, faither, faither, the lum is stappit," and the old man cried out, "the vagabond loons! they are ower idle through the day, or else they wadna rin through a kintra after it is mirk." With that he rises from bed, puts on his breeches, and his feet in his slippers, and moves as quickly as possible towards the door, while one of the daughters sitting at the fireside cried out, "O, faither, faither, ye'll no' won out, for the door is tied wi' a rape."

Upon my remonstrating with my companions on the impropriety of their conduct, (for if they had taken my advice they would not have stopped the vent nor secured the door,) they at length opened the door and took the straw