e by
the disappointed dominie the subject of some tart verses which he
called an epode, but Gavin crushed him when they were read before the
club. "Satire," he said, "is a legitimate weapon, used with michty
effect by Swift, Sammy Butler, and others, and I dount object to being
made the subject of creeticism. It has often been called a t'nife
(knife), but them as is not used to t'nives cuts their hands, and ye'll
a' observe that Mr. McRittie's fingers is bleedin'." All eyes were
turned upon the dominie's hand, and though he pocketed it smartly
several members had seen the blood. The dominie was a rare visitor at
the club after that, though he outlived poor Mr. Dickie by many years.
Mr. Dickie was a teacher in Tilliedrum, but he was ruined by drink. He
wandered from town to town, reciting Greek and Latin poetry to any one
who would give him a dram, and sometimes he wept and moaned aloud in
the street, crying, "Poor Mr. Dickie! poor Mr. Dickie!"

The leading poet in a club of poets was Dite Walls, who kept a school
when there were scholars, and weaved when there were none. He had a
song that was published in a half-penny leaflet about the famous
lawsuit instituted by the farmer of Teuchbusses against the Laird of
Drumlee. The laird was alleged to have taken from the land of
Teuchbusses sufficient broom to make a besom thereof, and I am not
certain that the case is settled to this day. It was Dite or another
member of the club who wrote, "The Wife o' Deeside," of all the songs
of the period the one that had the greatest vogue in the county at a
time when Lord Jeffrey was cursed at every fireside in Thrums. The
wife of Deeside was tried for the murder of her servant who had
infatuated the young laird, and had it not been that Jeffrey defended
her she would, in the words of the song, have "hung like a troot." It
is not easy now to conceive the rage against Jeffrey when the woman was
acquitted. The song was sung and recited in the streets, at the
smiddy, in bothies, and by firesides, to the shaking of fists and the
grinding of teeth. It began--

"Ye'll a' hae hear tell o' the wife o' Deeside,
Ye'll a' hae hear tell o' the wife o' Deeside,
She poisoned her maid for to keep up her pride,
Ye'll a' hae hear tell o' the wife o' Deeside."

Before the excitement had abated, Jeffrey was in Tilliedrum for
electioneering purposes, and he was mobbed in the streets. Angry
crowds pressed close to howl, "Wife o'