, for that was not in the bond. Jess's sweet face beamed
over the compliment Mrs. Tully, known on ordinary occasions as Jean
McTaggart, had paid her, and, after Johnny had departed laden, she told
me how the tray, which had a great bump in the middle, came into her
possession.

"Ye've often heard me speak aboot the time when I was a lassie workin'
at the farm o' the Bog? Ay, that was afore me an' Hendry kent ane
anither, an' I was as fleet on my feet in thae days as Leeby is noo.
It was Sam'l Fletcher 'at was the farmer, but he maun hae been gone
afore you was mair than born. Mebbe, though, ye ken 'at he was a
terrible invalid, an' for the hinmost years o' his life he sat in a
muckle chair nicht an' day. Ay, when I took his denner to 'im, on that
very tray 'at Johnny cam for, I little thocht 'at by an' by I would be
sae keepit in a chair mysel.

"But the thinkin' o' Sam'l Fletcher's case is ane o' the things 'at
maks me awfu' thankfu' for the lenient wy the Lord has aye dealt wi'
me; for Sam'l couldna move oot o' the chair, aye sleepin in't at nicht,
an' I can come an' gang between mine an' my bed. Mebbe, ye think I'm
no much better off than Sam'l, but that's a terrible mistak. What a
glory it would hae been to him if he could hae gone frae one end o' the
kitchen to the ither. Ay, I'm sure o' that.

"Sam'l was rale weel liked, for he was saft-spoken to everybody, an'
fond o' ha'en a gossip wi' ony ane 'at was aboot the farm. We didna
care sae muckle for the wife, Eppie Lownie, for she managed the farm,
an' she was fell hard an' terrible reserved we thocht, no even likin'
ony body to get friendly wi' the mester, as we called Sam'l. Ay, we
made a richt mistak."

As I had heard frequently of this queer, mournful mistake made by those
who considered Sam'l unfortunate in his wife, I turned Jess on to the
main line of her story.

"It was the ghost cradle, as they named it, 'at I meant to tell ye
aboot. The Bog was a bigger farm in thae days than noo, but I daursay
it has the new steadin' yet. Ay, it winna be new noo, but at the time
there were sic a commotion aboot the ghost cradle, they were juist
puttin' the new steadin' up. There was sax or mair masons at it, wi'
the lads on the farm helpin', an' as they were all sleepin' at the
farm, there was great stir aboot the place. I couldna tell ye hoo the
story aboot the farm's bein' haunted rose, to begin wi', but I mind
fine hoo fleid I was; ay, an' no only me