It _was_ a tiny house, what the country people call a "clay biggin,"
with a thatched roof. Inside are many relics of Burns, but the children
were, perhaps, more interested in "Alloway's Auld Haunted Kirk."
This is the small church of which Burns wrote in his poem, called
"Tam-o'-shanter," where Tam saw the witches dance, and from whence
he started on his wild ride, with the witches after him riding on
broomsticks. It is one of the chief attractions for visitors.
"Oh! it is a creepy poem," said Don; and you will all think so, too,
when you have read it.
They saw the "Auld Brig of Ayr," which means the old bridge, across
the river Ayr, and they walked along the "Banks and Braes o' Bonnie
Doon," of which Burns wrote and which he loved so well. They visited
the monument to Burns. Marjorie remarked that it was not a very grand
monument, not nearly so grand as that to Scott in Edinburgh; and she
was quite right.
"Not far from Ayr was the home of Annie Laurie," said Mr. Lindsay, as
the train speeded them back to Glasgow.
"Was she a real person, father?" eagerly exclaimed the little girls
together.
"Indeed she was, though her eyes were black and not blue," said Mr.
Lindsay.
"How do you know?" asked Janet, who liked to be exact.
"Because her portrait is still to be seen at Maxwelton House, near the
town of Dumfries, where she lived," replied her father.
"Well, I'd rather her eyes had been blue," said Marjorie, and the
children kept talking about blue and black eyes until they reached the
great St. Enoch's railway station at Glasgow.
There are so many delightful journeys to be made from Glasgow by rail
and steamer that it is one of the best starting points in all Scotland
for excursions, of which all children and most old folks are so fond.
The Lindsays and the Gordons were accordingly to stay in Glasgow for a
week, that the young people might enjoy more of these rare treats, and
take some of the lovely sails on the river Clyde and among the near-by
islands.
Don and Sandy were having some hot discussions as to which was the
finest city in Scotland,--Glasgow or Edinburgh. This was about the only
thing that the boys ever disagreed on. Sandy's father came originally
from Glasgow, so Sandy always stood up for it.
"It's a big city, and lots richer than Edinburgh; and think of all
the business that is done here, and of the lots and lots of ships
that come and go from all parts of the world. It's the largest city in
Scotland, too, and the second city of the kingdom," Sandy would say.
"But it's not so beautiful as Edinburgh. It hasn't anything like
Princes Street, nor so many famous old buildings and historic places,
nor our great colleges. Anybody had rather live in Edinburgh--you know
you would, Sandy," Don would argue.
And the truth of it all was, both boys were right.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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