At the outbreak of the Great War I commenced to rhyme. I am sorry if the jingo spirit is too evident in some of my pieces. Such were composed in the dark days, when our brave soldiers had their backs at the wall, and required every moral and material support that could be given them. For the political and religious bias of my pieces I make no apology. I make no claim to the honour of being a Poet; that I have no claim will be evident to cultured minds to whom these songs and rhymes will no doubt appear poor in conception, crude in expression, grammatically wrong in parts, and altogether commonplace. But as I am writing to people on my own level of intelligence--that is, the intelligence of a self-taught man--cultured people do not come into the picture. Some of my friends are quite pleased with my verses, but I will not require a larger size in headwear over the opinion of others. I am pleased, however, to note that they all agree about the general tone and sentiment being of a high order. With that I am content. If there is anything in my pieces that will raise a smile, a laugh, or a tear--anything that will make the human more humane, any thought or sentiment that will tend to raise the moral or mental standard of my readers--they have not been written in vain. One third of the pieces in this book have already been published, and my thanks are due to local and other Editors for space given me, and specially to the Editor of the "Dumfries and Galloway Courier and Herald," for an artistic touch here and there in some of them. I give the tunes when well known to which a number of my songs may be sung. As for the others, the music being new, it will depend on circumstances whether they ever see the light of publicity. The song "Wanlock," by M'Arthur, schoolmaster in Wanlockhead (1850), and "The Lowther Winds Wail," by the Rev. J. Moir Porteous, minister of the Free Church, Wanlockhead (1877), I insert so that they will continue to be familiar to the people of the district in which their authors lived and worked. I am indebted to Robert Wanlock Reid for permission to publish his "Letter in Rhyme," and to J. M. Harkness for his appreciation expressed in "Auld Cronie Tam;" also to Miss Annie J. Mitchell for kindly typing the bulk of my pieces; and to all those who have given me any encouragement in the making of this book. AUTHOR. DESCRIPTIVE PIECES. THE RIDGE OF GLENGONAR. _WINTER SCENE._ The pale lovely moon o'er the Lowthers was rising As lonely I strayed at the fall of the night Away to the far-stretching Ridge of Glengonar, The high hills to view in their mantle of white. Old Boreas had swept them for days in his anger, As though he would crush them beneath his proud sway; But grandly they stood, with their brows high uplifted, Firm based in majestic, eternal array.