“Oh! the Major, you mean; I thocht a’body hereaboot kent the Major. He’s the Laird o’ Carron, and owns the hale toon o’ Carronmooth. He bides in yon big hoose amo’ the trees, on the tap o’ the hill. He’s an awfu’ fine man. Aye, gin a’ the lairds were like him, you wouldna hear sae muckle grumblin’ frae the workin’ fowk. There’s no a bairn in the place he disna ken. Noo, there was wee Mirren that we’ve juist beeried--she was an orphan, an’ the Major an’ his leddy never loot her want for onything that could do her good, a’ the time she was sick. Aye, there’s nae mony fowk like the Major!” “Is he a wealthy man, then?” “Na, sir; as lairds go, he’s a poor man. He disna gie himsel’ a chance to grow rich. The rents frae the estate dinna come to a great deal, an’ he spends the feck o’ it. When he cam’ here, aifter the auld laird deed, things were in a gey bad wye. He made nae fuss aboot it, but in his ain quaiet style he set himsel’ to the wark o’ local improvement. “The first big job he startit was to repair a’ the cottages, an’ to get in a regular set o’ drains. There’s nae half the sick fowk noo that there used to be. “Syne he fitted up ane o’ the hooses as a schuil, and got Miss Emslie an’ her twa nieces to teach the bairns. They’re maybe nae sae weel trained as the toon’s teachers, but they can teach readin’, an’ writin’, an’ coontin’--an’ what’s better than a’, they see that a’ oor young folk ken the Gospels, an’ the Catechism, an’ the Mornin’ an’ Evenin’ Prayer. “Weel, he fand oot that there was a wheen auld fowk that werena able to traivel to St. James’ Church, an’ so he gaed to the Bishop, an’ got a lay reader’s license, an’ noo we hae a service in the schuil ilka Sunday aifternoon. The Major reads the prayers, an’ gies a bit simple sermon, an’ his leddy plays the harmonium. “But that’s no a’ he’s done. He’s paid the hale cost o’ makin’ oor fine wee harbor, an’ noo oor boats are safe when they’re no oot at sea. “Aye, he’s a graund man, the Major--never thinkin’ aboot himsel’, but a’ the time plannin’ for ither fowks’ weelfare.” I was sorry when the arrival of my train cut short this interesting chat; but it was not long before I had an opportunity of coming into closer contact with the Major. We met again, one afternoon, at Glendouglas House, when we were formally introduced to one another. In the course of conversation the subject of golf as a healthful recreation came up. “We have a capital golf course at Carronmouth, Mr. Gray; some day soon you must come and spend the afternoon with me, and I will take you over it.”