In a short time even this undertaking began to be too small for David's
energies and resources, and he joined hands with Willie in many other
good works, and gave not only freely of his gold, but also of his time
and labor. The old eloquence that stirred his classmates in St. Andrew's
Hall, "till they would have followed him to the equator" began to stir
the cautious Glasgow traders to the bottom of their hearts, and their
pocketbooks; and men who didn't want to help in a crusade against
drunkenness, or in a crusade for the spread of the Gospel, stopped away
from Glasgow City Hall when David Lockerby filled the chair at a public
meeting and started a subscription list with £1000 down on the table.
But there were two old ladies that never stopped away, though one of
them always declared "Master Davie had fleeched her last bawbee out o'
her pouch;" and the other generally had her little whimper about Davie
"waring his substance upon ither folks' bairns."
"There's bonnie Bessie Lament, Janet; an' he would marry her we might
live to see his ain sons and daughters in the old house."
"'Deed, then, ma'am, our Davie has gotten him a name better than that o'
sons an' dochters; and though I am sair disappointed in him--"
"You shouldn't say that, Janet; he made a gran' speech the day."
"A speech isna' a sermon, ma'am; though I'll ne'er belittle a speech wi'
a £1000 argument."
"And there was Deacon Moir, Janet, who didna approve o' the scheme, and
who would therefore gie nothing at a'."
"The Deacon is sae godly that God doesna get a chance to improve his
condition, ma'am. But for a' o' Deacon Moir's disapproval I'se count on
the good work going on."
"'Deed yes, Janet, and though our Davie should ne'er marry at a'--"
"There'll be generations o' lads an' lasses, ma'am, that will rise up in
auld Scotland an' go up an' down through a' the warld a' ca' David
Lockerby 'blessed.'"
FRANZ MÜLLER'S WIFE.
"Franz, good morning. Whose philosophy is it now? Hegel, Spinosa, Kant
or Dugald Stewart?"
"None of them. I am reading _Faust_."
"Worse and worse. Better wrestle with philosophies than lose yourself in
the clouds. At any rate, if the poets are to send the philosophers to
the right about, stick to Shakespeare."
"He is too material. He can't get rid of men and women."
"They are a little better, I should think, than Mephisto. Come, Franz,
condescend to cravats and kid gloves, and let us go and see my cousin
Christine Stromberg."
"I do not know the young lady."
"Of course not. She has just returned from a Munich school. Her brother
Max was at the Lyndons' great party, you remember?"
"I don't remember, Louis. In white cravats and black coats all men look
alike."
"But you will go?"
"If you wish it, yes. There are some uncut reviews on the table: amuse
yourself while I dress."
"Thanks, I have my cigar case. I will take a smoke and think of
Christine."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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