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Reminiscences of 'auld Ayr' [by J. Peterson].
Reminiscences of 'auld Ayr' - by J. Peterson Author:James Peterson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Then John M'Doul, with cautious han', The coffin did uncover; It split! an' Clootie jumped out, Just like a flash o' pouther, In flames that day! Th... more »en ilka ane wi' mettle heels Was doun the Kirk Port skelpin,' Some lost their hats an' shoon, an' some Wi' broken heels were yelpin'; When John M'Doul had gather'd a' His spades and shoots thegither, Cam' hin'most doun the Port, and said, " The grave will do auither— Some ither day." Such was the name of a fast-sailing clipper-built vessel, the first of the kind that had ever belonged to the port. It had been a nobleman's yacht, and was intended to ply between Ayr and Glasgow, the old packet boat, of which "Skipper Paton" was long master, being too slow for the advancing notions of the times. " The Ayr of Ayr " belonged to a company— chiefly merchants—who intended to confer a benefit first, upon themselves, and secondly, upon the community, by a cheaper and more expeditious conveyance of goods to and from the Emporium of the West. The ship was looked upon with great favour by the inhabitants, and her trial trip- to Campbelton—was witnessed by an immense crowd, who lined both sides of the harbour. This occurred in June 1822. The late John Brown, writer in Ayr, was a man of acknowledged talent. He had a playful fancy, and one of the readiest pens. He was connected with the Ayr Courier, and its successor, the Ayr Observer, taking a considerable share, for some time, in the literary management of both journals. He occasionally indulged in verses, and not a few of his poetical effusions found their way into private circles. John M 'Dowell, the grave digger. No man, at the same time, could be more free from the conceit of authorship. He wrote for pleasure, not for the gratification of literary ambiti...« less