Kirkconnel — Wittens o tha Sang

Anne Smyth

Tha ‘Helen’ o tha sang wus a lassie the cried Helen Palmer. Furtae hae wit o quhit happent her we be tae leuk at quhit-aa cum on tha lassie’s faimlie.

Her mither an faither wus English fowk at cum frae Cummerlann. Quhaniver tha mither wus merriet on Helen’s faither Petèr, she gat tha bakside o her ain brither at wus tha Laird o Middlefiel an aa her ither freens, ower tha heid o her man no bein o tha gentrie, tha mair he haed a rowth o buik-lairnin. She wusnae mintit at frae thon oot in Middlefiel Haa.

Yit fur aa that Petèr an his guidwife wus gye an fain thegither. He wus taen on wi a minin consarn furtae wark wi thair accoonts. Syne a muckle hairt-scaud cum on tha puir bodie, quhaniver his loosome guidwife deed bringin hame tha bairnie Helen.

Tha puir weeda-man taen a scundèr at leevin, eftèr lossin tha bonnie lass his hairt wus claught wi. He wus near oot o his judgement aathegither. It wus tha sough o tha kintra, tha wye he wus guidin hissel. Syne tha crater taen a muinlicht flit wi tha bairnie an tha leal-hairtit bodie at wus tentin her.

Tha wee faimlie stravaigit awee athort tha kintra, an at lang an lenth the wun tae a clachan the cry Croalchapel, nixt Closeburn Kessel, at wus stellit in Nithsdale, in tha Keir Braes a wheen o mile in a norlin wisin frae Dumfries. Tha Laird o Closeburn wus Sir Roger Kirkpaitrick, an he jubit Petèr wus a namelie kyne o a bodie, an gien him a tack as a forestèr on his haudin. Bedeen Petèr wus med up tae faictòr o tha hale haudin.

Atween hanns, Petèr warit ilka orra meenit wi his bonnie wean. She wus a gleg wee cratèr an he larnt her tae raed an scrieve an dae her soums. Monie a nicht eftèr thair denner he wud dannle her on his knee an taak til her like as if she wus her mither. He haed his hairt an his ee in tha wee lassie.

Tha yeirs owergaed, an Helen haed groweit in tae a lass o pairts. Bae this, she wus sixteen yeir auld, an wus that bonnie she wus tha wale o tha kintra. Forbye, she taen eftèr her mither, fur she haed tha leuk o a feenished leddy. Mair, she haed a guid heid-piece, an her ingine owertaen a lock o wittens anent quhit-like thängs in tha kängrick wus.

Thon wus tha tid, dae ye see, o Käng Chairles tha Saiconn an tha kintra in troth wus in an ill set. Yins tha mak o Bluidy Clavers an Grierson o Lag haed tha owerhann an the wur gye an sair on tha Covenantin fowk. The wur nayther tae haud nor tae bine quhan the reengit athort tha kintra huntin an harlin oot tha Covenantèrs, rivin thaim sindèrie or sennin thaim straucht tae tha eftèrcum wi a blairge frae a fire-airm.

Sir Roger Kirkpaitrick, tha Laird, wus weel in wi Chairles’s coort an wudnae lat onie o tha puir murdèrt bodies howf in tha linns o Creehope or in onie o tha hidlins on his haudin at Closeburn. Helen wus gye an innerlie tae tha Covenantin fowk, tha mair she cudnae cum oot wi quhit she thocht. Her faither larnt her it wus her devoir, forbye his ain, furtae haud her wheesht anent maittèrs tha like o thon, an no gie a miss tae yin at wus sae weel-hairdt til his ainsel.

Tha Laird affen haed veesitòrs at Closeburn Kessel, in thae days, sin tha mense o tha hoose gart him hae an apen dure. Syne a wheen o callans wun tae tha kessel furtae spoart thairsel wi thair doags an fire-airms, forbye gamekeepers an sarvin-bodies. The wur Inglish, bot thon wus aa oniebodie kent aboot thaim, seein aa tha resydentèrs roon aboot wus that hanted tae haein veesitòrs aboot tha place.

Yin o tha days, Helen wus haein a dandèr oot in tha Barmoor-wuds inby, an she seen a maukin on tha pad afore her. On a suddent, a grue rin eftèr tha puir baste, an wi a gowl it kilt tha maukin deid. Helen’s hairt lep oot o the hool; she lat a scraigh an drappit her buik. Och, tha peety o tha wee maukin! An it murnin fur aa tha wurl like a wean greetin!

Belyve, a mon stappit afore Helen on a horse-baste, lit aff it an jyned tae prig at her tha wye she wudnae fash hersel ower tha heid o tha maukin. He cookered tha lassie up. Tha wee baste wus deed an its dree was aa ower. Frae this oot the wud trauchle her nae mair an dae thair huntin mair ootbye. Helen thocht he wus an honest bodie.

She wus fair affrontit, bot, at he haed cum on her in sic a set. Syne she telt him she wus vext she haed marred thair spoart, an tynit tha bodie wi unco mense.

Tha ootlann laddie wus aa taen up wi tha leuk o Helen. It wusnae jist at she wus a bonnie lass, seein tha laddie haed rin agane monie a bonnie lass in his day. Thar wus a hantle mair at taen his een: sure, tha lassie wus tha moral spit o hissel! Fur her pairt o’t, Helen haed a richt notion o tha braw laddie. Hooaniver, tha lassie seen tha laddie wus tha eemage o her ainsel forbye, tae tha vera gate o him.

A doot ye cud jalouse the road thängs wud gang. Tha morn, tha laddie landit in on Helen furtae see wus she bettèr o her skeer, an tha twa o thaim wus colloguin fur a richt quhile. He didnae rin agane her faither, seein he wus thrang wi his dargs as tha faictòr. Frae this oot, tha laddie landit in on Helen quhiles, an shuin it wus plain tae aabodie aboot tha place tha twa o thaim wus daft aboot ither.

Helen fun oot the cried tha laddie Wulliam Graham, an he wus jist new fell intae tha lairdship o his faither’s haudin. It wusnae by-ordnar ava tae rin agane fowk o tha name o Graham in thae pairts, an maist o aa in tha airt o Cummerlann tae tha sooth.

Thar wus jist tha yin thäng its lane at gart thae twa no compluther. Helen was unco stieve tae tha Covenantèrs, tha mair Wulliam wus kittle tae reck at contèrin tha govermenn wusnae richt. He didnae aloo at huntin tha Covenantèrs wus richt, bot. Helen threapit at him anent tha scowth o releegion fur tha yin pairt an haudin doon fur tha tither. She threapit amain, an in tha owergate o’t aa, Wulliam owergied his takin an promittit at he wud niver gie a cast tae tha Laird o Closeburn, nor Grierson o Lag nayther, in onie o thair uncannie gates.

Yin day Helen an her laddie wus haein a dandèr throch tha wuds quhar the rin agane ither at tha furst. The sut thairsel on twa haggit doon trees an jyned tae a collogue anent thair kynn. Helen hiddlet naethin ava. She telt him aboot her mither, quha haed deed bringin Helen hame, an gien quhit the cried her, Helen Graham. Amain Wulliam loupit up an lat a gulder: Och, ma bonnie lass, we’r sib till ither — ye’r ma ain kizzen!’

Helen taen a wee tift, an Wulliam beed tae bräng her roon wi watèr frae tha burn nearhann. Wulliam’s spaik wus siccar, richt eneuch. He wus nae mair nor a wean quhan Petèr haed quet Cummerlann, an the didnae ken ither ava. Wi tha yins in Middlefiel Haa no taakin aboot quhit haed cum on Helen Graham, tha yin bodie aboot tha place tae gie Wulliam onie wittens wus an auld sarvin-bodie. He kent fine aboot tha merridge an tha daith o his Auntie, bot he didnae ken quhit haed fell tha faither an tha bairn. Aiblins he jaloused the haed ayther deed or wur awa owerseys.

Noo tha loosome twa rin agane a muckle pall. Sir Roger, tha Laird o Closeburn, an aa tha freens o Wulliam contèrt his ettle at merryin on Helen. Forbye, her ain faither cudnae tyne tha wye Wulliam’s faither haed guidit him sair an, bae his wye o’t, skaithlie. Syne he wudnae hear tell o thaim merryin ayther.

Wulliam jaloused at gin he haed Helen athin tha policies o Middlefiel Haa he wud be lowsed frae thair mellin’ wi him, an cud be merriet on her lown, awnin til tha laas o tha kirk. In an unchancie hoor, Helen trystit wi Wulliam furtae quet her faither’s hoose an mak fur Cummerlann, athort tha mearin, wi her ain laddie.

The haed wun tae tha pairish o Kirkconnel roon aboot twa hoors o tha morn an wus giein thair horse-bastes a moothfu o water frae tha wee burn the cry tha Kirtle, quhan the heerd tha blairge o a fire-airm. On a suddent, tha bonnie Helen wus faain oot o her sate in tha seddle. Her laddie an tha sarvin-bodie tha baith kep her; bot she cud dae nae mair nor whusper ‘A’m gane, A’m gane’ afore she deed.

A ban upo’ tha hann at lat tha shot. In troth it wus an unchancie hann, bot a dreedsome mishanter. It wus yin o tha bluidy core o Grierson o Lag, at haed been set furtae tent hereaboots fur a wheen o Covenanters the thocht wud gang thon gate intae Inglann on horse-bastes tae jouk tha fell doonhaudin o tha govermenn pairty. Tha mon, oot o his wit wi bebblin, haed cum on tha wee curn reengin tha mearin, an haed lat blairge. Tha baa haed taen Helen richt in tha hairt — tha hairt at wus pang-fu o luive fur her Wulliam an lippenin on bein merried on him.

Wulliam wus cut tae tha hairt forbye. Frae tha wurds o tha sang, it leuks like Wulliam maun hae sautit tha mon:

Nixt time ye hear a bodie sang ‘Kirkconnel Lea’, mine o tha hairt-gaein scrow o tha unchancie luive aqueesht a puir lass an lad at maun dree thair ain waesome weird an, like monie anither yin in oor ain day in Ulster, wus in tha wrang airt i’ tha wrang hoor.