Recollections and impressions, . ve over again the charmof that life at Ardtornish and Achranich, sosimple, so unconventional, so full of activity andenjoyment. A road had lately been made from the Ferryup to Achranich, joining the old road across thehills from Acharn to Strontian; and the goings toand fro between the two places were as perpetualas they had been strictly forbidden the year be-fore ! Mr Octavius Smith was a very cleveroriginal man, overflowing with energy, and couldscarcely believe in anything being well done un-less he saw it done or did it himself Dearlydid he pay for this ch
Recollections and impressions, . ve over again the charmof that life at Ardtornish and Achranich, sosimple, so unconventional, so full of activity andenjoyment. A road had lately been made from the Ferryup to Achranich, joining the old road across thehills from Acharn to Strontian; and the goings toand fro between the two places were as perpetualas they had been strictly forbidden the year be-fore ! Mr Octavius Smith was a very cleveroriginal man, overflowing with energy, and couldscarcely believe in anything being well done un-less he saw it done or did it himself Dearlydid he pay for this characteristic, for when thenew house was building, of which he watchedevery detail, a charge of gunpowder used forblasting not having gone off as quickly as heexpected, he went too near, and it exploded,damaging his eye. It was equally characteristicthat when he was taken into the house, — andby this time it was dusk, — he blew out thecandle that his wife might not see his woundedface. When I saw him, a glass eye had restored. From an oil-/<,iinli)ti; „j, o,;, Lhuttcc Macncc, 165 PATRICK SliLLAR OF Ardtornish. A HIGHLAND HOME. 45 his appearance and scarcely marred his goodlooks, and his one eye saw more than mostpeoples two. It would be difficult to do justiceto Mrs Smith. A sweeter, more gracious womanI have never known, — self had no part in her :she had a pretty playful humour that seemedto harmonise with her youthful figure, and thatlightened up a face on which sorrow had laidits undoubted marks, for she had suffered eldest boy, a fine adventurous youth, hadbeen starved to death in the bush on an explor-ing party with Sir George Grey, in Australia;and other sad sorrows were to follow. Gerard,full of life and ability, was run over by arailway engine; and two bright beautiful girls,Bosalind and Edith, died, one in 1853 and theother two years later. But at the time of whichI write the little band of sisters was still un-broken. In those days schoolroom li
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