Tamar always took in his coffee & Toast.
SHANTY
THE
BLACKSMITH;
A TALE OF OTHER TIMES
BY MRS. SHERWOOD.
1852.
SHANTY
THE
BLACKSMITH.
It was during the last century, and before the spirit ofrevolution had effected any change in the manners of ourforefathers, that the events took place, which are about to berecorded in this little volume.
At that period there existed in the wild border country, whichlies between England and Scotland, an ancient castle, of which onlyone tower, a few chambers in the main building, certain officesenclosed in high buttressed walls, and sundry out-houses hanging asit were on those walls, yet remained. This castle had once beenencircled by a moat which had been suffered to dry itself up,though still the little stream which used to fill it when the damswere in repair, murmured and meandered at the bottom of the hollow,and fed the roots of many a water plant and many a tree whosenature delights in dank and swampy soils. The verdure, however,which encircled this ancient edifice, added greatly to the beauty,when seen over the extent of waste and wild in which it stood.There can be no doubt but that the ancient possessors of thiscastle, which, from the single remaining barrier, and the name ofthe family, was called Dymock's tower, had been no other thanstrong and dangerous free-booters, living on the plunder of theneighbouring kingdom of Scotland. Every one knows that a vastextent of land, waste or at best but rudely cultivated, had oncebelonged to the Lords of Dymock; but within a few years this familyhad fallen from affluence, and were at length so much reduced, thatthe present possessor could hardly support himself in any thinglike the state in which he deemed it necessary for his father's sonto live. Mr. Dymock was nearly thirty years of age, at the time ourhistory commences; he had been brought up by an indolent father,and an aunt in whom no great trusts had been vested, until heentered his teens, at which time he was sent to Edinburgh to attendthe classes in the college; and there, being a quick and cleveryoung man, though without any foundation of early discipline, orgood teaching, and without much plain judgment or common sense, hedistinguished himself as a sort of genius.
One of the most common defects in the minds of those who are notearly subjected to regular discipline is, that they have noperseverance; they begin one thing, and another thing, but nevercarry anything on to any purpose, and this was exactly the casewith Mr. Dymock. Whilst he was in Edinburgh he had thought that hewould become an author; some injudicious persons told him that hemight succeed in that way, and he began several poems, and twoplays, and he wrote parts of several treatises on Mathematics, andPhysics, and Natural History; the very titles of these works soundclever, but they were never finished. Dymock was nearly thirty whenhis father died; and when he came to reside in the tower, his mindturned altogether to a new object, and that was cultivating theground, and the wild commons and wastes all around him: and if hehad set to work in a rational way he might have done something, butbefore he began the work he must needs invent a plough, which wasto do wonderful things, and, accordingly, he set to work, not onlyto invent this plough, but to make it himself, or rather to put ittogether himself, with the help of a carpente