Something Mysterious.
Cairnie, Dec. 18th.
The good people about Ardonald, a few weeks ago, were honoured with a visit from a being of another world. Whether it was his Satanic Majesty in person, or some less illustrious of his cabinet, opinion hath not agreed, but, in one point, all are unanimous, viz., that on the night of Halloween last, some imp, who had decided on having a laugh at the people’s expense, commenced his operations in a house occupied by a respectable family near Alehousehillock.
About six o’clock on the evening in question, the inmates of said house were a good deal surprised by the descent first of one, then of another, peat clod down the chimney; it by no means tended to allay their excitement, when they saw that there was no likelihood of a parley, but that they continued to pour down in regular succession until nine o’clock, when they called a halt.
The gudewife of the house, who was naturally a little eerie lest she might be annoyed next night in the same manner called in a few of her neighbours to pass the ‘forenicht’ with her, but the imp, not at all daunted by his victim’s accesion of numbers, at the same house commenced the very same process.
While the peats were tumbling about in all directions in the house, two of the men she had called in went out, the one to watch on the ground if he could see from whence the missiles proceeded, while the other took his place on the top of the house, with the very laudable intention of exposing the cheat, but both failed. The one on the ground could see nothing, albeit the night was clear, while the other only saw the clods after they had entered the chimney, and heard them fall on the floor of the apartment.
Of course, such an occurrence has given rise to a good deal of speculation. Whatever agency the actor has employed, it speaks volumes for his mischievous cunning. Some assert that it was no other than ‘Brownie Clod’ himself. If it was he, we must say that he is a very sensible and a very considering Brownie, though perhaps a little fond of a joke, else he could have sent much less welcome guests down the chimney, in a cold winter night, than dry peats.
Be he who he may, he concluded his performance on the second night, at the same hour as he had done the previous one, and took his departure, nor has he since been heard of in the quarter. – Banffshire Journal.
Elgin Courant, and Morayshire Advertiser, 21st January 1853.
Brownie Clod Redivivus.
The Banff Journal reports that the sequestered parish of Cairnie has lately been thrown into a state of the utmost consternation by the sudden appearance in the vicinity of Ardonald, of some factious imp of the invisible world, who nightly takes up his quarters at the house of a respectable family, where he amuses himself and astonishes the inmates by pitching peat-clods down the chimney for whole hours together.
The affair was at first regarded as a hoax, played off by some of the mischievous “hopefuls” of the neighbourhood, but on the trick being repeated the following evening, sentinels were posted at every corner of the house with the view of exposing the cheat, and one of the neighbours, to prevent the possibility of collusion, volunteered to take his place at the mouth of the chimney. Those on the ground could see nothing whatever, while he on the housetop asseverates that he distinctly saw the clods tumbling into the chimney, and could tell nothing of the direction whence they came, and those inside the apartment testify that the missiles fell as thick as ever.
Of course the only conclusion that can be arrived at by the astonished natives is, that one of the numerous fraternity of Brownies, who erst were so plentiful, has revisited our earth, and assigned to himself the philanthropic task of supplying fuel to teh good folks of Cairnie.
Elgin Courier, 7th January 1853.