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96 RQAMINT IN THE GLOAMIN'
this character-study by MacDonald. That is not so. My "Saftest o' the Family" was inspired by a little Glasgow ragamuffin and the whole treatment of my study is on quite different lines to those of my old friend and patron. I'll tell you later the full story of how I came to write "The Saftest o' the Family."
The other MacDonald effort I refer to was a character song about a Glasgow Irishman who was the champion "cairter" (drayman) of his district. MacDonald made a real work of art out of the character. Complete with whip, "bunnet," sleeved waistcoat, and trousers tucked up with string below the knee he was the Glasgow lorryman to the life. The chorus of the song had a fine swinging lilt to it and I have not the slightest doubt that I have only to recall the words for thousands of elderly Scots to remember the pleasure MacDonald gave them with his rendering of the song. Here they are :
Woa! Vain. Haud aff Ye! That's Cahoon,
The buttons on his waistcoat are as big as hauf-a-croon ;
He gets mair pey than a' the ither men
An' the horse he drives can run awa' wi' fower ton ten !
I have heard great audiences yell this chorus with immense gusto. Like many other comic songs the chorus words of this one seem pretty limp and "fushionless" but I can assure you that MacDonald made a tremendous hit with it. Even today, forty years after, you can hear staid, respectable old men in Scotland humming the tune about the Glesca cairter ! Well, it was from no less a personage than J. C. MacDonald himself that the letter came which was waiting for me that Saturday night. It was a kindly letter, setting forth that the writer had never had the pleasure of hearing me but that he had had many good reports of my ability. Would I care to deputise for him during the forthcoming New Year week at Greenock Town Hall ? He was not feeling very well but if he could not find a good deputy he would have to turn