Archie Macnab
SOME freens that ca's on him noo an again, as weel as ithers he's in the habit o seein alang the toon, haed sae aften heard the Author read his compositions, that ultimately they cam to the conclusion that--for their sakes, onywey, if no for his ain--he shoud publish a beuk. "There's a time an place for everything," they said; "an if we haed ye in beuk-form, Airchie, we coud tak ye doon, rin ower ye, an shut ye up when we liked." Their importunity prevailed. Hence this volume.
The apologies some beuks are gien to the public wi, read as if these works haed been written juist for fun, when the writers o them hae naething else to dae. Nae sic apology need be offered here. This beuk was written at times when everybody thocht it wid hae been a hantle sicht better if the Author haed been daein something else. Housomever, he haes noo the satisfaction o kennin that, haed he no written sic a beuk, naebody else wid hae thocht it worth their while to dae sae.
It mey be objected to him that a' throu the Author is saerious. Some readers like to be amuised, as weel as instructed. The Author canna help that. He haes his countrymen's reputation to sustain; an, like a' ither Scotchrnen, he is as far awa frae seein a joke as a moose-trap is frae catchin the measles.
The Author haes denied himsel the pouer o expression that the Gaelic wid hae gien him, an haes confined himsel exclusively to that Queen's English that's spoken in an aroon these centres o cultur an commerce--Edinbro, Glesca, Paisley, an Greenock.
Wi the expectation that it mey fin' a heich place on the shelfs o mony a beuk-case in this sae highly-favoured lan', this volume is humbly offered to them that likes to buy it.
THE EDITOR.