PICTURES THAT PAINT A THOUSAND WORDS

or so...

DISTRAINING FOR RENT

STORY BY DAVE HAMBIDGE

Original painting by Sir David Wilkie available at

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/index.php/collection/online_search_advanced/4:325/results/0/5588/

The wicked, resident estate manger of the absent, perfidious and reviled Sassenach landowner enacts the eviction of a poor, hard-working, luckless crofter and his family. Dr Mike Ridge could almost hear his not quite withered Gaelic ancestry rallying to the cause of the classic underdog in the centuries long English verses Scotland battle. But, a moments consideration of the detailed and evocative portrait suggested some alternate explanations.

To the right of the setting, from the viewers position, was the tall, dark hair, black hatted and, by association, sinister agent. Interestingly, he was holding his weapon, a thick wooden barrel , perhaps a sword stick, in his left, or sinistral, hand. With him were two lick-spiting underlings, clerk in the front, muscle to the rear, guarding the agents back. So, Mike concluded, the stereotype held good for them.

By the door were two ladies of indeterminate age, whether to support, or just be nosy neighbours, was fortunately obscure. Dr Ridge knew that nothing attracted such public interest as a good domestic drama. In front of them, nearest to the fireless hearth, were the crofter’s dependants; wife, two children, maid.

Behind the downcast farmer were two couples, one quite a bit older than the other; all four adults seemingly remonstrating with the intruders. Which just left the short, blonde hair or bonneted figure just visible to the right of the younger man in the red jacket. Where did he, or she, fit in?

A few moments cogitating and Mike had forged a possible link between all the elements portrayed. As a trained psychiatrist, he enjoyed creating stories from pictures, using the thousand of individual cases of human experience he had witnessed over his quarter century carer.

Andrew, the ne'er-do-well farmer, had always enjoyed a gamble, a flutter. Be it horses, ferrets, slugs, raindrops or colour of the next spring bird to appear over the hedge, Andrew would wager with anyone willing to take his odds. But, Andrew’s luck had never lived up to his aspirations, and debt had chased him from Glasgow to the highlands as he avoided creditors and bailiffs.

Andrew had been an ideal worker for Hamish to engage, but not as a son-in-law. Hamish, the mature gentleman in black frock coat holding back the vertically challenged blonde, had expected better of his daughter, Angharred. But, his only child had fallen madly in love and lust with the city-raised stranger, and her condition was soon obvious. A hasty wedding had just about offset the local scandal, as had a suitably lavish christening of the tot.

But, and what a but, Andrew had been unable to restrain his gambling addiction, and fell from grace when the travelling circus-cum-fair arrived in the glen. The fair-haired, genuinely midget card sharp, had ensnared and entrapped Andrew, piling up a colossal credit in favour of the visitors. On the last evening of their sojourn, Andrew had completely lost his head, and his premises, in a final, winner takes all game of pontoon.

Thus, the owner of the road show had come to claim his dues, and brought the resident legal authority to enable his claim. Hamish and his wife wanted to settle the due sum, but the proprietor really wanted the building as lodgings for his troupe over the coming winter months.

Which placed Colin, the landlord’s factotum, in a real dilemma. He knew that he could extract much more tithes from the minstrels than poor old Andrew. And, have the use of the building during the warmer months when the entertainers were away doing their thing in distant villages. But, he could not offend Hamish, elder of the Kirk, and extremely influential in the county. If Hamish turned against Colin, and, for instance preached a rent strike, Colin would be in as much trouble with his employer as Andrew was with his in-laws. No wonder Andrew looked embarrassed at the mess, totally of his own making, and that Colin looked unduly perplexed and indecisive.

Mike Ridge pondered on how the crises was resolved? Which way did Colin jump in his judgement? Conform to the best financial deal for his boss, or make life easier for himself on the ground? Considering the essence of human nature, which is to look after number-one in all situations, Mike decided that Colin allowed Hamish to settle the debt on behalf of his daughter and son-in-law. But only on the sworn promise of Andrew to relinquish his habit and work hard to repay the sum due.

Did it work and Andrew become abstemious? Probably not, if his quarter century psychiatric career was anything to base decisions on. Andrew would be very repentant and cooperative, until the blonde card demon returned, next year.

This story is one of a series of very short stories, each less than 1000 words,

based on portraits and pictures in the public domain.

The full selection can be viewed at;

http://ptp1000words.blogspot.com/

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