Dumfries Read Free

kept him at hame fur long periods, despite being threatened by the authorities.  She’d goat in touch wae her local MP, Neville Graham-Worthington, aboot Robert’s situation at the time, bit he’d been jist as useless as the school authorities.  Tae make matters worse, he’d taken their side against her.  Fae his early days, Robert hid spent a lot ae time oot and aboot wae his da when he’d been aff school due tae his various ailments. His da hid run his ain wan-man plastering business and although Robert hidnae touched his da’s tools in the two years between God taking his faither away and Robert leaving school at fifteen, she’d encouraged and supported her son tae go through tae Glesga during the school holidays tae work wae wan ae his father’s friends, a part-time entertainer, who ran a wee plasterer’s business during the day in the city.  When Robert hid finally managed tae escape his school persecutors at fifteen, he’d spent a full three months in Glesga, daeing a crash course in plastering, before returning hame in triumph.  She knew a lot ae people…local gossipmongers…thought her son wis a wee bit touched in the heid, bit he’d proved them aw wrang.  Within a year ae him leaving school, the Connor Slating and Plastering business hid been reborn.  She’d goat her husband’s wee van put back oan the road.  Because Robert hidnae been auld enough tae get his driving licence, he always made sure that any labourers he employed wur able tae drive.  It hid been wan ae the proudest days ae her life, the day he arrived back fae his driving test, wae a big smile splashed across that face ae his and a pass certificate in his haun. That hid been ten months earlier.  Since then, he hidnae needed tae be dependent oan employing any ae they useless wasters fae the village tae drive him oot and aboot.
      “It means aw the money earned will stay wae us, Ma, and anyway, Ah prefer tae work oan ma ain,” he’d said.
    She couldnae fathom oot why people wur noo trying tae harm him, take him away fae her, efter everything her and Robert hid been through.  Noo they wur trying tae frame him fur being involved wae the disappearance ae some wee trollop fae the village who’d obviously run away wae somewan.  She felt the fear clutch her chest, jist thinking aboot the past week.  The polis hid commandeered the van before gaun oan tae ransack her hoose the day efter the Broon slut hid gone missing.  They’d also taken away aw his clothes, including his work overalls, fae his bedroom and her laundry basket.   Despite aw the harassment, Flora hid managed tae get the van back earlier that day, bit no before spending a fortune oan hiring a solicitor fae Stirling.  Robert hid admitted that he’d spoken tae the wee tramp the day before she’d gone missing.  He’d telt the polis, o’er and o’er again, that he’d spoken tae her in front ae The Bruce Memorial Church efter she’d missed the school bus in the morning.  So fae trying tae dae her, and the school authorities, a favour, by offering tae gie her a lift tae school, they wur noo demanding tae know how plaster dust that matched the dust oan his overalls hid managed tae get oan tae the wee tramp’s school blazer.  Tae make matters worse, some evil-minded busybody hid claimed that he’d seen Robert trying tae block the lassie’s path oan the pavement, when they’d obviously been jist fooling aroond ootside the church.  Despite Robert telling the polis aw this, they hidnae believed him.  When she’d found oot doon at the station that Robert hid admitted chatting tae the lassie, her worst fears hid been realised.  She knew it wid come tae this someday, bit she thought it widnae be fur a number ae years in the future.  She couldnae cope if some trollop took her wean away fae her.  How wid she manage oan her ain?  It wis obvious tae her that Robert and the Broon lassie hid been seeing each other behind her back.  It made total sense noo when