"He"s some like my man," I strak in. "He"s gey an" of"en oot aboot when he shud be at hame. There"s no" muckle hertnin" for a woman when she"s left to trauchle day oot day in wi" seven litlans, an" a thrawn-gabbit footer o" a man juist comin" in at diet times, rennyin"
aboot first ae thing an" syne anither, threapin" that his porritch is no" half boiled, simmerin" an" winterin" aboot haen to wait a meenit or twa for his denner or his tea. Moses Certricht"s a soor, nyattery bit body, an" he tarragats the wife most unmercifu" aboot ilky little bit kyowowy. She may be nae better than she"s ca"d. She has nae throwpet wi" her wark, an" she"s terriple weirdless wi" her hoose; but she get"s michty little frae Moses to mend her--that"s my opinion."
"Muckle aboot ane, Bawbie, as the deil said to the cobbler," says Mysie. "I wudna say but you"re mibby richt eneuch."
"Dawt.i.t dochters mak" daidlin" wives," said the Gairner"s wife. "She was spoilt at hame, afore Moses saw her. Her mither thocht there was nae la.s.sies like hers, an" I"m shure she saired them hand an" fit. But you"ll of"en see"t, that wirkin" mithers mak" f.e.c.kless dochters. At the same time, as my mither used of"en to say, an ill shearer never got a guid heuk, an", I daursay, Moses an" his wife, as uswally occurs, baith blame ane anither."
We feenisht oor tea, an" got set doon at the winda wi" oor stockin"s an" oor seams, juist to hae a richt corrieneuchin, as Mistress Winton ca"d it. Mysie an" me were baith at ribbit socks, so we tried a stent wi" ane anither. But Mysie"s tongue gaed fully fester than her wires, an" I"d raither the better o" her. She forgot a" aboot her intaks, an"
had her stockin" leg a guid bit ower lang when she cam" to the tnot on her wirsit.
"A thochtless body"s aye thrang," said the Gairner"s wife, as Mysie began to tak" doon what she"d wrocht.
"Toot ay," said Mysie. "Gin a budy be gaen doon the brae, ilky ane "ill gie ye a gundy."
The twa keepit at it wi" their proverbs till I got akinda nervish, d"ye ken. They were that terriple wyze, that, as fac"s ocht, mind you, they near drave some o" the rest o"s daft.
"Did you hear tell that Ribekka here was genna get Jeems Ethart?" said Mistress Mollison to the Gairner"s wife, juist to get her on to Beek"s tap.
Ribekka blushed like a la.s.sie o" fifteen, an" bringin" her tongue alang her upper lip, she shook her heid an" says, "Juist a lot o" blethers.
Jeems wudna hae a puir thing like me."
"Ye dinna tell me!" said Mistress Winton, never lattin" wink she heard Ribekka. "That"s the wey o"t is"t? Imphm! What d"ye think o" that, na? Weel dune, Ribekka. He"s a fine coodie man, Jeems; an" he"ll tak"
care o" Ribekka, the young taed. Wha wudda thocht it?"
Ribekka had her moo half fu" o" the lace on her saitin ap.r.o.n, an" was enjoyin" the raggin" fine, altho" she was terriple putten aboot, wi"
her wey o"t.
"Better sit still than rise up an" fa"," said Mysie. "Gin I were Ribekka I"d bide my leen. I wud like to see the man that wud tak" me oot o" my present state."
"He wudna need to be very parteeklar," says I, juist to gie Mysie a backca"; for she was sailin" gey near the wind, I thocht. "When I was young," I says, says I----
"Auld wives were aye gude maidens," the Gairner"s wife strak in; an" I saw I was cornered, an" said nae mair.
"An" a weeda man too!" said Mysie wi" a grumph. "Better keep the deil atower the door than drive him oot o" the hoose."
""Saut," quo the souter, when he ate the soo, an" worried on the tail,"
was the Gairner"s wife"s comment; an" Mysie didna like it, I can tell ye.
"You wasna in that wey o" thinkin" when Dossie Millar, the skulemester, used to come an" coort you, when you was up-by at the Provost"s," said Ribekka to Mysie. "If it hadna been for the lid o" the water-barrel gien wey yon nicht, you michta been skelpin" Dossie"s bairns the day--an" your ain too."
We a" took a hearty lauch at Ribekka"s ootburst.
"Eh, that was a pliskie," said Mistress Kenawee. "Dossie got a gey drookin" that nicht. They said it was ane o" the coachmen that was efter Mysie that sawed the lid half throo; an" when Dossie climbed up to hae his crack wi" Mysie at the winda, in he gaed up to the lugs.
The story was that Mysie fair lost her chance wi" him, wi" burstin" oot lauchin" when he climbed oot o" the barrel soakin"-dreepin" throo an"
throo. He never got ower"t, for it got oot aboot, an" the very bairns at the skule began to ca" him the Drookit Dominie. He got a job at the Druckendub skule, an" never lookit Mysie"s airt again."
"You"re grand crackers," said Mysie. "Ye ken a hankie mair than ever happened; but, the man that cheats me ance, shame fa" him; gin he cheat me twice, shame fa" me. That"s my wey o" lookin" at things."
This kind o" raggin" at ane anither gaed on for the f.e.c.k o" the forenicht, an" we were juist i" the thick o" a" tirr-wirr aboot the best cure for the kink-host, when the doonstairs door gaed clash to the wa", an" in anither meenit in banged Sandy in his sark sleeves, an" his hair fleein" like a bundle o" ravelled threed.
"Michty tak" care o" me, Sandy," says I, I says; "what"s happened?"
"Aye the mair the merrier, but the fewer they fess the better," says Mistress Winton.
"Wha"s been meddlin" wi" you, Sandy?"
But fient a wird cud Sandy get oot. He was stanin" pechin" like a podlie oot o" the watter, an" starin" roond him like a hunt.i.t dog.
"Fiddlers" dogs and fleshers" flees come to feasts unbidden," said Mysie; but Sandy gae her a glower that garred her steek her moo gey quick.
"What i" the earth"s wrang, Sandy," I says, gien him a shak".
"Wh-wh-whaur"s the g-grund ceenimin, Bawbie?" says Sandy. "There"s a tinkler wife needin" a bawbee"s-wirth, an" I"ve socht the shop heich an" laich for"t."
"Keep me, Sandy," says I, "is that what"s brocht you here? You"ll get it in a mustard tin in the pepper drawer. But wha"s i" the shop?"
"Oo, juist the tinkler wife," says Sandy.
"Weel, did you ever?" said Mistress Kenawee, haudin" up her hands.
"No!" said Sandy, turnin" to her gey ill-natured like. "Did you?"
"That"s a type o" what ye ca" your men," says Mysie. "Weel, weel; they"re scarce o" cloots that mend their hose wi" dockens."
"Bliss my hert, Sandy, she"ll be awa" wi" the till atore ye get back,"
I said. "Rin awa" yont as fest as your feet"ll cairry ye."
"The fient a fear o" that," Sandy strak in. "I gae the pileeceman tippence to stand at the door till I cam" back. I"m no" juist so daft"s a" that, yet."
"An" the tinkler wife wants a bawbee"s wirth o" grund ceenimin?" said the Gairner"s wife. "That fair cows the cadger."
"I"ll rin than," said Sandy. "I"ll fa" in wi"t a" richt noo; ye needna hurry, Bawbie," he added, as he made his wey oot; an" syne wi" the door in"s hand, he says, "The pileeceman"s in a hurry too, ye see. He has to hurl hame Gairner Winton. He"s lyin" alang in Famie Tabert"s public-hoose terriple foo"; an" awa" he floo, takin" the door to ahent him wi" a blatter like thunder.
If you had seen Mistress Winton"s face! It was a picture. She shogit her heid frae side to side, wi" her moo shut, as if she wud never open"t again; but efter a whilie she spat oot twa-three wirds, juist like"s they"d been burnin" the tongue o" her. "A dog"s tongue"s nae scandal," she yattered oot.
"Better the end o" a feast than the beginnin" o" a pley," said Mysie.
"We mauna lat onybody get cankered. Come awa" and sit doon, Mistress Winton. Bawbie"s man juist want.i.t a dab at ye. Dinna mistak" yersel"; the Gairner"s as sober"s a judge, I"se warrant."
But the crackin" wudna tak" the road somewey efter this. There was a fell f.e.c.k o" hostin", an" ow-ayin", an" so on; so I cam" my wa"s hame afore aucht o"clock, for I was juist sittin" on heckle-pins thinkin"
ilka meenit Sandy wud be comin" thrash in on"s, roarin" he"d set the parafin cask afeyre. I was gled when I got hame an" fand a"thing in winderfu" order; although Sandy was gien Nathan coosies i" the shop jumpin" ower the c.o.o.nter wi" ane o" his hands in his pooch. It"s juist his wey, the cratur. He canna help it.
"Was the tinkler wife here when you cam" back?" I said to Sandy.
"Oo, ay," says he. "I gae her her ceenimin."
"There wudna be muckle profit oot o" that transaction, efter deduckin"
the pileeceman"s tippence," I says, says I. "Hoo did ye no" juist say that the grund ceenimin was a" dune?"
""Cause that wudda been a lee," said Sandy.