"That"s some o" Robbie Boath"s wark," he says in laich till himsel", wi" an awfu" girn on his face. "He gae me that picture special, an tell"d me the name o"t, an" said to feenish wi"t. But gin he disna get a stane o" diseased pitatties frae me the morn that"ll mak" him onweel for a i"ortnicht, my name"s no Si Bowden." Syne he added heich oot, "Noo, loons and la.s.sockies, that"s a". It"s aboot time you was toddlin" awa" hame noo; an" I howp you"ve a" enjoyed it."
Dauvid proposed a vote o" thanks to Sandy; an" you wudda thocht a" the steam-engines atween this an" Glesca had gotten into oor washin"-hoose, wi" their whistles on full-c.o.c.k. The noise was something terriple. I had to pet my fingers in my lugs, an" rin.
VIII.
SANDY AND THE RHUBARB TART.
Was ever a woman so provokit wi" a ramstam, dotrifeed gomeral o" a man?
Sandy Bowden "ill hae me i" my grave yet afore my time, as share"s I"m a livin" woman. There"s no" a closed e"e for me this nicht; an"
there"s Sandy awa" till his bed wi" his airms rowed up in bits o" an auld yellow-cotton ap.r.o.n o" Mistress Mikaver"s mither"s. Eh, sirce me; an" me was so happy no" mony "oors syne!
We gaed awa" to hae a cup o" tea wi" Mistress Mikaver--that"s the scone-baker"s widow, ye ken. Her auldest laddie"s been awa" oot amon"
the Reed Indians, or some o" thae ither lang-haired, naked fowk "at never wash themsel"s; an" they say he"s made a heap o" bawbees. He"s a snod bit stockie--a little beld, an" bowd-leggit, an" wants a thoom.
But, I"ll swag, the young kimmers that were at the pairty didna see muckle wrang wi" him. There was as keen compet.i.tion for him amon" the la.s.sies as gin he"d been a gude-gaen public-hoose puttin" up for unction.
Me an" Sandy landed amon" the first o" the fowk. A"thing was richt snod, I a.s.sure ye. Mistress Mikaver had the stair noo whitened, an"
every stap was kaumed an" sandit, ye never saw the like. An" there she was hersel" wi" her best black goon on, no" a smad to be seen on"t, an"
her lace kep an" beady ap.r.o.n. She was a dandy, an" nae mistak".
Afore Sandy got up the stair he manished to mairter the f.e.c.k o" his Sabbath claes wi" the whitenin"; an" I was akinda feard Mistress Mikaver micht mistak" him for the scone-baker"s ghost. But we got him made gey snod, an" syne we gaed inby to the ben-hoose fireside, an" had a crack wi" young Aleck. That"s the son"s name. Sandy an" him got started aboot mustaings, an" Indeens, an" boomirangs, an" scoots an"
ither sc.o.o.ndrils, till I cudna be deaved ony langer wi" their forrin blethers; so ben to but-the-hoose I gaed to hae a twa-handit crack wi"
Aleck"s mither.
When I opened the door, here"s as mony la.s.sies as wudda start.i.t a noo mill. They"d been a" deckin" themsel"s but-the-hoose afore they cam"
ben to see Aleck, d"ye see? He made himsel" rale frank, an" speer"d for a" their mithers, an" a"thing; an" then we got roond the ben-hoose table, an" had a fine game at the totum for cracknets.
Sandy juist got gey pranky, as uswal, afore he was lang start.i.t. He"s aye the same when he gets amon" young la.s.sies, the auld a.s.s "at he is.
"T tak"s them a" but ane," he roared in the middle o" the game; an" he grippit up a nivfu" o" the crack-nets, an" into his moo wi" them. His een gaed up intil his heid, an" gin I hadna gien him a daud i" the back, that garred the nets flee oot o" his moo a" ower tha table, he"d been a chokit korp in a meenit or twa, juist as shure"s the morn"s Setarday.
But little did I think what was afore"s! Gin I"d kenned, I"d latten him chok, the mairterin" footer "at he is.
We a" gaed awa" doon the yaird aboot half-past seven, to see a noo henhouse "at Aleck had been tarrin" that efternune. He maun be a handy earl, mind ye.
"Tak" care o" your frocks, for that tar"s weet yet," says Aleck to the la.s.sies.
"Ay, man, so it is," says Sandy, takin" a slaik o"t aff wi" his fingers, an" syne dichtin"t on the tail o" his sirtoo, the nesty character, "at I shud say sic a wird!
"Man, Aleck," says Sandy, when we were a" on the green juist takin" a look roond aboot"s, "it looks juist like the streen that you sat up "on that very tree there, an" pappit Gairner Winton wi" oslins that you"d stealt ooten his ain gairden. I mind I was here when he cam" doon to tell your father aboot your ongaens. You was a wild tyke o" a laddie, I can tell ye. Your father gae you an awfu" paikin"; but fient a hair did you care. He wasna weel dune tannin" you when you was roarin"
"Hairy Grozers"--that was a by-name o" the Gairner"s--in at Winton"s shop door. You was a roid loon."
Aleck took a richt herty lauch at Sandy"s blethers, an" the twa o" them were juist thick an" three-faud afore they were half-an-"oor thegither.
Yet wudda thocht they"d kent ane anither sin" ever they were doakit.
Gin we cam" back, Aleck"s mither had a fine supper a" ready on the table. She had a can"le here an" there, an" pucklies o" chuckinwirth an" persly scattered roond the rob-roys. It was awfu" nice. It would raley garred ye think ye was amon" braw fowk. I was juist sittin"
admirin"t when Aleck says, "Ay, then, are ye a" ready?"
We had to hover a blink till Mistress Mikaver ran ben the hoose for a knife to Mey Mersh.e.l.l.
"Mester Bowden "ill say the grace noo," says Aleck; an" Sandy was on his feet like the shot o" a gun, hostin" to clear his throat. I dreedit he wud mak" a gutter o"t somewey or ither, an" so I keepit my een open. Sandy shut his, an" so did a" the rest. He leaned forrit an" spread oot the muckle clunkers o" hands o" him on the tap o" the peat o" a big roobarb tert. "O Lord," was a" the len"th he"d gotten, when in he gaed, up near to the elbas amon" the het roobarb; an" by a"
the skoilin" an" roarin" ever I heard, there never was the like! A gey grace it was, I can tell ye! It"ll no" be the morn nor next day "at I"ll forget it. He roared an" yowled like I kenna what, an"
black-gairded reed-het roobarb terts, till I thocht he wudda opened the very earth.
"O, haud your tongue, Sandy Bowden!" I cried, my very heid like to rive wi" his yalpin".
"Haud my tongue?" says he. "Hoo can I haud my tongue, an" my airms stewin" amon" boilin" jeelie?"
Juist at this meenit Aleck aff wi" Sandy"s coat syne he but the hoose wi" him an" garred him shove his airms ower the heid in his mither"s floor pock. It deidened the pain in a wink, an" efter a whilie we got the airms rowed up. I cudna gae ben to bid the ither fowk guid-nicht, my hert was that sair; an" Sandy was hingin" his heid like a sick dog.
Puir man, he has mibby mair than me to thole; but I wudda gien a five-pound note "at I hadna left my ain hoose this nicht. I"ll awa" to my bed, for my hert"s perf.e.c.kly i" my moo.
IX.
THE GREAT STORM OF NOVEMBER, 1893.
Eh, sirce me, what a nicht we had on Setarday mornin"! O, haud your tongue! Though I should live lang eneuch to bury Sandy Bowden, an" hae a golden weddin" wi" my second man, I"ll never forget it. It mak"s me shaky-trimilly yet to think aboot it. Sandy"s gaen aboot wi" a" the hair cut aff the back o" his heid, an" fower or five strips o" stickin"
plester battered across his scawp. He got an awfu" mishap, puir man.
I thocht his heid was a" to smash, but, fortunately, it turned oot fully harder than the biscuit tin it cam" into contact wi".
It would be aboot ane o"clock or thereaboot when Sandy gae me a daud wi" his elba that garred me a" jump. I had an awfu" busy day on Friday; an" I was sleepin" as soond"s a tap.
""Oman," says he, "there"s something fearfu" gaen on doon the yaird somewey. Wud that be the Dyed Wallop an" her man fechtin", or what i"
the world"s earth can it be? Harken, Bawbie! Did you ever hear sic yawlin"?"
"Bliss me, Sandy man," says I, "that"s the wind soochin" throo the trees in the banker"s gairden, an" fizzin" in amon" the pipes o" the water barrels. It"s shurely an awfu" nicht o" wind."
Juist at this meenit you wudda thocht the very deevil himsel" had gotten grips o" the frame o" oor winda. He garred it rattle like the thunder at Hewy White"s theatre; then he yawled, an" hooed, an" growled like five hunder cats an" as mony dogs wirryin" them, an" a" the fowk "at echt them fechtin" at the same time. This feenisht up wi" a terrific yawl; an" Sandy dived doon in ablo the claes.
"Ye fear"d nowt," says I, "what are ye fleein" awa" doon there for?
Ye"ll hae my feet sterved to death wi" cauld. Lie up on your pillow an" lat the claes doon to the fit o" the bed."
For a hale strucken "oor this gaed on, an" sometimes I akw.i.l.l.y thocht I fand the bed shakin". Oor birdie (he hings at the winda) began to wheek-wheek wi" fear, an I wanted Sandy to rise an" tak" the puir cratur doon.
"The feint a-fear o" me," says he, the hertless skemp "at he is. "If you want the canary i" the bed aside you, you can rise an" tak" him doon yersel"."
I raise an" took the puir craturie doon, an" hang him up on the ither side o" the room; an," mind ye, ye wud raley thocht the bit beastie kent, for it gae a coodie bit cheep or twa, an juist cooered doon to sleep again. Juist as I was gaen awa" to screw doon the gas, it gae twa or three lowps, an" oot it gaed; an" afore I kent whaur I was, there was a reeshilin" an" rummelin" on the ruif that wudda nearhand fleggit the very fowk i" the kirkyaird. I floo to my bed, an" in aneth the claes, an" lay for a meenit or so expectin" the cuples wud be doon on the tap o"s, an" bruze baith o"s to pooder. Efter the rummelin"
halt.i.t, I fand aboot wi" my fit for Sandy; but he wasna there.
"Preserve"s a"," says I, heich oot, "whaur are ye, Sandy? Are ye there? What"s come ower ye? Are ye deid?"
"I"m here, Bawbie," says a shiverin" voice in aneth the bed. "I"m here, Bawbie. Ye"ll hear Gabriel"s tuter juist i" the noo. O, Bawbie, I"ve been a nesty footer o" a man, an" ill-gett.i.t scoot a" my days. I wiss I cud juist get hauds o" the Bible on the drawers-heid, Bawbie.
Did ye hear the mountins an" the rocks beginnin" to fa"?"