"Come awa" "oot ablo there, Sandy," I says, says I, "an" no" get your death o" cauld, an" be gaen aboot deavin fowk wi" you an" your reums.
The mountins an" rocks is the brick an" lum-cans aff Mistress Mollison"s hoose, I"m thinkin"." An" I cudna help addin"--"It"s ower late to be thinkin" aboot startin" to the Bible efter Gabriel"s begun to blaw his tuter, Sandy. Come awa" to your bed!"
Sandy got himsel" squeezed up atween the bed an" the wa"; an" at ilky hooch an whirr "at the wind gae he wheenged an" groaned like"s he was terriple ill wi" his inside; an" aye he was sayin", "I"ve been a lazy gaen-aboot vegabon", an" ill-hert.i.t vague. O dear, Bawbie, what"ll we do?"
I cam" to mysel" efter a whilie, an" raise an" tried the gas, an" it licht.i.t a" richt. The wind was tearin" an" rivin" at the ruif at this time something terriple. "We"ll go doon the stair, Sandy," says I; an"
I made for the door.
"For ony sake, Bawbie," roared Sandy oot o" the bed, "wait till I get on my breeks. If ye lave me, I"ll g"wa" in a fit--as sh.o.r.e"s ocht."
We got doon the stair an" I licht.i.t the fire an" got the kettle to the boil, an" we sat an" harkined to the wind skreechin" doon the lum, an"
groanin" an" wailin" amon" the trees ower the road, an" soochin" roond aboot the washin"-hoose. I raley never heard the marrow o"t. The nicht o" the fa"a"in" o" the Tay Brig was but the blawin" oot o" a can"le aside it. I" the middle o" an awfu" sooch there was a fearfu"
reeshil at oor door, an" Sandy fair jamp aff his chair wi" the start.
"A"ye in, Sandy?" cried Dauvid Kenawee, in a nervish kind o" a voice.
I awa" an" opened the door, an" here was Dauvid an" Mistress Kenawee--Dauvid wi" his pints wallopin" amon" his feet, an" his weyscot lowse, an" Mistress Kenawee juist wi" her short-goon an" a shallie on.
"This is shurely the end o" the world comin"," said Mistress Kenawee, near greetin". "O dear me, I think something"s genna come ower me."
"Tuts "oman, sit doon," says Dauvid, altho" he was in a fell state aboot her. I cud see that brawly.
The sicht o" the puir wafilly budy akinda drave the fear awa frae me; an" I maskit a cup o" tea, an" crackit awa till her till we got her cowshined doon. Their back winda had been blawn in, and Dauvid had tried to keep oot the wind wi" a mattress; but the wind had tummeled baith Dauvid an" the mattress heels ower gowrie, an" the wife got intil a terriple state. They cudna bide i" the hoose ony langer, an" i" the warst o"t a", they cam" awa through a sh.o.e.r o" sklates, an" bricks, an"
lum-cans, an" gless, to see if we wud lat them in.
I garred Sandy pet on a bit ham, and drew anower the table, and tried to keep them frae thinkin" aboot it; but at ilka whizz an" growl the wind gae, baith Sandy an" Mistress Kenawee start.i.t an" took a lang breath.
I"m shure we hadna abune a moofu" o" tea drucken, an" Sandy was juist awa" to tak" aff" the ham, when the fryin" pan was knockit ooten his hand, an" doon the lum cam" a pozel o" bricks an" shute that wudda filled a cairt. Sandy fell back ower an" knockit Mistress Kenawee richt i" the flure. The ham dip gaed up the lum in a gloze, an" here was Sandy an" Dauvid"s wife lyin" i" the middle o" a" the mairter o"
rubb.i.t.c.h. Mistress Kenawee"s face, puir thing, was as white as a cloot; but Sandy"s was as black as the man More o" Vennis, the bleckie that smored his wife i" the theatre for carryin" on wi" a sodger.
What a job Dauvid an" me had gettin" them roond. We poored a drappie brandie doon baith their throats; an" Sandy opened his een an" says, "Ay; I"ve been an awfu" blackgaird; I have that!" He had come doon wi"
the back o" his heid on a biscuit tin fu" o" peyse meal, an" had smashed the tin an" sent the meal fleein" a" ower the hoose. But the cratur had gotten an awfu" tnap on the back o" the heid, an" he was bluidin" gey sair. Gin daylicht brook, Dauvid an" me had gotten the twa o" them akinda into order, and Sandy was able to open the shop. He had an awfu" ruggin" an" tuggin" afore he cud get the door to open; an"
he cam" into me an" says, "Dod, Bawbie, I think the hoose has gotten a terriple thraw. The shop door "ill nether go back nor forrit!"
I gaed oot to see what was ado. Eh, sirce, if you had only seen oor street! The beach ootby at the Saut Pan, whaur there"s a free coup for rubb.i.t.c.h, was naething till"t! It juist mindit me o" the picture, in oor big Bible, o" Jerusalem when the fowk cam" back frae Babylon till"t--it was juist a" lyin" a cairn o" lowse steens an" half bricks.
There"s neen o"s "ill forget Friday nicht in a hurry, or I"m muckle misteen.
X.
SANDY AND HIS FAIRNTICKLES.
There"s twa things Sandy Bowden"s haen sin" ever I got acquant wi"
him--an" that"s no" the day nor yesterday--that"s fairntickles an"
cheepin" buits. I never kent Sandy bein" withoot a pair o"
"lastic-sided buits that gaed squakin" to the kirk like twa croakin"
hens. I"ve seen the fowk sometimes turn roond-aboot in their seats, when Sandy cam" creakin" up the pa.s.sage, as gin they thocht it was a bra.s.s-band comin" in. But Sandy appears to think there"s something reverint an" Sabbath-like in cheepin" buits, an" he sticks to them, rissen be"t or neen. I can tell ye, it"s a blissin" there"s no" mony mair like him, or we"d hae gey streets on Sabbath. The noise the maitter o" twenty chields like Sandy cud mak" wi" their buit soles wud fair deave a hale neeperhude.
Hooever, it wasna Sandy"s buits I was to tell you aboot; it was my nain. But afore I say onything aboot them, I maun tell you aboot the fairntickles. As I was sayin", Sandy"s terriple fairntickled aboot the neck an" the sides o" the nose, an" oor lest holiday made him a hankie waur than uswal. He"s a gey prood mannie too, mind ye, although he winna haud wi"t. But I can tell you it"s no a bawbee-wirth o" hair oil that sairs Sandy i" the week. But that"s nether here nor there.
Weel, Sandy had been speakin" aboot his fairntickles to Saunders Robb.
Saunders, in my opinion, is juist a haiverin" auld a.s.s. He"s a hoddel-dochlin", hungert-lookin" wisgan o" a cratur; an", I"m shure, he has a mind to match his body. There"s naethin" he disna ken aboot--an", the fac" is, he kens naething. He"s aye i" the wey o"
improvin" ither fowk"s wark. There"s naethin" Saunders disna think he could improve, excep" himsel" mibby. I canna be bathered wi" the chatterin", fykie, kyowowin" little wratch. He"s aye throwin" oot suggestions an" hints aboot this and that. He"s naething but a suggestion himsel", an" I"m shure I cud of"en throw him oot, wi" richt gude will.
Weel, he"d gien Sandy some cure for his fairntickles, an" Sandy, unbekent to me, had gotten something frae the druggie an" mixed it up wi" a guid three-bawbee"s-wirth o" cream that I had in the upstairs press. He had rubbit it on his face an" neck afore he gaed till his bed; but he wasna an "oor beddit when he had to rise. An" sik a sicht as he was! His face an" neck were as yellow"s mairyguilds, an"
yallower; an" though I"ve taen washin" soda, an" pooder, an" the very scrubbin" brush till"t, Sandy"s gaen aboot yet juist like"s he was noo oot o" the yallow fivver an" the jaundice thegither.
"Ye"ll better speer at Saunders what"ll tak" it aff," says I till him the ither mornin".
"If I had a grip o" Saunders, I"ll tak" mair than the fairntickles aff him," says he; an" faigs, mind you, there"s nae sayin" but he may do"t; he"s a s.p.u.n.ky carlie Sandy, when he"s raised.
But, as far as that"s concerned, I"m no" sorry at it, for it"ll keep the cratur awa" frae the place. Sin" Sandy put that sofa into the washin"-hoose, him an" twa-three mair"s never lain oot o"t. Lyin"
smokin" an" spittin" an" crackin" aboot life bein" a trauchle, an" so on! I tell you, if it had lested muckle langer, I"d gien them a bucket o" water sweesh aboot their lugs some day; that"s juist as fac"s ocht.
But I maun tell you aboot my mischanter wi" my noo buits. I"m sure it has fair delighted Sandy. He thinks he"s gotten a hair i" my neck noo that"ll haud him gaen a while. He was needin"t, I can tell you. If ilky mairter he"s made had been a hair in his neck, I"ll swag, there wudna been room for mony fairntickles.
Weel, I gaed awa" to the kirk lest Sabbath--Sandy, of coorse, cudna get oot wi" his yallow face an" neck. He had a bran poultice on"t to see if it wud do ony guid. I canna do wi" noo buits ava, till I"ve worn them a while. I pet them on mibby to rin an errand or twa, till they get the set o" my fit, an" syne I can manish them to the kirk. But I canna sit wi" noo buits; they"re that uneasy. I got a noo pair lest Fursday, an" tried them on on Sabbath mornin". But na, na! Altho" my auld anes were gey binkit, an" worn doon at the heels, I juist put them on gey hurried, an" aff I set to the kirk, leavin" Sandy to look efter the denner.
I was feelin" akinda queerish when I start.i.t; but I thocht it was juist the hurry, an" that a breath o" the caller air wud mak" me a" richt.
But faigs, mind ye, instead o" better I grew waur. My legs were like to double up aneth me, an" my knees knokit up acrain" ane anither like"s they"d haen a pley aboot something. I fand a sweit brakin" oot a" ower me, an" I had to stop on the brae an" grip the railin"s, or, it"s juist as fac"s ocht, I wudda been doon i" the road on the braid o"
my back. I thocht I was in for a roraborialis, or some o" thae terriple diseases. Eh, I was feard I wud dee on the open street; I was that! Mysie Meldrum noticed me, an" she cam" rinnin" to speer what was ado.
"I"ve taen an awfu" dwam, Mysie," says I. "I think I"m genna dee. Ye micht juist sit doon on the railin"s aside"s till the fowk be by."
"I think we"re aboot the henmost, Bawbie," says she. "We"re gey late; but I"ll bide aside you, la.s.sie."
We sat for the maitter o" ten meenits, an" I got akinda roond, an"
thocht I wud try an" get hame. Mistress Kenawee had putten on her tatties an" come oot for a dander a bittie, an" noticed the twa o"s; so she cam" up, an" I got her airm an" Mysie"s, an", though it was a gey job, we manished to get hame. An" gled I was when I saw Sandy"s yallow nose again, I can tell ye, for I was shure syne I wud dee at hame amon"
my nain bed-claes.
"The Lord preserve"s a"!" says Mysie when she saw Sandy. "What i" the name o" peace has come ower you? I"ll need to go! I"ve Leeb"s bairns at hame, you see, an" this is the collery or the renderpest or something come ower you twa, an" I"m feard o" smittin" the bairns, or I wudda bidden. As shure"s I live, I"ll need to go!" an" she vanisht oot at the door wi" a face as white"s kauk.
"I think I"ll rin for the doctor, Bawbie," said Mistress Konawee. She kent aboot Sandy"s fairntickles afore, of coorse, an" Sandy"s yallow fizog didna pet her aboot.
"Juist hover a blink," says I, "till I see if I come to mysel"."
I sat doon in the easy-chair, an" Sandy was in a terriple wey aboot me.
He cudna speak a wird, but juist keepit sayin", "O dinna dee, Bawbie, dinna dee; your denner"s ready!" He lookit me up an" doon, an" then booin" doon till he was for a" the world juist like a half-steekit knife he roars oot, "What"s ado wi" your feet, Bawbie? Look at them!
Your taes are turned oot juist like the hands o" the tnock, at twenty meenits past echt. You"re shurely no genna tak" a parrylattick stroke."
I lookit doon, an" shure eneuch my taes were turned oot an" curled roond like"s they were gaen awa" back ahent my heels. Mistress Kenawee got doon on her knees aside me.
"Preserve"s a", Bawbie," says she; "you have your buits on the wrang feet! Nae winder than your knees were knokin" thegither wi" thae auld worn-doon heels turned inside, an" your taes turned oot."
But I"ll better no" say nae mair aboot it. I was that angry; and Mistress Kenawee, the bissam, was like to tnet hersel" lauchin"; but; I ashure ye, I never got sik a fleg in my life--an" sik simple dune too, mind ye.