The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-02-19

bad been born after this oracular saying wa
uttered, and the aged danes who remem
bered it doubted not that this was the true
cause Of her celibacy. And when they
heard that she was engaged to 60 to How
dycraigs at Martinmas, and that Jock
Jervis was engaged to 60 there also, they
said that, " if it hadna been for the witch
i'll tcisses, trey were sure Nelly would mak
bath better sweetheart and better win
to Jock, than that licht headed limmer,
Lazy Gimmerton."
From this the reader will perceive thai
Jock and Nelly were to be fellcv wants
he was the only man, and she WIS the only
woman-the master and mistress cEcepted--
about the place $ and much of their time
was necessarily spent together. Dur ing the
stormy days Of winter, when be was thrash
ing in the barn, she was engaged in shdks'
the stree and riddlSn The corn, which he had
separated from the husks and in the long
evenings, while she was washing the dishes,
or engaged in spinning. he sat by the .f-s,
telling stores sbeet lsasand lasses, markets
and tent-preachins, and sometimes be even
sung q verse or two Of . soag, to keep her
from wearying. Ga these !. occasions nhe
would tuck up the sleeves of her short gown
az inch or two beyond the ordinary extent,
or allow her neckerchief to sink little
lower than usual, for the purpose, ne is sup
posed. of showing him that she was mot des-
titute Of charms, and that her arms and
neck, where not exposed to the weather,
were as white as those Of any lady in the
land In such circumstances, Jock, who
was really lad Of some spirit, could not
refrain from throwing bis arms about her
waist, and toozling her for a kiss. This
was. no doubt, the very reverse Of what she
had anticipated; and to these unmannerly
efforts on the part of the youth, she never
failed to offer a becoming resistance, by
turning away her head, to have the place
threatened as far from the danger as posi-
her hand. and holding it be-
tween ther faces, so as 10 retard the pro-
gress Of the enemy, at least for time and,
lest these defensive operations sbould be
misunderstood, uttering some such depreca-
torp sentence as the following -" Hoot !
baud ava, Jock! If ye want kiss, gang
and kiss Lizzy Gimmerton, and let me mind
my wark." But it has been ascertained BY
the ablest engineers that the most skillfully-
and most bravely-defended for
ti6cations must ultimately fall into the hands
Of besieging army, il It be only properly
provided, and persevere in the attack. This
theory is no longer disputed, and the pre-
sent case is one among a number of in
stances in which its truth has been expert
mentally proved. Jock was provided with
a certain degree of strength, and a most
laudable portion Of perseverance in these
matters, and, in spite Of all the resistance
which Nelly could offer, be was in general
after which she could only
Sigh and look down, as she threatened him
with some terrible vengeance, such as
maxim bis parritch without saut," or
" giving him sour milk to his sowans at
f" or doing something else which
would seriousI annoy him. At these
the victor only laughed, and
not unfrequently, TOO, he renewed the bat
tie and repeated the offence, BY robbing
her of another kiss. To reclaim him from
these wicked ways, she could only repeat
her former threatenings-adding, perhaps,
to their uumber anything rev which hap
pened to come into her head but then, like
those mothers who think threatening is
enough, and who, by sparing the rod, some
times spoil the child she always forgot TO
nfict the punishment when the opportunity
for doing SO occurred and Jock, as a natu-
raj consequence Of the remissness on the
part of the ezecUtiUe, became hardened in
his transgressiOns.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)