The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-03-19

4 1410 uVOS 0uuuyA ouC OVA4st4uCu
in a jestipg tone. and turning from th'
mother to the son = she spoke, :" wha
think ye O. her for . wife I? Yer mithe
seems to be unco weel pleased wi her I'm
IRE | would like weel to zee ye gang the
gither, and / dipns think our Jock woult
say onything against sic marriage"
Hoot, woman" interrupted her hus
band, g were to haver like you, would
say that, if thought sbe would only turr
half as guild a wife to him as you've dune
10 me, / would mast advise him 10 tax her
but she's our ain BARN, and We should
baud our tongues" ~ H
/ g That's as true as ye hae said it, re-
joined Nelly; fathers and mithers should
say little On sic subject bat as this is d
ninht on which a'body haver, ye maun just
allow me to baver too when fix only
haver for diversion, II can do little i'll. And
sac. as I was gann to say" she continued,
again addressing Sandy, e yer. .mither seems
to Be pleased; I'm weel pleased JOCKS
no that sair sci against the match ; and
moo there's naebodyis cCnsens swantin but
vnnr ain - -' "a ,H'A sgHt -
"Ay,n said Sandy, t" there's anither yet,
though you've forgotten about It ye maun
get her consent too afore it can be q bar
gain. Jenny has heart as weel as her
neebors, I'll warrant her," he continued,
stealing look at the object Of whom be
spoke, "and I'm maybe no amang the folk
she likes best"
We'll, Jenny, it's a. at your door moo,
/ declare" said her mother. laughing out
right. What say ye to this affair -
"Oh, il ye would only haud your
tougue!'' said Jenny, blu<hing, and still
keeping her eyes fixed upon rather pro-
fitless occupation in which she had been en-
gagged for some time past-namely, that Of
folding and unfolding the corners of her
apron with great assiduity but the rest Of
the company, If we except Sandy, perhaps,
were so deeply engaged in their own Donsen-
nsical conversation, that they took no no
tice of this circumstance.
That's just the way wi a. young folk, p
said Nelly, still laughing; " the lad thinks
the lass has some itber body that she likes
better than him, and the lass thinks the lad
pays more attention to anither than be does
to her she daurna say word unless she
maybe tax the dorts and misca him; he
hesitates to speak for fear be should be re-
fused and betweea them they aften con-
trive to torment one anither for years, when
twa words micht settle the matter, and max
them bath happy. But T'm sure, Mar
garet, if they would only leave the thing to
you and mo, We could max q bargain for
them the nicht yet.
L" It's likely, at least, that we would max
a bargain sooner than they would do" said
the other. But the Sigh with which sbe
concluded bespoke some emotion which &C
corded i'll with the iightness of the previous
conversation. There was something, too,
in her manner, which seemed to say that,
while she was not averse to the proposed
match, she did not altogether relish the Jest
in which its immediate cOnsumation had
been spoken Of
Mothers have frequently thrown serious
obstacles in the path Of young people when
they supposed themselves travelling on the
highway to happiness; bat sometimes, too,
they seem inclined to give them an appor-
tunity Of forming that liking for each other,
without which, according to the popular
creed, no happiness can exist. Nelly now
proposed that, while the guidman was sup
pering the horse, Margaret should 60 with
her to the byre and see the COW, the year
ling, and the calf, which, she said, we're in
wonderful guild order, considerin how little
they had to gle them" Sandy aud Jenny
we're thus left to themselves but upon this
occs sion they seemed to have the greatest
difficulty in keeping up sort of intermit-
ting conversation upon the weather, the
state of the roads, aad some other subjects
of the same kind. Each wished to appear
witty and amiabls in the eyes Of the other :
but somehow their wits seemed to have for
saken them, and they appeared to be per
fectly ignorant Of the means by which their
wishes could be accomplished. Perhaps
the former conversation had awakened, or
rather called into state of activity, some
feelings which they knew not how to ex-
press and it might be that, while these
feelings preiominated, they could not think
Of anything else in such a manner as to
talk Of it to the purpose or perhaps it was
only the mere awkwardness Of finding them
selves, for the first time since they we're
children, thus left to each other, which in
great measure locked up their conversational
powers. Be the matter as it may, with the
eldern danes it was otherwise.
When they got to the byre, Margaret
appeared more willing to resume the former
subject than to look at ber neighbours
chattels. "Ye would maybe think, ? said
she, that l didna seem sac frank as
! micht hae done when ye spoke
about Jenny and Sandy but, for a.
that, I've aften thought. if ever it were the
laddie's luck to get wife, Jenny would
max better ane than ony ither young wo-
man / ken. But after him that's now ava
began to tax death till himself" she con.
tinued, lowering her voice to confidential
whisper, "when be made owre the tack to
Sandy, be left me as burden upon GARY
burn. Moo, the place is but sma, as ye ken,
and there's but ae house ont, and, if be
were to marry. l dinna ken how a'thing
would answer" .......
Hoot. woman" reJOined the other,
"ye've butt and ben the house would
baud ye a brawly. And, though our
lassie's owre young to be wife to Onybody,
and ! was only Passin joke about her and
Sandy, if she were year or twa aulder,
and if a'thiBg were agreeable, l Gamma say
but | would like weel to see them gang the