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

ye say, "rejoined the other. Jenny .
dutiful and kiDd-hearted lassie ken
that weel.1 But. as the auld sxyin is. he1
kens their ain sair best; and, though 1t
nae doubt weakness, maun cen tell ye
a. When was married. mind us veal
as yesterdsy-baith David and me thoughi
We could live happy wi bis mitber; and we
did hive happy, for sught days or sac; but.
after that, 7 could do naethin to please her.
Ii tried to earn the milk, 1t, was either
owre het or owre cauld when I pat in the
earning; III began'to to wash the dishes. she
aye milkit the kye FIRST, and then she won
dered how some folk had sac little sense.
could neither max the parritch, nor wash,
nor spin, nor max up hasp O. yarn-nO,
nor swoop in the very house, to please her (;
and, though / tried, rs far rs was in my
power, to do a'thing her way. IL gae me
mony sleepless nicbt, and cost him that's
ava nae little vexation. Aud weef do l
mind mony time I wondered what plea
sure she could tax 10 distressin me but i
think moo il wasjust a frailty O. our nstpre
"a something that auld folk Gamma belp.
Aud think, too, I've discovered the cause
% her gtn.r LIN sincs 1 began to see the pros
pect o. Sandy takin wife. No*, ys1I
nae doubt think it strange" she continued.
In a hesitnting toue-1',yc'il nae doubt
think il strange, Nelly; but, dearly as I
like my ain son-and weel as I would like
to see him happy wi woman wha loved
him better than a. the warld beside still
there's something in the idea O. anither.
coHlin in to be the mistress O. the hoOse
whaur I've had the management sac lang,
that aye distfesses me when I think ont"
r. {" dinna wonder ava at what We say"
responded Nelly. elf I were in your
place, a that troubles you would trorble
me. Bot there's naebody without some
thing to distress them and we maun Just
look upon things o''that kidd as crook IN
oar lot, something that maun be borne.
But, after a, woman, IL the tws were to
gang thegither, could ye no come here Ye
have only him, and we have only her; the
little gear we hae maun a. gang to him at
last and, If the young folk could live the
gither in ane O. the places, the auld folk
micht surely do the same In the tither.n
Thank ye, Nelly-thank YEP said
Margaret; "yere aye the same guild
hearted creature yet But a body's ain.
hame's aye kindly. And yet, if sic thing
were to happen, would rather come here.
then gang TO ony freend bae." As she ut.
tered these words. she made an involuntary
motion forward, and would have fallen, had
she not supported herself BY the wall.
!" Dear me. Margaret, what's the matter
wi ye y said Nelly, in tone Of evident
alarm.
+" lisa disziness ! my head, woman, !"
was the reply. I've never been mysel
since that illness | had afbre the term. Thae
curious turns come owre me ave, moo and
then." she continued, her voice sinking
and saddening as she spoke; " and, for the
last six weeks, it's been borne in upon me,
that I'm no to be lang to the fore. Now,
if was taeu ava, Sandy would be sair to
mean WI naebody about the house but
and that gars me sometimes think
would maist like to see him married to
some careful lass like your Jenny afore my
head be laid down."
Whsssht, Margaret r. said the other :;
+" never let thae thoughts come owre ye,
for there's an auld proverb that says, thought
can ku and hsotykt cas- cure And I
doubt I've driven the joke owre far already.
But. though it's natural enough for young
lasses TO like TO get husbands, and natural
aneugh, too, for their mithers to like to see
them well married. I would ten times owre
gee our Jenny live and dee without man
a a'thegither, 'ther than see her married to
the best man on earth. If her marriage
were to gle you real vexation. or be the
means O shortenin your days"
It's no that" said Margaret, in the
same low solemn tone in which she had
before spoken-"it's no onythiag ye have
said that has hurt me, for I've thought
about q thae things afore. When had
that i'll turn afore Martinmas, when folk
thought | was deein, I began to consider
whs would be mai< likely to keep a CON-
Portable hame 70 my ain bairn and then, |
confess my thoughts turned upon your
Jenny. This made me look mair attentive
y at bath him and her thaa I bad ever
done before and twa or three times. when
she cam owre o see how I was, thought I
saw something like the first symptoms Of
affection in his manner as weel rs hers
and I felt glad at the -sicht But, as |
began to get little better, and TO be able
to gang about again, the things that had
wi my ain guild mither came
fresh to my memory, and thought / would
like to manage the house mysel, and do for
the best as lang as | was able. But I fear, /"
she added, with deep sigh, " this CON-
plaint, whatever it is, will weather me afbre
IT'S lang" rtsd
Ma, Margaret l hope better things, .
said the other and ye maun strive to
bope for better things too. Though We
mayna be sac stout through the winter,
when the warm weather comes IN veil
gather strength again and, If anee ye had
yer Ct on a May gcwan. yell be as hale
and hearty as the best O. u.s."
"It's lang to the month O. May" said
Margaret, in voice unwontedly solemn !;
/" and, afore that time come round, hun
dreds that are hughiu and maxim muckIe
sport tho NIGHT may be cauld 10 their
graves. But promise, if I'm taen ava, that
yell do yer best to supply my place, and
to bring the twa thegither if ye can"
lro n ooE1rsrsDl