The Portland daily press., 1880-02-09


'sWhiles thocht it wuld be; aye, even sac
late's the moo whin l came doom here; but
ye'er changet in the last weeks, Annice, an
We dnna care fur what l say. Maybe 'tworlld
ha' been better eff the mither had come
rstead.''
"Aye, we a. ken We prefair speakin' yer
mind thro' yer mither, John; an weel she
does it, too, and cracks We oop eneuch to sat-
isfy yersePp' retorted Annice, flushing rosy
red on the instant, and driving her little
brown fist into the yellow basin with such
energy as to send small cloud OF hour fly
ing over the table, and even sprinkle Johns
rough blue guernsey. He looked up at her
panied and wondering, and utterly Ignorant
of how his allusion to his mother could have
stung her.
''Eh, lass, We are changet! Time was ye
wuld as soon have taken the BRIDES
singin' in i'll part as my auld mither's wards.
What will she ha' ever said to anger yep
But this Annice was not prepared to say
Perhaps the cause for anger dwindled into
somewhat triffling proportions before the
downright question; so she only worked
away at her dough and answered lightly:
Sch, John, We leuk too sairiously on
things Angeret! What would be angeret
about? An We were goin' to talk ABBOTT the
folks here. Say on"
''Weel, then, Annice, tits just this; folks
are talkin' O. you; and gin Gamma kill them
fort las l was minded to do whin l hard the
first wards ont, l thocht I'd COON an
speak to We yerseP; for l kenned weel We
were over eenocent to gle sac much's a
thocht to It out O. yer own beid.'
1t was an awkward beginning, and he
glanced nervously at the girl as bespoke,
but her face was turned away, and he could
not see the sudden fame of scarlet in it or
the indignant trembe of the lips as sudden
ly pressed together. He thought she was
not attending, and went on rather more
sharply:
eye see, Annice, a. the world knows it's
no weel for a lass to be hingin ABBOTT VII gen.
try; an they say there's young gent frae
London who's loogin' at the Dukes Arms,
an that's aye to be met VII ABBOTT your gram
mither's door; an even my mither has hard
tell ont, an sair vexet she is; no that she
theenks yed have ought to say to the like O.
SIGH trash-an' indeed, dinna' believe my
sel' that we've ever said word more than
We Guild help to m; an I'd like to break the
held O. any man as daured heent the revairse
but tits no RIGHT for honest mems wives to
be sac much as wheespered about; an as
the mither says We dinna care to listen to
her the moo, 1 thocht 'twould be more straight
ford to speak DOT t We myself. Ye ken weel,
assie, luik on ye as my wife already, an
by an by" But there the poor fellow was
stopped anu prevented lTOIu DluuucTluS Ou
any futher. That last assertion had been
too much for the temper of the impulsive
girl, whose spirit had been quivering for the
last five minutes between shame and pride
and hot anger and wounded feeling. So he
had only come to lecture, and not to WOO,
after all; and in such tone of security, too!
'A the same as your wifeH' she repeated,
breaking in on him with sharp, mocking
accent which made the honest fisherman
eto oy,3 T Il va lyn nUor
sure a. that, John Garth. Hoo dye ken that
dinna prefair gentry traish,' as ye make
bold to ca them, to yerseP, for a. sac high
as ye rate yer ain merits FL tell ye ae
thing in answer to a. we've said; no gentle
man ever daured say to me what we've daured
the day; an gin ye're dune moo I'll jest ask
We to step oct the door, an meier come near
t again. Tell your mither that eff Annice
Laidlaw is no fit to be an honest mans wife
fear O. what folks say, Or you either" With
which, and feeling that in another minute
she would burst out crying, and SO disgrace
herself forever, Annice just pointed fierce
and foury finger at the open door and fled
herself into the back regions, where she
flung herself down on a heap of wood, and,
burying her face in her apron, gave way to a
hearty flood of tears.
She had hidden there to deaden the sound
of her sobbing, in case John should disobey
and linger in the precincts from which she
had bid HIM depart, or perhaps even take
courage to follow her; but the foolish fellow
took her at her word and went; and so it
was another hand that by and by touched
her hair, and another voice, far more pol
ished and musical than Johns, that said:
'.Annice crying! My pretty child, what is
the matter? Has any one ill-treated you?
Ii ever Evan Hardness came to woman'S
house in an ill hour for her, it was then.
Annice sprang to her feet in an instant,
brushing away her tears and trying hard to
make believe that she had not been crying,
even while she stammered out something
about being lonesome when granny was
away, and implored the gentleman to de-
part.
''For We ken, sir, this is no place for you,"
she added eagerly, "an' granny would ma
like it at a. to find We here wi me.''
Evan laughed lightly.
''But, my dear girl, isn't it rather hard to
own that you are lonely, and yet expect me
to go away and leave you so? What do you
suppose l care for granny's anger in com
parison with one tear from those pretty blue
eyes? But I will go this minute, for all
that if you will go with me- Do, Annice;I
came to fetch you as promised, and upon
my soul I'll not go away alone. 1t is the
loveliest evening in the world for stroll, so
just wash the flour off those dear little
hands and come. Do you think won't
takeas good care of you as granny, or that
great hulking fisherman met coming away
from your house just now? hope the lout
is not your sweetheart-eh, Annice?''
Annice blushed up to her eyes and said
no. though some willful spirit caused her to
add, 'He's no sic lout, either" After all,
both were true. John was no sweetheart of
hers now, for had she not sent him away
herself, and it was better to go for stroll
with Mr.. Hardness than for granny to find
him in the cottage on her return. Let folks
talk if they liked! She didn't care. 1t was
not every girl that handsome young gentle
men would care to walk with, and she sup
posed he did care for her. He wouldn't say
such pretty things about her hands and eye
otherwise. Besides, it would be good less
son not to be so presumptuous next time he
went a counting. She hesitated little
longer, busting the flour from her fingers |
and looking upl and down, then suddenly |
united her apron and agreed.