, 1888-11-22
A BROKEN SIXPENCE.

NA@S ~ SNAS4SN SNSH fhO LBAl ALI Ill
loused heart of the man who heard it.
Never mind. ~lassie," he said. cheerily.
whats 'good-by,' anyway 'Tis so
much better than farewell"
"Ay, laddie, ay-'tis so. You'll come
again-youu come again to Margurth, as
you've glen me word, AlanY"
h question was SO eager, and yet so
tenderly confidentl
Come again to you and obanP" he
awayf There. they are calling from the
boat; l must go. Good-by, Margurth;
be true to the broken s~ixpence."
True to her troth plight" she thought;
the angels in heaven could not be truer."
And as he waved his hand to her in last
farewell, she did not Know that he had
no more intention of returning to her to
keep his plighted faith, than he had of
putting on a last years faded garment,
thrown aside for q newer fancy.
She watched him till the binding tears
hid him from her sight. A cracked and
querulous voice greeted her as she en-
tered the little cottage.
$50 'ee's aye game, the moo? An 'twould
ha' been as weel had it been a month
a-gane. Ye've flashed me sair, Margurth,
WI your lovin's and leavin's. Gae to YOUR
wark, girl"
Margurth sighed. 1t was so hard to
be forced to her regular routine of duties
while her heavy heart longed for the
brooding silence of the beach and cliffs.
She had yet to learn that grief is soonest
overcome by firing labor.
I'D ne'er ha' seen him had ZEE game a
month ago, aunt" she said, istlessly.
I'm thinkin' 'twould ha' been as well
had We no."
What mean We, aunt?" Margurth cried,
Indignantly. Il haze his faith-sureliey We
Gamma misdoot the broken sixpencel"
cay, can l." replied her aunt, grimly,
AN him as weel till l see him again"
The days went heavily by at the cot
tage. The aunt was more ailing and com
planning than usual, and Margurth's life
at best was a hard one.
She had a soul above busting and dish
washing, things that occupied her aunt's
whole attention when she was able to
drag herself about her work. "Ah, bonnie
laverockl" sighed Margurth, catching the
sound of his merry lifting as it dropped to
her through the blue air. Gould | but
wing wi you for a day, how quick I'd find
him, an nestle doom into his lovin' hearth
But these longings she kept close locked
in her bosom, and the winter passed in
loneliness, but tinged with hope for the
coming spring.
When the snow had melted enough for
her to reach the village again, to make
her simple purchases, she found that dur
ing the SHOWS and storms evil rumor had
been busy also. On every hand she met
with GOODNESS and suspicious chances
where she had been accustomed to warn
cordiality from her Scotch neighbors. Sh0
was vaguely troubled, but forgot all
about it in her bitter disappointment at
finding no letter as yet from Alan.
She was walking slowly, with bent
head, and was half way through the
town, when suddenly a young girl turned
the corner ahead of her and was hurrying
swiftly away.
"Alicel" She called. joyfully. Surely
her dear friend, her playmate of so many
bygone years. would be glad to give her
welcome.
The girl hesitated, then turned slowly
and waited.
Il thocht ye didna see me-" said Mar.
gurth, smiling. I'll gaze wi We to the
mither, noo-l haze a word frae aunt"
To her surprise, the girl did not move
to accompany her.
What is't, them" she exclaimed i'm
patiently, what ails the folk?"
Il daurna, Margurth, said Alice, sadly.
''Mither forbid that l should speak wi
ye, even. / Gamma bide to talk"
Alice saw two friends coming and tried
to hasten away, but Margurth caught her
dress and so held her.
"Ye shall ma gae," she cried, It'll We
haze telled me a'P'
Guide company, tbs ye're keepin', Mis-
tress Alicel" cried the two girls who had
just come up. "Wheer's your fine lover,
Marguerite" they sneered.
Ills my lover ye're speirin' after; tits
for him ye treat me sael Because l haze a
gran, guide mon to wed ye gle me shamel
IT'S hat We are jealous O. my guide luck"
cried Margurth, with blazing eyes.
INA ma. SDittire," cried one: " It's not
your lover we care abou', It's that he haze
gotten an game, as the sayin' rims. He'll
no come again to marry"
Alice had shrunk back at this last
speech, but now she looked inquiringly at
Margurth and waited for her answer. AS
for Margurth she seemed like one stricken
to stone. Then she tore her broken six.
pence from her bosom, where it had rest
ed for so many months. and held it out to
them.
Dye see that2' she cried, her breast
heaving with anger n pain; AN iaur
ye gaze against the broker saxpence2 I'm
an honester lassie than you the day, ye
bold faced things" .
For an instant the girls were silenced,
for to them the ceremony of breaking a
sixpence when plighting q troth was
much more binding than our engagement
ring, so easily changed from one hand to
another; and in fact is only exceeded In
solemnity by the marriage ceremony it..
self.
But the girls soon recovered them.
selves. 1t would not do to be cheated in
that way of so entertaining a bit of scan
dial.
''Saxpences are mony,," said one at last,
"an' how ken we but ye brak it YOURSELF
IT'S a year ago tho fair night sim he left
ye; If your speech be true, he'll come
again before the year is oot-so well wait
WI a patience till fair night, an then
wen seel"
They ran away laughing, carrying Alice
with them, though she looked back and
evidently would have spoken. But Mar
gurth had turned away, and was walking
sadly homeward. So this was what it al,
meant, and unless Alan was there before
fair night-she s~huddered to think whss
her life would be after that, until he
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