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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 257 —<br />

feel<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g may bide wi’ me; an’ I’m k<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d enoo’ when I hae my a<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

way, an’ naeth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>’ happens to put me oot. But I hae <strong>the</strong> deevil’s<br />

a<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> temper, as my mi<strong>the</strong>r call tell ye, an’ like my puir fay<strong>the</strong>r,<br />

I’m a-th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>’, I’ll grow nae better as I grow mair auld.”<br />

“Ay, but ye’re sair hard up<strong>on</strong> yersel’, Davie. Ye’re an h<strong>on</strong>est<br />

lad. I ken ye better than ye ken yersel’, an’ ye’ll mak a guid hame<br />

for me.”<br />

“Maybe, Jennie! But I hae my doots. It’s a sair th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g for<br />

wife an’ bairns when <strong>the</strong> guid man canna keep awa’ frae <strong>the</strong><br />

glass; an’ when <strong>the</strong> scent of <strong>the</strong> whusky comes to me it’s just<br />

as though I hae’d <strong>the</strong> throat o’ a Loch Tay salm<strong>on</strong>; it just gaes<br />

do<strong>on</strong> an’ do<strong>on</strong>, an’ <strong>the</strong>re’s nae fill<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g o’ me.”<br />

“Ay, but ye’re a guid man when ye’re sober, Davie.”<br />

“Maybe I’ll be that, Jennie, if I’m nae disturbed.”<br />

“An’ ye’ll bide wi’ me, Davie, an’ work for me?”<br />

“I see nae reas<strong>on</strong> why I shouldna bide wi’ yet Jennie; but<br />

d<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>na ye clack aboot work to me, for I just canna bear <strong>the</strong><br />

thoct o’t.”<br />

“Anyhow, ye’ll do your best, Davie? As <strong>the</strong> m<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ister says, nae<br />

man can do mair than that.”<br />

“An’ it’s a puir best that m<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e’ll be, Jennie, and I’m nae sae<br />

sure ye’ll hae ower muckle even o’ that. We’re a’ weak, s<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>fu’<br />

creatures, Jennie, an’ ye’d hae some deefficulty to f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d a man<br />

weaker or mair s<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>fu’ than mysel’.”<br />

“Weel, weel, ye hae a truthfu’ t<strong>on</strong>gue, Davie. M<strong>on</strong>y a lad will<br />

mak f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e promises to a puir lassie, <strong>on</strong>ly to break ’em an’ her<br />

heart wi’ ’em. Ye speak me fair, Davie, and I’m th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>’ I’ll just<br />

tak ye, an’ see what comes o’t.”<br />

C<strong>on</strong>cern<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g what did come of it, <strong>the</strong> story is silent, but <strong>on</strong>e<br />

feels that under no circumstances had <strong>the</strong> lady any right to<br />

compla<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> of her barga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>. Whe<strong>the</strong>r she ever did or did not — for<br />

women do not <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>variably order <strong>the</strong>ir t<strong>on</strong>gues accord<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to<br />

logic, nor men ei<strong>the</strong>r for <strong>the</strong> matter of that — Davie, himself,<br />

must have had <strong>the</strong> satisfacti<strong>on</strong> of reflect<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g that all reproaches<br />

were undeserved.<br />

I wish to be equally frank with <strong>the</strong> reader of this book. I

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