The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

" The fishin' ? "
A Strange Revenge. 401
" No, ye doieted mongrel, the coortin'."
" Wha's coortin' ?"
" Did I no tell ye they were speakin' o' yer Maister
Richard ?
"
" No, ye didna."
" Then I was sure they did sae ; for I was just thinkin'
o' Richard at the time, an' he had newly left the Ha'."
" It's rideeklus—Maister Richard's no a fish."
" But dinna ye see they were talkin' in allickgorr}-, as
the Rev. Mr M'Glashan wauld say."
" Man, Kirsty, 1 admire yer learnin'—its a grand word
allickgorry !
" said John, with the evident intention of giving
the conversation a still more personal turn, " I've aye said
that ta m}-ser. Ye were a grand Sawbath Schule scholar,
I mind."
" Nell, ye lazzy limmer, mind the puddin'," shouted
Christy to her assistant.
" Kirsty—Miss Mactaggart," resumed John, in a tone of
voice that made Christy look sharply round, " talkin' o'
puddin's, d'ye no ken that I've always looked upon ye as a
sort o' m\' ain puddin' ?"
"If >-e've cam' here tae insult a body," was the
unexpected!}' hot reply, " it's high time ye were gaun \-er
gait."
" I dinna mean yer fat," pleaded John in alarm,
" puddin's are sweet an' so are you."
" Yer an' auld fule," pouted Christy, scraping with great
energy, and making the soot fly over her brawny arms.
" Kirsty, I've thocht o' ye for fifteen years."
" It's a long thocht," was the response, the scraping
getting milder.
" When a man gets tae my time o' life he begins tae
think o' settlin' doon."
" Aye, yer gettin' ^Q.y auld."
" Am I ower auld for you, Kirsty?— yer the onl)- wuman
I've clappit my e'e on since I had they kind o' e'en."
26