John Joy Bell

“ M”Crae, regaining her good humor.
“Weel, I wis thinkin' o' buyin' a fender, if I cud get yin aboot fowerpence.”
“A fender fur fowerpence!”
“Jist that! I've seen fenders gaun fur less. Of coorse, they're no' jist bran new, an' whiles they're gey sair bashed an' roostit. But it's wunnerfu' whit ye can dae wi' elbow-greace.”
“Fine I ken that, Mistress Murray, fine I ken that! But a fender fur fowerpence! I never heard the like!”
"Wha wudna let ye sit doon?" “Aw, that's naethin' to whit ye'll see afore ye're dune! Mind, if yer wantin' to buy onythin', dinna gi'e the leddies a' they ask. ”

“ An' I says to the young man, says I: 'Whaur's the organ?' An' he tell't me it wisna in the bazaur, but he wud sweer it wis a' richt, an' if I bocht a tucket I wud ha'e as guid a chance as onybody leevin' o' gettin' it. He wis a rale saft-spoken young man, an' that genteel, an' I wis that het an' wearit, an' afore I kint whit I wis daein' he wis awa' wi' ma saxpence, an' I wis settin' alane wi' the tucket.... An' I ha'e ma doots, Mistress Murray, I hae ma doots. ”

“ I wis gaun to tell ye aboot the tea. My! I wis that affrontit wi' Mistress Blaikie! Aw, ye never seen sic a thing, Mistress Murray!”
“Whit wis that? She wisna poochin', shairly.”
“Na, na. But she wis poorin' oot the tea frae yin o' thon things, an'—”
“Ye mean the urn.”
“Mphm. She wis fillin' her ain cup when she begood to sneeze, an' pu'ed back her haun' quick, ye ken. But her finger wis catched in the wee handle, an' she pu'ed ower the hale affair an' broke twa cups an' a saucer, an' drookit a' her pastries, an' soakit her claes, an' gey near droondit a wean wha wis settin' aside her. ”

“ An', mind ye, I've heard o' folk buyin' auld things fur hauf naethin' an' sellin' them efter fur five pound—ay, an' ten pound!”
“It bates a'! Whit kin' o' things, Mistress Murray?”
“Picturs, an' clocks, an' cheeny, an' ither things that's aulder nor they're bonnie. I mind hearin' o' a wife wha bocht a pictur fur a shullin'. The gless wis broke, an' she tuk it to a man fur to get a new gless. An' whenever the man seen the pictur he speirt if she wud sell it. ”

“ The kettle's jist on the bile, an' we'll ha'e a dish o' tea, an' I'll tell ye a' aboot the suree, an' welcome. It wis an unco peety ye cudna gang, but it wis a mercy ye hadna peyed fur yer tuckets, you an' yer man. I mind when auld Mistress Wallace's man got two tuckets fur a suree an' peyed fur them jist three days afore he dee'd; an', if ye'll believe me, Mistress Murray, Mistress Wallace has thae tuckets yet, an' they're near twal' year auld. ”

“ But then ithers is no' that auld. Gentry folk is no' needin' to weer holes in their claes, an' I've seen rale nice-like things gaun dirt chape. I mind the last sale I wis at—na, I'm wrang; it wis the yin afore. ”

“ An' whit's a rattle but a disruption sale? It's jist the same; ah, there's no' a hair o' difference 'twixt the twa. Oh!—oh, there a cairt stoppin' at the close!” And again Mrs. M'Crae hastened lo the window to find that it was only the baker. ”

“ An' he wis a shakin' an' sweetin', an' pechin', puir man, an' the folk wis aye gi'en' him a bit stamp an' cheer to gar him haste, an' the yins on the platform whiles clappit an' duntit the table to encourage him. ”