stopped from their greeting and stared and stared. But Chris thrust the table in between the two, she made out she wanted it there for baking; and they dropped their fists and John Guthrie swore, but soft; and Will reddened up and looked foolish.
But father that night, he said never a word to the rest of them in Blawearie, he was over-proud for that, wrote off to his sister Janet in Auchterless and asked that she take Dod and Alec in her care and give them an Aberdeen schooling. In a week she was down from the North, Auntie Janet and her man, Uncle Tam he was, big and well-bulked and brave, and his watch-chain had rows and rows of wee medals on it heâd gotten for playing quoits. And they were fell kind, the two of them, Alec and Dod were daft with delight when they heard of the Auchterless plan. But Auntie and Uncle hadnever a bairn of their own and soon made plain if the boys went with them it would be for aye, they wanted to adopt the pair of them.
Father sneered and thrust out his beard at that So youâd like to steal the flesh of my body from me? and Auntie Janet nodded, right eye to eye, Aye, John, just that, weâve never a wean of our own, though God knows itâs not for want of the trying; and father said Ill blood breeds ill; and Auntie said Ay, itâll be long ere I have to kill myself because my man beds me like a breeding sow; and father said You dirty bitch.
Chris stuck the dirl of the row till her head near burst and then ran out of the kitchen, through the close into the cornyard, where Will was prowling about. Heâd heard the noise and he laughed at them, but his eyes were angry as his arm went round her. Never heed the dirty old devils, oneâs bad as the other, father, auntie, or that midden thatâs covered with its wee tin medals. Come off to the park with me and weâll bring home the kye.
Deep in clover the cows as they came on them, Chris and Will; and they went in no hurry at all, unanxious to be back in Blawearie. And Will seemed angry and gentle and kind all at once. Donât let them worry you, Chris, donât let father make a damned slave of you, as heâd like to do. Weâve our own lives to lead . And she said What else can I do but bide at home now?
He said he didnât know, but heâd be libbed and pole-axed and gutted if he did for long, soon as heâd saved the silver he was off to Canada, a man was soon his own master there. Chris listened to that with eyes wide opened, she caught at the hope of it and forgot to smack at the kye that loitered and boxed and galumphed in their cloverful-foolishness up the brae. Oh, Will, and you could send for me as your housekeeper! He turned a dull red and smacked at the kye and Chris sighed and the hope went out, heâd no need to answer. Ay, maybe, but maybe it would hardly suit you.
So then she knew for sure heâd a lass somewhere in Drumlithie, it was with her he planned to share a bed and a steading in the couthy lands of Canada.
  Â
AND WHEN THEY got back to Blawearie they found the row ended, fatherâd given in to his sister Janet, ill the grace though he did it with. In three days time but three of them were sitting to meat at the kitchen table, Chris listened for days for voices of folk that were dead or gone, both far enough from Blawearie. But even that lost strangeness in time, the harvest drew on, she went out to the park to help with it, lush and heavy enough it had sprung and yellowed with the suns and rains of the last two months.
Heâd no binder, father, wouldnât hear of the things, but heâd brought an old reaper from Echt and with that they cut the corn; though Will swore heâd be the fool of Kinraddie seen driving a thing like that. Father laughed at him over his beard, like a spitting cat, If Kinraddieâs laughing can make you a bigger fool than nature made you itâll be a miracle; and donât fret the sark from your dowp, my
But father that night, he said never a word to the rest of them in Blawearie, he was over-proud for that, wrote off to his sister Janet in Auchterless and asked that she take Dod and Alec in her care and give them an Aberdeen schooling. In a week she was down from the North, Auntie Janet and her man, Uncle Tam he was, big and well-bulked and brave, and his watch-chain had rows and rows of wee medals on it heâd gotten for playing quoits. And they were fell kind, the two of them, Alec and Dod were daft with delight when they heard of the Auchterless plan. But Auntie and Uncle hadnever a bairn of their own and soon made plain if the boys went with them it would be for aye, they wanted to adopt the pair of them.
Father sneered and thrust out his beard at that So youâd like to steal the flesh of my body from me? and Auntie Janet nodded, right eye to eye, Aye, John, just that, weâve never a wean of our own, though God knows itâs not for want of the trying; and father said Ill blood breeds ill; and Auntie said Ay, itâll be long ere I have to kill myself because my man beds me like a breeding sow; and father said You dirty bitch.
Chris stuck the dirl of the row till her head near burst and then ran out of the kitchen, through the close into the cornyard, where Will was prowling about. Heâd heard the noise and he laughed at them, but his eyes were angry as his arm went round her. Never heed the dirty old devils, oneâs bad as the other, father, auntie, or that midden thatâs covered with its wee tin medals. Come off to the park with me and weâll bring home the kye.
Deep in clover the cows as they came on them, Chris and Will; and they went in no hurry at all, unanxious to be back in Blawearie. And Will seemed angry and gentle and kind all at once. Donât let them worry you, Chris, donât let father make a damned slave of you, as heâd like to do. Weâve our own lives to lead . And she said What else can I do but bide at home now?
He said he didnât know, but heâd be libbed and pole-axed and gutted if he did for long, soon as heâd saved the silver he was off to Canada, a man was soon his own master there. Chris listened to that with eyes wide opened, she caught at the hope of it and forgot to smack at the kye that loitered and boxed and galumphed in their cloverful-foolishness up the brae. Oh, Will, and you could send for me as your housekeeper! He turned a dull red and smacked at the kye and Chris sighed and the hope went out, heâd no need to answer. Ay, maybe, but maybe it would hardly suit you.
So then she knew for sure heâd a lass somewhere in Drumlithie, it was with her he planned to share a bed and a steading in the couthy lands of Canada.
  Â
AND WHEN THEY got back to Blawearie they found the row ended, fatherâd given in to his sister Janet, ill the grace though he did it with. In three days time but three of them were sitting to meat at the kitchen table, Chris listened for days for voices of folk that were dead or gone, both far enough from Blawearie. But even that lost strangeness in time, the harvest drew on, she went out to the park to help with it, lush and heavy enough it had sprung and yellowed with the suns and rains of the last two months.
Heâd no binder, father, wouldnât hear of the things, but heâd brought an old reaper from Echt and with that they cut the corn; though Will swore heâd be the fool of Kinraddie seen driving a thing like that. Father laughed at him over his beard, like a spitting cat, If Kinraddieâs laughing can make you a bigger fool than nature made you itâll be a miracle; and donât fret the sark from your dowp, my
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