20
life's reverses.
"Is it for us ava?" quo she, raisin' her e'en,
"It's a bank draught for hunthers—see, what can it mean?"
"First the letter that's wi' it, Jess, woman, read through,"
Quo the mither, noo dichtin' the sweet frae her broo'.
Wi' deep agitation, and mony a pause,
Jessie read out the letter, ilk line, and ilk clause.
"Read again," quo the mither, "I'm no worth a preen,"
An' the wee lass an' callen glower'd a' mouth an' e'en..
Frae a lawyer the widow was made understan'
That her uncle had died in a far foreign lan'.
Many years he had been a rich settler there,
Was rowin' in gowd, but no blest wi' an heir;
Had been married to ane wha a queen micht be styled.
Wha had left him abundance o" gear, but nae child.
Though lang he'd forgotten baith kintry an' kin,
When nature gi'ed warnin' o' death's comin' in,
Hame feelin's, long dormant, revived in his breast,
Sae he willed tae his brither's bairns a' he possessed.
The Deeds to a popular lawyer were sent,
Wha to find out the parties was deeply intent.
Frae their hame o' lang syne tae his letter arrived
A reply, that but ane o' the Thamson's survived;
A dauchter, named Maggie, tae ane Lee was wed,
Wha gi'ed back in the warld ere he dee'd, it was said,
An' left her in some ither part, 'twould appear,
Wi' a wheen o' sma' bairnies, on naithin' to rear.
To fin' oot this widow a' airts were employed,
The virtue o paragraphs often was tried;
"It's a bank draught for hunthers—see, what can it mean?"
"First the letter that's wi' it, Jess, woman, read through,"
Quo the mither, noo dichtin' the sweet frae her broo'.
Wi' deep agitation, and mony a pause,
Jessie read out the letter, ilk line, and ilk clause.
"Read again," quo the mither, "I'm no worth a preen,"
An' the wee lass an' callen glower'd a' mouth an' e'en..
Frae a lawyer the widow was made understan'
That her uncle had died in a far foreign lan'.
Many years he had been a rich settler there,
Was rowin' in gowd, but no blest wi' an heir;
Had been married to ane wha a queen micht be styled.
Wha had left him abundance o" gear, but nae child.
Though lang he'd forgotten baith kintry an' kin,
When nature gi'ed warnin' o' death's comin' in,
Hame feelin's, long dormant, revived in his breast,
Sae he willed tae his brither's bairns a' he possessed.
The Deeds to a popular lawyer were sent,
Wha to find out the parties was deeply intent.
Frae their hame o' lang syne tae his letter arrived
A reply, that but ane o' the Thamson's survived;
A dauchter, named Maggie, tae ane Lee was wed,
Wha gi'ed back in the warld ere he dee'd, it was said,
An' left her in some ither part, 'twould appear,
Wi' a wheen o' sma' bairnies, on naithin' to rear.
To fin' oot this widow a' airts were employed,
The virtue o paragraphs often was tried;
