Page:Poems Douglas.djvu/28

Guid kens I hae plenty o' sin on my head
Without haen it to spare, an' folks starvin' for bread;
Gae's some things to mak' the puir bodies some tea,
Baith sickness and poortith is sair, sair to dree."
The victuals were boucht, an' the wife let her ken
Where they lived, and the kindhearted woman went ben,
Wi' many excuses for makin' sae bauld,
Her errand she gently began to unfold.
"Noo dinna be angry, guid people," said she,
No ane kens this heartless world better than me;
I hae had muckle trial, and may meet wi' mair,
Yet at times I hae thought I had double my share."
The guid woman's kindness was gratefully ta'en,
She'd come as a frien', an' a frien' should remain;
Her clean checket brat was raised aft to her een,
As they spak' o' the hardships an' misery they'd seen;
But when they related the change o' affairs,
Her joy and surprise seemed as boundless as theirs.
She noticed the weak'ning effects o' their fast,
An' nimbly she readied the cheering repast.
"Noo I'm longin', quo she, "to rin ower the way,
And tell the auld huxter wife all that's adae;
Oh! woman, her heart is sae flinty an" proud,
Disdainin' the puir an' just worshippin' gowd;
'Twill vex her I ken—sae good bye, folks, good bye,
An' I'm sure I gang hame wi' a heart fu' o' joy."
The huxter's first impulse on hearin' the fac'
Was a heap o' shop guids in a napkin to pack;