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my bairns to thoir proper senses, and show them that I was their lord and maister, as weel as their mither’s. Puir things! my heart was wae for them, for they were sairly miseducated, and held me in nao mair estimation, than if I had been ane of my ain wabster lads. So, just wi' a view to their gude, I took down a pair of touch ben-leather taws, weel burnt at the finger ends, and gi'ed Nancy as mony cracks ower the bare neck, as set her sqeeling beyond a' bounds. It was pitifu' to see tho cratur, how she skipped about the room, and ran awa to her mither, to escape my faitherly rage. But a' assistence frae that quarter was at end now; and she was fain to fa' down on her knees and beg my forgeevness—and promise to conduct hersell as became my dochter, in a' time coming.
Just at this moment, in comes wee Gordie, greeting for his parritch. He kent naething of what had taken place in the house; and doubtless expeckit to mak'an idiot of me, his father, as he had been accustomed to do, almost frae his very cradle. I saw that now was the time to thresh the corruption out of him; and brandishing the taws over my head, I made a stap forrit to lay hand upon him, and treat him like the lavo. He looked as if he had an inkling of what was forthcoming, and run whinging and craiking to his mither, who stood wiping her een wi' her striped apron in the corner of the room. The terrified laddie clang to her knees, but she never offered to lend a helping hand; so great was tho salutarry terror wi' which I had inspired her. So I pu'd 'him awa frae her coats, to which he was clinging; and laying him ower my knee, I gie'd him hipsy-dipsy in the presonee of his mither, his sister, and Andrew Brand, who were looking on.
