My Aunt, Who Was A Kind Good Woman, Was Indignant At The
Treatment She Had Recieved; And Loved And Cherished Her As If She
Had Been Her Own Child.
"For two whole weeks she kept her bed, and was so ill that the
doctor despaired of her life;
And when she did come again among us,
the colour had faded from her cheeks, and the light from her sweet
blue eyes, and she spoke in a low subdued voice, but she never
spoke of _him_ as the cause of her grief.
"One day she called me aside and said -
"'Jamie, you know how I lo'ed an' trusted _him,_ an' obeyed his ain
wishes in comin' out to this strange country to be his wife. But
'tis all over now,' and she pressed her sma' hands tightly over her
breast to keep doon the swelling o' her heart. 'Jamie, I know now
that it is a' for the best; I lo'ed him too weel - mair than ony
creature sud lo'e a perishing thing o' earth. But I thought that he
wud be sae glad an' sae proud to see his ain Jeanie sae sune. But,
oh! - ah, weel! - I maun na think o' that; what I wud jist say is
this,' an' she took a sma' packet fra' her breast, while the tears
streamed down her pale cheeks. 'He sent me forty dollars to bring
me ower the sea to him - God bless him for that, I ken he worked
hard to earn it, for he lo'ed me then - I was na' idle during his
absence. I had saved enough to bury my dear auld grandfather, and
to pay my ain expenses out, and I thought, like the gude servant
in the parable, I wud return Willie his ain with interest; an' I
hoped to see him smile at my diligence, an' ca' me his bonnie gude
lassie. Jamie, I canna' keep this siller, it lies like a weight o'
lead on my heart. Tak' it back to him, an' tell him fra' me, that
I forgi'e him a' his cruel deceit, an' pray to God to grant him
prosperity, and restore to him that peace o' mind o' which he has
robbed me for ever.'
"I did as she bade me. Willie looked stupified when I delivered her
message. The only remark he made, when I gave him back the money,
was, 'I maun be gratefu', man, that she did na' curse me.' The wife
came in, and he hid away the packet and slunk off. The man looked
degraded in his own eyes, and so wretched, that I pitied him from
my very heart.
"When I came home, Jeanie met me at my uncle's gate. 'Tell me,' she
said in a low anxious voice, 'tell me, cousin Jamie, what passed
atween ye. Had he nae word for me?'
"'Naething, Jeanie, the man is lost to himsel', to a' who ance
wished him weel.
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Words from 178426 to 178925
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