342 THE GARDEN OF A 



" ' God guide you,' said I, ' but is your pate thick 

 as a Christmas pudding ? Don't you know I'm ailin', 

 too, for need o' a man to do all those same things 

 for ? I'm goin' to marry you, Timothy Saunders ! ' 

 and says he, ' If ye will, ye will, and it's no for me to 

 contradict ye, Martha Corkle ; and I'll go further to 

 say I'm weel content.' 



"Now wasn't that just grand o' him, Mr. Evan, 

 and Mrs., too, with no disrespect intended? I 

 trowed he'd need more convincin' and circum- 

 ventin'. 



"With that he fetched a grand, loud laugh, and 

 give his word, and, Mrs. Evan, I'm sad to tell that 

 china cup is broke ! clean parted, and I've made 

 bold to say we each has kept a half ! " 



Martha paused for breath, while Evan shook her 

 hand and poured out somewhat incoherent words 

 mingled with compliments on her generalship. 



A moment served her for recuperation, and she 

 began anew in answer to Evan's statement that, 

 as she had married before, she probably knew her 

 own mind, which was an advantage. 



" Before has no concern in the matter, Mr. Evan, 

 for a body, man or woman, hits the real marriage 

 but onct ; gin it be first or last, there's only reely one. 

 My own mother hadn't her own mind till her third, 



