THE VISIT OF A SILVERSMITH, AND 
ITS RESULTS, 
hurried here in hot haste, to try who would be ap^ 
pointed as my successor, off with you, you vesi- 
machals. Ting, ting, tingle went the tattan’s, 
forge. “ Alive again, ” says he, “no mistake about that, 
all alive ho. I wish she was dead.” Being irritated, 
these last words were unconsciously uttered in rather 
a loud tone, and heard by the “s/ie” referred, to. 
Ting, ting, tingle, went the tattan’s ears, as a very 
small wooden stool was suddenly dashed against them, 
and falling on the charcoal fire, upset the crucibles, 
sending all the molten silver amongst the ashes, 
the tattans wife was horrified at the result of her 
rash action; for although a virago in temper, she had 
a keen eye to business, and a quick perception of 
the value of silver, and it was probably owing to her 
good qualities in these respects, that her husband 
passed over and excused her failings in temper but 
this last act was too sore a trial, and even the wo- 
man seemed afraid of what she had done, because the 
man did not get up, beat, or abuse her, as she ex- 
pected he would, but sat still, quite calm, and com- 
posed, looking at her; the stillness before the storm, 
a sure sign, that when the storm does come it will 
foe no trifle. That very afternoon, a woman was seen 
walking hurriedly away along the road, with an old 
coarse dirty cloth enveloped over her head; not a jewel, 
or ornament of any sort was to be seen on her neck, 
arms, or ankles her head was hanging down, as if 
ashamed to look up. What plain common looking 
person could this be ? Can she he, is it possible, yes, 
she is the tattans, wife, probably away to have 
a bath in the stream, and left all her fine clothes 
and ornaments in the house. But she did not go 
down to the stream at all : she borrowed an axe in 
one of the end apartment# of the lines, and pro- 
ceeding some distance out into the clearing, com- 
menced to cut fire wood ! After a bundle was cut, she 
blew with her breath on her hands, and dipped them 
in a running stream, then gathered up the sticks, 
strapped them on her back, over her bare shoul- 
ders, and trudged away back with her burden to the 
tattans house. As she entered, and threw down the 
firewood, ting, ting, tingle, went the hammer, but 
he never even looked up. She day down under a 
cumblie, in a far corner of the room, and concealed 
herself from all the visitors at the forge ; but she did 
not lie long there, for the tattan said, “My char- 
coal is about done get up, go away out, and bring 
in more.” Now, there used to be a small boy, from 
the lines, always dangling in attendance upon the 
lady, as a sort of page, who was also in the habit 
