Page:Auld Robin Gray (2).pdf/4

 was e’er bequeathed from heaven to woman.

The affairs of auld Walter Grahame had been lang backgoing, and were now come to a poor pass. It would, indeed, be difficult preceesely to point out the cause; but the guids and gare, collected by the grandfather, Wattie o’ the strong back (so called from his being famous at putting the stane,) had begun to dwindle in the days of his son Alexander, who succeeded him in the farm of Rowan-brae; and so great was the confusion to which things had been allowed to run, that Walter, the second o’ the name, and Jeanie’s father, might be said so have fallen to a fruitless inheritance and to have been left warstling in a sea of troubles.

Being the head of a family, and come to that time of life when moving about the warld has muckle mair of incumbrance than pleasure in’t, Walter struggled hard to better his lot. He was up early, and lay down late, drove his ain cart to the market,—toiled in the fields,—hedged and ditched,—and submitted to every drudgery along with the maist menial o’ his warkmen. All, however, wadna do. It seemed as if the bow of Providence was bent against him,—that he was a doomed man, and that nothing was destined to thrive in his unfortunate hands.

His wife and he had foregathered in their