Page:Tales for the farmers' ingle-neuk (2).pdf/20

 20

the place they were served in the triple capacity of kitchen, parlour, and bed-room. Its furniture was suitably abundant, and Mrs MacClarty prided herself much on the noble stock of linen she possest, but which Mrs Mason thought too fine for common use. "For common use!" cried Mrs. MacClarty: "na, na, we're no sie     fools as put our napery to common use! I have      a dizen tableclaiths in that press, thirty year old,      that were never upon a table. They are a' o'      my mother's spinning. I have nine o' my ain      makin' forby, that never saw the sun but at the      bookin washing.        "It is no doubt a good thing," said Mrs      Mason, "to have a stock of goods of any kind, provided one has a prospect of turning them to     account; but I think a towel of nice clean buck- a-buck would wipe a cup as well, and better, than a damask napkin."       "Towels! cried Mrs MacClarty, "na, na, we     maunna pretend to towels; we just wipe up the      things wi' what comes in the gait.        On saying this, the good woman, pulled out      from between the seed-tub and her husband's      dirty shoes, a long blackened rag, and with it      rubbed one of the pewter plates, with which she      stepped into the closet for a roll of butter.      "There," says she, "I am sure ye'll say, that ye never ate better butter in your life. There's     no in a' the Glen better kye than ours. I hope ye'll eat heartily; and I'm sure ye're heartily welcome."