Martha Spreull: being chapters in the life of a single wumman

64
MARTHA SPREULL.
near us; as for the hens and the bantams, I kent naething
aboot them from my ain personal knowledge, and I believe my
faither and mither sune won ower the loss.
I got through wi’ the measles real easy; but the chincough
set doon unco sair on my system—in truth, I got sic a shake,
and croichled awa’ sae lang, that my mither had to tak’ me
doon to the waterside at Govan for a change o’ air, where we
bidet for three weeks wi’ my mither’s marriet sister, Mrs.
Brodie, and where we baith experienced great benefit to oor
health frae the change o’ scene and the caller air. My mither
often boasted that I never had much fash wi’ my teeth.
Neither my first nor my second set ever cost me ony trouble;
the only pain that I experienced ava on that score wis when
my wisdom teeth cam’ at the age o’ twelve; for the gums were
sair wauket, and my mither had to tak’ me twice to the Dis¬
pensary at the Royal Infirmary and get the gums scarifeed
before the teeth could win through. I shouldna say’t mysel’,
but I min’ it wis lookit upon as a maist oncommon thing for a
lassie at twelve to have cutit her wisdom teeth. Mysie Deans.