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

SCHOOL EXPERIENCES.
75
CHAPTER XIIL
SCHOOL EXPERIENCES.
S I said before, I had cuttit
baith my wisdom teeth or I
wis weel into my twelfth
year. My mither, bless her
memory, wis unco upliftit
aboot the occurrence, the mair
especial as her feelin’s were
worked on by Beeny Fortune,
the spaewife, Mysie Deans, the mantymaker, and ither offee-
shus neebours; but it’s no’ for me to dwell on that as a
matter o’ special merit, for I didna bring the thing on mysel',
neither could I hinder the course o’ natur’, or lift up my voice,
had I been willin’, against what wis decreet before I wis born.
Indeed, to tell the gospel truth, as I am bound to do, baith as
a matter o’ honour to mysel and as a duty to those that come
efter me, I canna say I wis a grain wycer efter a’ the scari-
feein’ and trouble o’ gettin’ the teeth, than ither lassies o’ my
ain age that had still the ordale to gang through. I wis a real
don at the “ peeveral,” “ there cam’ dukes,’ “ Babity bowster,”
and ither youthfu’ games. I could even tak’ a turn at “I spy,”
and “ Keep the corbie frae the craw,” wi’ the callants, but I
showed nae predeleckshon ava’ for buik learnin’. Indeed,
durin’ a’ my schule carrickilum the only thing that I ever
excelled in wis the spellin’ o’ big words. Hooever, it has been