Murders > Tales for the farmers' ingle-neuk

which so much time may not he spared. Let
us now go to the kitchen window, and make it
likewise clean. Grizzy with alacrity obeyed.
But before the window could be approached, it
was found necessary to remove the heap of dusty
articles piled up in the window sill, which served
thepurpose of family library, and repository of
what is known by the term odds and ends.
Mrs MacClarty, who had sat down to spin,
did not at first seem willing to take any notice
of what was going forward; but on perceiving
her maid beginning to meddle with tiie things
in the window, she could no longer remain a
neutral spectator of the scene. Stopping her
wheel, she, in a voice indicating the reverse of
satisfaction, asked what she was about ? Mrs
Mason took it upon her to reply. “ We are
going to make your window bright and clean
for you, cousin,” said she. “ If you step into
my room, and take a look of mine, you wdl see
what a difference there is in it; and this, if
these broken panes were mended, would look
every bit as well.” “It does weel eneugh,”
returned Mrs MacClarty, “It wants nae cleanin’.
It dees just weel eneugh. What’s the gude
o’ takin’ up the lass’s time wi’nonsense ? she’ll
break the window too, and the bairns hae broken
eneugh o’t already.”
“ But if these panes were mended, and the
window cleaned, without and within,” said Mrs
Mason, “ you cannot think how much more
cheerful the kitchen would appear.”