Oor ain folk times

12 A COUNTRY CHRISTENING
' Hoots,' said Sandie, ' I clean forgot that. Ye see,
sir,' he continued, 'my wife has ta'en sic a fancy tae
your wife, that naething '11 setisfee her but she maun
gi'e your wife a present o' the name.'
This was Sandie's way of saying that the child was
to be called after the minister's wife, and the genial,
reverend, old soul made due acknowledgments of the
delicate compliment thus implied.
Again Sandie made for the door, but, as a
sudden thought struck him, he returned to the table ;
and, as if in pure absent-mindedness, he filled out
another dram which he slowly quaffed, and then said —
' Od, meenister, what wi' yer crack, an' yer fine auld
whisky, I had near clean forgot the maist principal
pairt o' the haill errant.'
' Ay, an' what micht that be, Sandie ? '
' Weel, it's jist this, sir. Fat is yer wife's name 1 '
' Oh, it's Fanny.'
' Fanny ! ' said Sandie, with an air of intense disgust,
his whole shepherd instincts rising in revolt at such a
cognomen. ' Fanny ! Feech ! that's a bick's name.
I'll no ha'e that ! '
What the minister said or thought is not recorded,
but ' the bick's ' name was not bestowed on the child.