But what have such folk to say to you and me, plain folk that we are, with our work to do, and the wife and the bairns to be thinkin' of when it comes time to tak' our ease and rest?

And my mither was left with me and six other bairns to care for. '

There'd be a dozen decent, hard working miners who could no get a lassie to look their way, try as they michtmen who wanted nothing better than to settle doon in a wee hoose somewhere, and stay at home with the wife, and, a bit later, with the bairns. Ye'd never be seein'

And I'll gie ye a hundred pounds to boota hundred pounds that'll be the saving of your wife's life, so that she can be made strong and healthy to bear ye other bairns when you're at work again.

I couldna help wonderin' about the bairns; where was their mither?

"They're fine bairns, yon," I said, for the sake of saying something.

But that nicht, after the bairns were safe in bed and sound asleep, we all sat aboot the kitchen fire.

"I saw ye lookin' at the bairns the day," she said.

I was glad the puir mither was no deed; it was hard enough, wi' such bonny bairns, to ha' to leave them to others, even her ane parents, to bring up.

"The father o' the bairns was a bad lotis still, I've no doot, if he's still living.

But, d'ye ken, he came and brocht himsel' and his wife and his bairns, as they came along, to live wi' us.

He asked us for siller a' the time, and he beat Lizzie, and was cruel to the wee bairns when we wouldna or couldna find it for him.

She says he'll come back yet, rich and well, and tak' her out o' service, and bring up the bairns like the sons and dochters of gentlefolk.

But he's no rich, and he maun be carefu' wi' his siller, else the wife and the bairns wull be gae'in wi'oot things he wants them to have.

The hame of a man's faithers may be unknown tae him; belike it's been torn doon, lang before his own bairns are weaned.

Broad fieldsnot hot, paved streets, full o' rushin' motor cars wi' death under their wheels for the wee bairns.

They go tae the city frae the land, but their sons and their sons' sons are no sae strong and heartywhen there are bairns.

And it's human to be wanting to mak' siccar that the wife and the bairns will be all richt if a man dees before his time.

It's him I see in the audience, wi' his wife, and his bairns, maybe.

s cave, and their bairns.

Has he bairns o' his ain?

I bought my farm at Dunoon that he micht ha' a place o' his ain to tak' his wife tae when he married her, and where his bairns could be brought up as bairns should be, wi' glen and hill to play wi'.

I bought my farm at Dunoon that he micht ha' a place o' his ain to tak' his wife tae when he married her, and where his bairns could be brought up as bairns should be, wi' glen and hill to play wi'.

"I think I brocht you twa here as bairns, that the reminder of my shame should ever stand before me.

"I wish I saw you wi' bairns o' your ain, Grizel," he said, looking on entranced; but she gave him such a pitiful smile that he could not get it out of his head.