stirrup, he stood in the act of mounting.

'Francie! Francie!' she cried, 'hearken to rizzon! There's no a body,
man or wuman, I like better nor yersel to du ye ony guid or turn o'
guid--'cep' my father, of coorse, and my mither, and my ain Steenie!'

'And hoo mony mair, gien I had the wull to hear the lang bible-chapter
o' them, and see mysel comin in at the tail o' them a', like the
hin'most sheep, takin his bite as he cam? Na, na! it's time I was hame,
and had my slip (_pinafore_) on, and was astride o' a stick! Gien ye
had a score o' idiot-brithers, ye wud care mair for ilk are o' them nor
for me! I canna bide to think o' 't.'

'It's true a' the same, whether ye can bide to think o' 't or no,
Francie!' returned the girl, her face, which had been very pale, now
rosy with indignation. 'My Steenie's mair to me nor a' the Gordons
thegither, Bow-o'-meal or Jock-and-Tam as ye like!'

She drew back, sat down again to the stocking she was knitting for
Steenie, and left her lover to mount and ride, which he did without
another word.

'There's mair nor ae kin' o' idiot,' she said to herself, 'and
Steenie's no the kin' that oucht to be ca'd ane. There's mair in
Steenie nor in sax Francie Gordons!'

If ever Kirsty came to love a man, it would be just nothing to her to
die for him; but then it never would have been anything to her to die
for her father or her mother or Steenie!