“‘Oh, they’re maybe guid enough,’ she says, ‘but I wad raither hae
toffie.’
“‘Toffie. Right!’ says her paw, and orders up the chef to mak’ toffie in
a hurry.
“‘Whit’s he gaun to mak’ it wi’?’ asks the wee yin.
“‘Oh, jist in the ordinar’ wye--wi’ butter and sugar,’ says her paw.
“‘That’s jist common toffie,’ says the wee lassie; ‘I want some ither
kind.’
“‘As shair’s death, Maggie,’ he says, ‘there’s only the ae wye o’ makin’
toffie.’
“‘Then whit’s the use o’ haein’ a millionaire for a paw?’ she asks.
“‘True for you,’ he says, and thinks hard. ‘I could mak’ the chef put in
champed rubies or a di’mond or twa grated doon.’
“‘Wad it mak’ the toffie taste ony better?’ asks the wee cratur’.
“‘No’ a bit better,’ he says. ‘It wadna taste sae guid as the ordinary
toffie, but it wad be nice and dear.’
“‘Then I’ll jist hae to hae the plain, chape toffie,’ says wee Maggie.
“‘That’s jist whit I hae to hae mysel’ wi’ a great mony things,’ says
her paw. ‘Being a millionaire’s nice enough some wyes, but there’s a
wheen things money canna buy, and paupers wi’ three or four thoosand
paltry, pounds a-year is able to get jist as guid toffie and ither
things as I can. I canna even dress mysel’ different frae ither
folks, for it wad look rideeculous to see me gaun aboot wi’ gold cloth
waistcoats and a hat wi’ strings o’ pearls on it, so a’ I can dae is to
get my nickerbocker suits made wi’ an extra big check. I hae the pattern
that big noo there’s only a check-and-a-half to the suit; but if it
wasna for the honour o’t I wad just as soon be wearin’ Harris tweed.’”
“Upon my word, Erchie,” I said, “you make me sorry for our philanthropic
friend, and particularly for his little girl.”
“Oh, there’s no occasion!” protested Erchie. “There’s no condeetion in
life that hasna its compensations, and even Mr Carnegie’s wee lassie has
them. I hae nae doot the best fun her and her paw gets is when they’re
playin’ at bein’ puir. The auld man’ll nae doot whiles hide his
pocket-money in the press, and sit doon readin’ his newspaper, wi’ his
feet on the chimneypiece, and she’ll come in and ask for a bawbee.
“‘I declare to ye I havena a farden, Maggie,’ he’ll say; ‘but I’ll gie
ye a penny on Setturday when I get my pay.’
“‘I dinna believe ye,’ she’ll say.
“‘Then ye can ripe me,’ says her paw, and the wee tot’ll feel in a’ his
pooches, and find half a sovereign in his waistcoat. They’ll let on it’s
jist a bawbee (the wee thing never saw a rale bawbee in her life, I’ll
warrant), and he’ll wonner whit wye he forgot aboot it, and tell her to
keep it and buy jujubes wi’t, and she’ll be awa’ like a whitteruck and
come back in a while wi’ her face a’ sticky for a kiss, jist like rale.
“Fine I ken the wee smouts; it was that wye wi’ oor ain Teenie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account