Garthowen: A Story of a Welsh HomesteadRaine, Allen
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Garthowen: A Story of a Welsh Homestead
Raine, Allen
Wales -- Fiction
"Well, I'll never make her cry again," said Gethin. "Art going at
once, lass? Wilt not sit here and have tea with us?" and he drew his
coat, which he had taken off for his work, toward her, and spread it on
the hedge side.
Morva laughed shyly; she was not used to such attentions.
"No, indeed, I must go," she answered; "we are preparing supper."
As she followed Ann through the gap Gethin looked after her with a
smile in his eyes.
"There's bonnie flowers growing on the slopes of Garthowen, and no
mistake," he said.
Will examined the edge of his sickle and did not answer.
Later on, when the harvest supper was over, and the last brawny reaper
had filed out of the farmyard in the soft evening twilight, the
Garthowen household dropped in one by one to the best kitchen, where
their own meals were generally partaken of. Ebben Owens himself, as
often as not, took his with the servants, but Will, especially of late,
preferred to join Ann and Gwilym Morris in the best kitchen or hall.
Here they were seated to-night, a glowing fire of culm balls filling
the large grate, and throwing a light which was but little helped by
the home-made dip standing in a brass candlestick on the middle of the
table, round which they were all gathered while Gethin displayed his
presents.
"Here's a tie for you, father; green it is, with red spots; would you
like it?"
"Ts-ts!" said the old man, "it has just come in time, lad, for me to
wear on Sunday when I go to hear Will reading in church."
"That will be a proud day for you, father; I will go with you. And for
thee, Will, here's a knife. I remember how fond thee wast of the old
knife we bought in the fair together."
"Well, indeed!" said Will, clasping and unclasping the blades; "'tis a
splendid one, too, and here's a fine blade to mend pens with!"
"And for Ann," continued Gethen, "I have only a hymn-book."
"What couldst thou bring me better? And look at the cover! So good.
And the gold edges! And Welsh! I will be proud of it."
"Yes," said Gethin; "I bought it in Liverpool in a shop where they sell
Welsh books. And for you, sir," he said, turning to Gwilym Morris.
"'Sir,'" said the preacher, laughing; "Gethin bach, this is the second
time you have called me 'sir.' Drop it, man, or I will be offended."
"Well! I won't say it again. Dei anwl! I will have to be on my best
behaviour here, with a parson and a preacher in the house! Well! it's
a pocket-book for you, I thought very like, being a preacher, you would
like to put down a word sometimes."
"Quite right, indeed," said Gwilym Morris; "and look at my old one,
barely hanging together it is!"
At the bottom of the bag from which Gethin drew his treasures, lay the
little painted box containing Morva's necklace.
"Where's Morva?" he asked. "I've got something for her, too."
"Oh, well," said Will, "thou art a generous man and a rich, I should
think! Perhaps thou hast one for Dyc 'pigstye' and Sara ''spridion'
too."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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