His nine-year-old son squatted on the seat opposite, his legs up to
his chin, so as to be out of the way as much as possible in the
crowded cart. The pony started off gallantly enough, and all went well
till within about two or three hundred yards of the field. At that
point, however, the pony suddenly shied at some stray paper on the
road, and Tommy fell with a crash upon the green case below.
'Eh, Tommy, lad!' cried his father in dismay; 'what hast thoo done?
Wow! but thoo's gan an' smashed Scotty's case right thro' an' thro'!'
His succeeding feeling was one of joy; for, the accident having
irreparably damaged a third at least of his rival's pansies, it was
evident that Scotty was now 'catched,' and Geordie, with an inward
acknowledgment to Providence, saw, as in a vision, Scotty sitting
devoutly 'under' himself in chapel.
A few moments later, however, doubt and dismay entered his soul. What
if Scotty should say Tommy had done it 'o' purpose'--at his
instigation? Further reflection convinced him that this was exactly
what Scotty would say, and doubtless there would be some folk unkind
enough to back him up in it.
Scotty would likelies claim the gun. Well, he'd not mind parting with
that, but he could not give up the prospect of saving Scotty's soul
alive without a groan.
'Eh, Tommy, lad! Eh, Tommy! But thoo divvn't knaa what thoo's done;
thoo's put us in a fine quandary,' he murmured, gazing sadly now at
Tommy, who was rubbing his knee ruefully, and again at the splintered
case. The problem was a 'puzzlor;' even a Jesu-yte might have found
solution difficult; for Scotty, he knew, would not believe him if he
told the simple story of the accident, and winning the prize would be
useless in the face of Scotty's insinuations of foul play.
The only way out of the difficulty, he determined sadly, was to
exhibit his own pansies under Scotty's name, and withdraw from the
contest himself. The contents of the two cases were sufficiently alike
for his purpose, though his own were superior in size and depth of
colour. It was a 'sair trial,' for his pansies were bound to win; but
his character as an honest, religious man was at stake, and Scotty's
triumph would be easier to endure than his sneers, if defeated, at a
'chap who caa's hissel' releegious, an' swindles ye like a Jew
pedlar.'
With a groan he undid the label, and tied it on to his own beloved
specimens, casting aside, as a temptation of the evil one, a
disturbing suggestion that he was guilty of deception in passing off
his own as Scotty's pansies.
* * * * *
The judges had been round, and Scotty's pansies easily gained the
place of pride; pansies so perfectly developed, so dark and deep in
colour, had never been shown before.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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