Ye maun min' the tale, better nor I can tell't ye,
concernin' yon meal-girnel--muckle sic like, I daursay, as oor ain,
though it be ca'd a barrel i' the Buik--hit 'at never wastit, ye
ken, an'the uily-pig an' a'--ye'll min' weel--though what ony wuman
in her senses cud want wi' sic a sicht o' ile's mair nor I ever cud
faddom! Eh, but a happy wuman was she 'at had but to tak her bowl
an' gang to the girnel, as I micht tak my pail an' gang to the
wall! An' what for michtna the Almighty mak a meal-wall as weel's a
watter-wall, I wad like to ken! What for no a wall 'at sud rin
ile--or say milk, which wad be mair to the purpose? Ae thing maun
be jist as easy to him as anither--jist as ae thing's as hard to us
as anither! Eh, but we're helpless creturs!"
"I' your w'y, Grizzie, ye wad keep us as helpless as ever, for ye
wad hae a' thing hauden to oor han', like to the bairnie in his
mither's lap! It's o' the mercy o' the Lord 'at he wad mak men an'
women o' 's--no haud's bairns for ever!"
"It may be as ye say, Cosmo; but whiles I cud maist wuss I was a
bairn again, an' had to luik to my mither for a' thing."
"An' isna that siclike as the Lord wad hae o' 's, Grizzie? We canna
aye be bairns to oor mithers--an' for me I wasna ane lang--but we
can an' maun aye be bairns to the great Father o' 's."
"I hae an ill hert, I doobt, Cosmo, for I'm unco hard to content.
An' I'm ower auld noo, I fear, to mak muckle better o'.
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