14 of 98

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 8

Fingal by his father. She even remembered the insight that Fingal had discovered about it. "Merrybell, my lover, isn't it a wonder that I should be the only son of a man who was my only father?" But Merrybell had nothing of her own that she did not bring to the wedding herself, except the land and the shack in which they dwelt.
Merrybell sighed, and said in a voice grown unnaturally wise from speaking for so long to a fool, "Of course not, Fingal. I have everything I need."

Fingal smiled and put a clay pipe between his lips. There was no tobacco in the pipe, and he did not light it, for when he had smoked before her when they courted, Merrybell had told him that she could not abide the reek of a pipe. Fingal did not give up the pipe, but he had immediately given up smoking.
"I have had a thought, Merrybell, my lover. We are young and we have all that we want. Shall we not have children so that they may have all that they want?"
Merrybell, had considered a family for many years, and indeed it was her greatest tragedy, for she knew what life those children would suffer. So she never brought it up, but visited the fields to find that herb they called Appleringie. And she did not tell her foolish husband what she did. But now he had gotten it into his mind to have children.
"Fingal, you are a fool, and there are too many fools in the world already for us to go planning on bringing in more."
Fingal furrowed his brow and thought for a long moment. "It seems to be, Merrybell , my lover, that if fools brought forth fools and wise men brought forth wise men the way sheep know how to bring forth lambs and goats only bring forth kids, then the world would be wiser for it, and the fools would disappear entire. For my da' was no fool, so he told me, but had raised the greatest fool he had ever heard tell, though I blush to brag of it!"
Merrybell clapped her hands and laughed in delight, while Fingal looked at her in all seriousness. "Oh, Fingal, to marry a fool is every woman's curse, but I have married a fool that can make me laugh."
When she had settled back and took up her knitting again, she pronounced firmly, "We'll not talk of children, Fingal. It makes me sad, but children are expensive and we have no money for their raising."
Again, Fingal thought in silence, occasionally removing the pipe from between his lips and tapping it against his knee, the replacing it. Finally, he removed it and gestured at Merrybell with it as he spoke. "Merrybell, my lover, I know that

• << previous page
• 1
• 2
• 3
• ...
• 8
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Short stories: Soul mates?
We want to hear your view. Write now!