He then delivered what was simply a verbal will, directing how they should dispose of and divide his property and effects, and concluded as follows:—
“When your mother and I were married, we were both of us full of old sayings and proverbs, and we thought, like most others, that their meaning should be taken in the plainest and fullest signification; and as most of them are universally allowed to contain a great deal of wisdom and good sense, we thought that whoever regulated his or her conduct strictly according to their rule, would of necessity be the wisest person in the world.
One of these sayings, that I had been taught to believe was one of the wisest ever pronounced by man, was, ‘there’s luck in leisure,’ and this was my most favourite maxim; but when I got married, I found that your mother—that your mother had a favourite one also—‘delays are dangerous.’
Well, the first year, when the corn was coming up, a corn factor came to this part of the country, and offered a middling fair price for an average crop. Mary bade me take it, as I’d have that much money certain, and if the season should turn out bad, the factor would be the sufferer, and I’d be safe.
‘Take it at once,’ said she; ‘you know “delays are dangerous.”’
I began to consider that if the season should be only middling, inclining to bad, I might get as much money still, as the factor offered; and if it should turn out fine, the crop would produce a great deal more, whilst it would be only in the event of a bad season that I’d be apt to lose. ‘There’s luck in leisure,’ said I; ‘I’ll wait.’
Well, the season was dreadful: most of the crops were totally destroyed, and we suffered more than almost any of the neighbours. I was afraid to look Mary in the face, when I had made out the extent of my loss, but she only said, ‘Come, Jemmy, it can’t be helped; the worse luck now, the better another time. You’ll attend more to wise old sayings for the future; they were made out of wiser heads than yours.’
‘Ah, but, Mary, a-cushla, it was following an old saying that I was; sure you have often heard say, “there’s luck in leisure.”’ ‘Poh,’ said she, ‘that’s only a foolish saying, take my word for it.’
Next year the sky-farmer came again. He had lost nothing, for no one would deal with him, on his terms, the year before; and to hear how heartlessly he’d jeer and jibe them that had the sore hearts in their bosoms, and calculate up for them how much they had lost, and then he’d say, he supposed they would’nt refuse a good offer another time. Well, I asked him was he going to make me a good offer, and he said he would’nt care if he did, and he offered as much as would hardly pay the rent, letting alone seed and labour. ‘Why,’ said I, ‘you’ll give as much as you offered last year.’ ‘Not I indeed,’ said he; ‘I bought experience instead of corn last year, and you paid for it;’ and he laughed, and shook himself with glee, and chuckled, and jingled the guineas in his pockets, until I was hardly able to keep from knocking him down.
Well, I higgled and bargained, and tried to raise him, but not another penny would he give; and at last he said that he was going away in the morning, and so I might take it or leave it, as I liked—he would’nt force his money on any man, not he. ‘Delays are dangerous,’ thought I; and, though it was a certain loss, I agreed.