You are focusing on the literature piece
The first gap is filled with "borrowed" (actually, borrow'd) (it means that it's easiest to convince young people with gifts).
The second gap is best filled with "fortunes"
Here the fortunes actually don't refer to something fortunate, but infortunate: the mourning of the speaker)
He use of suspense creeps up on the reader almost without notice
<span>They bring in their own calves and lambs / to feast the friends of the bride-to-be, yes, is my best guess since i havent read the whole thing :) - beanz</span>
Fractions are not whole numbers, while in subtraction, you will have a 'fraction' AND A WHOLE NUMBER
