Page:Henry Blyth's contract.pdf/8

 you ken maistris, you sent me to the officer's wife to harrow her wheat i' the Diverlane a' afternoon; sae as I was tellin you, by com's his honour ridin on a hawk, an a horse on's arm, an thinkin I was as auld as the officer's wife, says good day, honest man, can you set me upo' a mauken hereabout, the de'il a bit; o' me is an honest man, cothie, an please your honour cothie, I'm but the minister's lad, an I'm laborin this honest woman's butt, her guidman's sae trachled wi' my lord's wark, that we maun pit him alike wi's neighbours. Indeed, lad cothie, the gentels taks a hantle uphaddin. Ay ay, stir, cothie, bat an gentle fo'ks was semple fo'ks, an semple fo'ks was gentle fo'ks, semple fo'k wad be like gentle fo'k, an gentle fo'k wad be like semple folk, wi' that up gat a flock o' Fushicads, and he geds wa's at the gallop.

I'll no contain you any longer, maistris, for I'm a mind to confer a wife gin the warld dinna mend, for we canna get naething but fat we buy, an de'il hed wi' hae to buy it wi'. I had ains a idle life fan I was a malitious man, an shot our guns at the moon to learn us to had aff the whigs at, Bothwell brig; we had nae wark than bat to lay down our things on the ground, an com back and fore; yet gin ony mist to tak his neighbour's thing instead o' his ain, he gat o'er the crown.

Well maistris, this be your leave, an I wiss as well, an very wife fo'k says. That be a'st likes, an it bina the tae way it will be the tither; an that we'll hae king or queen, or some other thing, or else naething at a', an then fo'ks canna readily be out o' condition.