Page:History of the haveral wives, or, The folly of witless women displayed.pdf/4

( 4 ) ſculdudery wark, but ſays na muckle againſt it, for a hantle bits o' callans wad a gotten twa or three baſtards before they was gotten breeks; they bid to ha'e ti of every thing that grew mony time my father wiſht they wad rake tiths o' his hemp too, if it were to hang themſelves. They were ay warſt whare a poor man or wife died, though they left weans fatherleſs and motherleſs deed they wad ſent their bellman, and wi' his lang prelatic fingers he wad harled the upper pair o' blankets af the poor things beds for ſome rent they gard folk pay for dying fae did they een; and yet they kept a hantle brav haly days, when we get our weims fu' o' fat broſe, and ſuppie Yule towns till our ſarks had been like to rives and after tha, eaten roaſted cheeſe and white pudding well ſpiced, o' braw tinſes for the guts! Well I was ony body might live then that has any thing to live on.

Mag But dear Janet, ye're braw and lang o' the memory, do yo mind o' the waeln' blaſt when the ſoul thief was raging in the air, and the de’il dang down a' the kail-yard dykes, cutted the corn ſtack, tirr'd the houſes, and blew giddy Willy's wig in the wall? They ſaid it was ſome young miniſter that had rais'd the de'il and for want o' a cock, a cat, or ſome unkirſen'd creature to gi'e him, they cou'dna get him laid again, as he brake the bridle, flipped his head, and ran frae them.

Jan. A deed woman I heard tell o' that and how wood Willy M'Neil met him on the ſtaps i' the mids o' the water and ſhot him o'er and thought to drown him, but he gaed down the water like a meikle branded bull going down the water a' burning fire. But I mind the firſt time the de'il came to this country was on a Sunday: I was a were bit gaun laſſie; my father and a' the men folk was at th kirk, there was twa o' them, a humel'd ane and a horn'd ane, a gude man de'il ard a gudewife de'il as we took the to be, we ran a' into the houſe and my mither barr'd the door and hunted the dogs out at the byre-hole thinking the de'il wad rin frae the dogs; but na na, they gat upon their tae end like twa auld men; they were a' rough la hair like a pyet horſe, wi' lang beards aneath their chin, ra