Page:Jockey & Maggy's courtship, and unlucky marriage.pdf/18

 Up gets Jockey, an rins o’er the rigs for John Roger’s wife, auld Kitty the howdy; but or he wan back, she parted wi’ Patrick thro’ perfect spite, an then lay twa-fauld o’er a stool in a swoon.

Jock. A-well, sirs, tho’ my firstborn is e’en dead without seeing the light of the warld, ye’s a’ get bread an cheese to the blythemeat, the thing we shou’d a war’d on the banket will fair the burial, an that will ay be fome advantage; an Maggy shou’d die, I maun een tak Jenny, the tane is as far a length as the tither; I’se be furnish’t wi’ a wife between the twa.

But Maggy grew better the next day, and was able to muck the byre; yet there gaed sic a tittle-tatlin thro’ the town, every auld wife tell'd anither o’t, an a’ the light-hippet hissies that rins between towns at ee, tugging at their tow-rocks, spread it round the kintry, and every body’s mouth was fill’d wi’ Jockey and Jenny, an how Maggy had parted wi’ bairn.

At last Mess John Hill hears of the foul fact, and sends the Elder of that quarter and Clinkum Bell the grave-maker, to summon Jockey and Jenny to the Session, and to see how the stool of repentance wad set them. No sooner had they entered the door, but Maggy fa’s a greeting and wringing her hands! Jockey’s fell a flyting, and he himself a-rubbing his lugs, and riving his hair,