Page:Raising the wind, or, Habbie Simpson & his wife baith dead.pdf/2



I pit nae doot but ye a' heard tell o' Habbie Simpson, the Piper o Kilbarchan, bit I'm thinking that ye ever heard the story that I'll gaun to tell ye abont him and his wife Jane Weel, ye see, it sae happen'd, that Habbie, li mony mae noo a days, was gayan fond o' a we drap o' the blue, and as the story gangs, sae will his wife; so that it gayan aften happened, this when Habbie yoket the fuddle, Janet, she yoke it to. Noo it's an auld Scotch saying and a trum ane, that when a caunel is lichtet at baith end it sune burns dune--an' it was sae verified in the present case, for Habbie waukening ae morning after a hard fuddle, says to Janet, "Rise, woman and see if ye can get me hauf a gill; for oh! m head is just likin' to split." “Hauf a gill!” quo Janet, “whaur wad I get it, when there's no plack in a' the house? and as for takin' it on, ken that's clean o' the quastion; sae ye maun jin lie still and thole the best way ye can." “Oh Janet,” cries Habbie again, "ye're no amiss scheming ; is there nae way ava ye can think to raise the wun?” “I'll tell ye what I'll do quo' Janet, “I'll awa to the Laird o' Johnston and I'll tell him that ye're dead, and as ye're great favourite o' his, I'm sure I'll get somethin frae him, to help to bury ye." "Od, that 'ill ai grand, quo' Habbie.“