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



I pit nae doot but ye a' heard tell o' Habbie Simpson, the Piper o' Kilbarchan, bit I'm no thinking that ye ever heard the story that am gaun to tell ye about him and his wife Janet. Weel, ye see, it sae happened, that Habbie, like mony mae noo a-days, was gayan fend o'a wee drap o' the blue, and as the story gaugs, sae was his wife; so that it gayan aften happened, that when Habbie yoket the fuddle, Janet, she yoket it too. Noo it's an auld Scotch saying and a true ane, that when a caunel's lichtet at baith ends, it sune burns dune—an' it was sae verified in the present case, for Habbie waukening ae merning after a hard fuddle, says to Janet, "Rise, woman, and see if ye can get me hauf a gill; for oh! ma heed is jist likin' to split.' "Hauf a gill!" quo' Janet, "whaur wud I get it, when there's no a plack in a' the house; and as for takin' it on ye ken that's clean out o' the quastionquestion [sic]; sae ye maur jist lie still and thole the best way ye can." "Oh Janet," cries Habbie again, "ye're no amiss at scheming; is there nae way ava ye can think o' to raise the line wun?" "I'll tell ye what I'll do," quo' Janet, "I'll awa to the Laird O' Johnstone, and I'll tell him {{reconstruct|that} yo're dead, and as ye're a great favourite o' his, I'm sure I'll get something frae him, to help to bury ye." "Od, that 'ill do grand," quo' Habbie. So up get Janet, and awa to the Laird's house; when ringing the bell, the door was opened by the lady, wha seeing Jane sae pitifu' lukin', she says, "Keep us a' the day, an