they wad never mair part; would, more
70 Till fuff! he started up the lum, chimney
And Jean had e’en a sair heart sore
To see’t that night.
Poor Willie, wi’ his bow-kail runt, cabbage stalk
Was burnt wi’ primsie Mallie; prudish
75 An’ Mary, nae doubt, took the drunt, no, huff
To be compar’d to Willie:
Mall’s nit lap out, wi’ pridefu’ fling, nut leaped
An’ her ain fit, it burnt it; own foot
While Willie lap, an’ swoor by jing, jumped, swore with conviction
80 ’Twas just the way he wanted
To be that night.
Nell had the Fause-house in her min’, corn drying structure
She pits hersel an’ Rob in; puts
In loving bleeze they sweetly join, heat/flame
85 Till white in ase they’re sobbin: ashes
Nell’s heart was dancin at the view;
She whisper’d Rob to leuk for’t: tasted
Rob, stownlins, prie’d her bonie mou, stealthily, kissed, mouth
Fu’ cozie in the neuk for’t, snugly, corner
90 Unseen that night.
But Merran sat behint their backs, Marion
Her thoughts on Andrew Bell;
She lea’es them gashan at their cracks, gabbing, conversation
An’ slips out by hersel:
95 She thro’ the yard the nearest taks,
An’ to the kiln she goes then,
An’ darklins grapet for the bauks, darkness, groped, cross-beam
And in the blue-clue8 throws them, yarn
Right fear’t that night.
100 An’ ay she win’t, an’ ay she swat, winded, sweated
I wat she made nae jaukin; bet, no delay
Till something held within the pat, pot/kiln
Guid Lord! but she was quakin! shaking
But whether ’twas the Deil himsel,
105 Or whether ’twas a bauk-en’, end of a beam
Or whether it was Andrew Bell,
She did na wait on talkin not
To spier that night. inquire/find out
Wee Jenny to her Graunie says, grandmother
110 ‘Will ye go wi’ me, Graunie?
I’ll eat the apple9 at the glass,
I gat frae uncle Johnie:’ got, from
She fuff’t her pipe wi’ sic a lunt, puffed, such, smoke
In wrath she was sae vap’rin, so, agitated
115 She notic’t na an aizle brunt not, cinder, burnt
Her braw, new, worset apron good, worsted/twisted yarn
Out thro’ that night.
‘Ye little Skelpie-limmer’s-face! hussy
I daur ye try sic sportin, dare, such
120 As seek the Foul Thief onie place, any
For him to spae your fortune: foretell
Nae doubt but ye may get a sight! no
Great cause ye hae to fear it; have
For monie a ane has gotten a fright, many, one
125 An’ liv’d an’ died deleeret, delerious/insane
On sic a night. such
‘Ae Hairst afore the Sherra-moor, one harvest before
I mind’t as weel’s yestreen, well as yesterday
I was a gilpey then, I’m sure young girl
130 I was na past fyfteen: not
The Simmer had been cauld an’ wat, summer, cold, wet
An’ Stuff was unco green; corn
An’ ay a rantan Kirn we gat, rollicking, harvest, got
An’ just on Halloween
135 It fell that night.
‘Our stibble-rig was Rab M’Graen, leader of the reapers
A clever, sturdy fallow; fellow
His Sin gat Eppie Sim wi’ wean, son, got, child
That lived in Achmachalla:
140 He gat hemp-seed,10 I mind it weel, got, well
An’ he made unco light o’t;
But monie a day was by himsel, many
He was sae sairly frighted so sorely
That vera night.’
145 Then up gat fechtan Jamie Fleck, got fighting
An’ he swoor by his conscience, swore
That he could saw hemp-seed a peck; sow
For it was a’ but nonsense:
The auld guidman raught down the pock, old good-, reached, bag
150 An’ out a handfu’ gied him; gave
Syne bad him slip frae ’mang the folk, then, bade, from
