Page:Beauties of Burn's poems.pdf/119

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The fourth a Highland-Donald, hastie,
And d—n'd Kilburnie blastie:
Forbye a cowte, o' cowtes the wale,
As ever ran afore a tail;
Gin he be spar'd to be a beast,
He'll draw me fifteen pand at least.—
Wheel carriages I hae but few,
Three carts, and twa are feckly new;
An auld wheel-barrow, mair for token,
Ae leg and baith the trams are broken;
I made a poker o' the spindle,
And my auld mother burnt the trundle.—
For men, I've three mischievous boys,
Run-deils for rantin and for noise!
A gadsman ane, a thrasher t'other,
Wee Davock hauds the nowte in fother.
I rule them, as I ought, discreetly,
And aft-n labour them completely;
And aye on Sundays, duly nightly,
I on the questions tairge them tightly;
Till, faith, wee Davock's turn'd sae gleg,
Tho' scarcely langer than my leg,
He'll screed you aff Effectual-Calling
As fast as ony in the dwalling.—
I've nane in female servin station,
(L—d keep me aye frae a' temptation!)
I hae nae wife, and that my bliss is,
And ye hae laid nae tax on misses;
For weans, I'm mair than weel contented,
Heav'n sent me ane mair than I wanted;
$\scriptstyle {\left.{\begin{matrix}\ \\\\\ \ \end{matrix}}\right\}\,}$My sonsie, smirking, dear-bought Bess,
She stares the daddy in her face,
Enough of ought you like but grace;