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three pun and a crown; wunnet beate a hair o’ my beard.” “What can to dui?” says anudder. “ Dul—wey I cun plough, sow, mow, shear, thresh, dike, milk, kurn, muck a byer, sing a psalm, mend cargear, dance a whornpype, nick a nag’s tail, hunt a brock, or feight iver a yen o’ my weight in aw Croglin parish.”
An auld bearded hussy suin caw’d me her man;
But that day, I may say’t, aw my sorrow began.
Furst, Cowley, peur fellow! they hang’d i’ the street,
And skinn’d, God forgie them! for shoon to their feet,
I cry’d, and they caw’d me poor half-witted clown,
And banter’d and follow’d me all up and down;
Neist my deam she e’en starv’d me that ever liv’d weel,
Her hard words and luiks wad hae freeten’d the de’il.
She had a lang beard, for aw t’warl’ like a billygoat, wi’ a kiln-dried frosty face, and then the smawest leg o’ mutton in aw Carel market sarved the cat, me and her for a week. The bairns meade see gam on us, and thundered at the rapper, as if to waken a corp; when I opened the duir, they threw stour i’ my e’en, and caw’d me daft Watty;
Sae I pack’d up my duds when my quarter was out,
And, wi’ weage i’ my pocket, I saunter’d about.
Suin my reet hand breek pocket they pick’d in a fray,
And wi’ fifteen white shillings they slipp d clean away,
Forby my twee letters frae mudder and Nan,
Where they said Carel lasses wad Watty trapan;
