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had but ae sister, and she had as little sense as himsel, she was married on sleeky Willie, the wilie weaver; his mither was a rattling rattle-scull'd wife, and they lived a' in ae house, and every body held them as a family of fools. When John came to man's estate, to the age of twenty one years, he told his mither he would hae a wife o' some sort, either young or auld, widow or lass, if they had but heads and lips, tongue and tail, he should tak them, and weel I wat, mither, quoth he, they'll get a lumping penny-worth o' me get me wha will.
His mither tells him o' the black butcher on Ti'ot side, wha had three daughters, and every ane o' them had something, there was Kate, Ann, and Girzy, had a hundred merks the piece. Kate and Ann had baith bastards. Girzy, the eldest, had a humph back, a high breast, baker legged, a short wry neck, thrawn mouth, and goggle ey'd, perfect Æsop of the female kind, with as many crooked conditions within as without, a very lump of loon-like ill-nature, row'd a' together, as if she had
