7
Wise Willie, its ane o' the maukins that gentlemen's dogs worry. What will we do wi't ? Faith, quo' the wife, we'll sing the woo aff, and make fish and sauce o't to my Tammy's, parrich. Na, na, said Wittie Eppie, better gie't o my Lord, and he'll stap an iron stick through the guts o't, and gart rin round afore the fire till it be roasted.
It happened on a dark winter morning, that two of the wives were going to Dysart to sell their fish; and on the road-side there happened to be some tinker's ass tethered. The poor ass, seeing the two wives coming with their creels, thought it was the tinkers coming to ilit or relieve him, fell a-braying: The two wires threw their fish away, and ran home like mad persons, tarying they had seen the deil, ay the very horned deil, and that he spoke to them, but they didna ken what he said, for it spoke waur than a highlandman. The whole town was in an uproar; some would go with picks and spades, and hagg him to pieces; others wad go and catch him in a strong net, and then
