( 5 )
wind follow with such force, as I thought made the
stone on which I leaned to move, upon this I burst
out a laughing immediately, up gets the wife and
runs for it, and I followed hard after into the house
and at entering the door, heard the goodman saying,
Ay, ay, goodwife, what's a' the haste, ye rin sae.
No more passed until I addressed myself to the
goodman for quarters ; when he answered, indeed
lad, we have me beds but three for my wife and I,
and the twa bits o' weans, Willie and Jenny; the
twa lads, Willie Black and Tam Ploughgraith lys in
anither, and Auld Maggy my mother, and the lass
Jean Thrum lies the gither and fills them a’. O but
says I, goodman, there is some of them fuller than
others, you may let me lye with your mother and
the lass, I shall lye heads and thraws wi’ them, and
keep on my breeks ; a good keep me; quoth the
lass, frae a temptation to sin, altho’ thou be gallant
haith I’ll rather lye with Sannock Gard’ner, gae ’wa
quoth the auld wife the poor lad may lye on a bottle o’ strae ayond the fire, na, na, cries the goodwife
he’s nae be here the night, or I’se nae be here; dear
goodwife, said I, what ails ye at me ? will you let me
go where I please ? Ay, ay, said she, gang where ye
like, then I got in beyond the goodman; now said
I goodwife, I like to be here; a de’il be here, an ye
be here this night, said she ; ho, ho, said I, but I'm
here first, and first come first serv’d goodwife; but
as the ill thief be a friend ol yours, you’ll have
room enough for him ; tute, ye thief like woodyfu’,
quoth she, are ye evening me to be fib to the de’il,
it’s well kend I’m come of honest fouk. It may be
so, goodwife, said I, but ye look rather the other
way when ye wad lodge the de’il in your house rather than a poor chapman, that ye wad ca out to die
in sie a stormy night as this. What do ye say,
quoth she, there’s nae a bonnier night since winter
came in nor this, O goodwife what ar ye saying,
