A celebrated attendant upon the sheriff, well known for his activity in
the execution of his orders, as well as for taking a bit comfortable
guzzle when finances would afford it, was one Sabbath day snugly seated
in a pew behind the bailies at church. Will had not been there long till
he was soon lulled into a sweet slumber, and found himself seated along
with his companions over a good imperial half-mutchkin; and in a short
time the reckoning came a-paying when some of the party insisted it was
already paid. However, Will happened not to be of that opinion, and true
to his integrity, bawled out with all his might in the midst of the
sermon, "No, no, by my faith it's no pay't, we have had just ae
half-mutchkin, an' twa bottles o' ale, an' there's no a fardin o't
pay't."
_Grave-Digger of Sorn._
The grave-digger of Sorn, Ayrshire, was as selfish and as mean a sinner
as ever handled mattock or carried mortcloth. He was a very querulous
and discontented old man, with a voice like the whistle of the wind
through a key-hole. On a bleak Sunday afternoon in the country, an
acquaintance from a neighbouring parish accosted him one day, and asked
how the world was moving with him. "Oh, very puirly, sir, very puirly
indeed," was the answer, "the yard has done nothing ava for us this
summer,--if you like to believe me I havena buriet a leevin' soul this
sax weeks."
_Scottish Parrot._
A parrot perched upon a pole at a cottage door, beaking itself in the
sun, was observed by a rapacious hawk, which happened to be passing over
it, suddenly dived down and seized poor Poll by the back; away the hawk
flew with his prey. When passing over a garden Poll observed his old
friend the gardener, and exclaimed, "I'm ridin' noo, John Laurie." Hawky
alarmed at hearing a voice so near, darted into a tree for safety, when
after recovering a little, commenced to devour poor Poll, when it roared
out with all its might, "Will you bite, you rascal." The hawk terrified
out of its wits, flew off with a birr, leaving Poll to proceed homewards
at pleasure.
_The Restless Haggis._
Daft Will Callander lived with his sister Babie, in Port-Glasgow. Babie
kept a lodging-house for sailors. One Saturday night Babie was making a
Haggis for Sunday's dinner, when one of her lodgers put four ounces of
quick-silver into the haggis unknown to Babie. On Sunday Will was left
at home to cook the dinner; but when the pot began to boil, the haggis
would be out of the pot. Will, faithful to his charge, held the lid on
the pot until his patience was exhausted; at last Will ran off to the
church for Babie. She sat in one of the back pews. Will beckoned to her
two or three times; Babie as often nodded and winked to Will to be
quiet. At last he bawled out, "Babie, come hame, for I believe the
de'il's got into the haggis, it'll no bide in the pat; it's out dancing
on the floor, and if I had not locked the door, I think it would have
been at the kirk as soon's mysel."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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