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Till, stop! she trotted thro' them a';
And wha was it but Grumphie,
Asteer that night.
And wha was it but Grumphie,
Asteer that night.
Meg fain wad to the Barn hae gane,
To win' three wechts o' naething[1];
But for to meet the Deil her lane,
She pat but little faith in:
She gies the herd a pickle nits,
And twa red-cheekit apples,
To watch, while for the Barn she sets,
In hopes to see Tam Kipples
That vera night.
To win' three wechts o' naething[1];
But for to meet the Deil her lane,
She pat but little faith in:
She gies the herd a pickle nits,
And twa red-cheekit apples,
To watch, while for the Barn she sets,
In hopes to see Tam Kipples
That vera night.
She turns the key wi' cannie thraw,
And owre the threshold ventures:
But first on Sawnie gies a ca',
Syne bauldly in she enters;
A ratton rattl'd up the wa',
And she cried, L—d preserve her!
And owre the threshold ventures:
But first on Sawnie gies a ca',
Syne bauldly in she enters;
A ratton rattl'd up the wa',
And she cried, L—d preserve her!
- ↑ This charm must likewise be performed unperceived and alone. You go to the Barn, and open both doors, taking them off their hinges, if possible; for there is danger that the Being about to appear, may shut the doors, and do you some mischief. Then take that instrument used in winnowing the corn, which, in our country-dialect, we call a wecht, and go through all the attitudes of letting down corn against the wind: Repeat it three times, and the third time an apparition will pass through the Barn, in at the windy door and out at the other, having both the figure in question, and the appearance and retinue marking the employment or station in life.
E
