Mit.] Hout tout ay, ye ’tis auld wives is ay fu’ o’ reets an religious fashions, them that look to frets, reets follows them, but is six an thirty years since I was a married wife, an I never kend a Sabbath day by anither ane, monny a time till the bell rang.
Mar.] Dear guidwife what need ye speak sae loud? ye fright the wean wi' crying sae, sec as it starts.
Mit.] Ay, ay, the bystarts is ay that way, but ken ye the reason o’ that.
Mar.] Ye that kens the reason of every thing, may soon find out that too.
Mit.] A deed than woman I’ll tell you, the merry begotten weans, ’tis bystarts I mean, is red wood half wittet hillocket sort o’ creatures; for an it bo na ane among twenty o’ them, they're a’ fear’d o' the getting, for there’s few o' them gotten in beds like honest fouks bairns; but in out-houses, auld barns, backs o’ dykes, an kill-logies, whare there’t ay some body wandering about to fear poor needfu’ persons at their job o’ journey-wark: for weel ken I the gates o’t, experience gars me speak.
Jock.] A deed mither that’s very true, for whan ⟨I⟩ was getting the wean at the black hole o’the peat ⟨track⟩, John Gammer's muckle Colley came in behind us wi’ a bow wow o’ a great goul, just aboon my buttocks; an as I am a sinner he gart me loup laverock height, an’ we got the wean for a’ that.
Mit.] A weel then Johnny, that maks my words good yet.
Jenny answers out o’ the bed. A shame fa’ your fashions ye hae nae muckle to keep whan ye tell how ⟨it⟩ was gotten, or what was at the getting o’t.
Jock.] A shame fa’ yoursel Jenny, for I hae ⟨gotten⟩ my part o’ the shame else, an gin ye hadna tell’d first there wad nane kend, for naebody saw us but John Gammel's auld colly, and he’s no a sufficient witness.
Mar.] Now guidwife, amang a’ the tales ye hae tell'd me, how is this wean to be maintain'd?
C 2
