[The Life of Mansie Wauch by David Macbeth Moir]@TWC D-Link bookThe Life of Mansie Wauch CHAPTER X 10/12
Did ye no ken of three young doctors--Eirish students--alang with some resurrectioners, as waff and wild as themsells, firing shottie for shottie with the guard at Kirkmabreck, and lodging three slugs in ane of their backs, forbye firing a ramrod through anither ane's hat ?" This was a wee alarming--"No," quoth I; "no, Isaac, man; I never heard of it." "But, let alane resurrectioners, do ye no think there is sic a thing as ghaists? Guide ye, man, my grannie could hae telled as muckle about them as would have filled a minister's sermons from June to January." "Kay--kay--that's all buff," I said.
"Are there nae cutty-stool businesses--are there nae marriages going on just now, Isaac ?" for I was keen to change the subject. "Ye may kay--kay, as ye like, though; I can just tell ye this:--Ye'll mind auld Armstrong with the leather breeks, and the brown three-story wig--him that was the grave-digger? Weel, he saw a ghaist wi' his leeving een--aye, and what's better, in this very kirkyard too.
It was a cauld spring morning, and daylight just coming in, whan he cam to the yett yonder, thinking to meet his man, paidling Jock--but Jock had sleepit in, and wasna there.
Weel, to the wast corner ower yonder he gaed, and throwing his coat ower a headstane, and his hat on the tap o't, he dug away with his spade, casting out the mools, and the coffin handles, and the green banes and sic like, till he stoppit a wee to take breath .-- What! are ye whistling to yoursell ?" quoth Isaac to me, "and no hearing what's God's truth ?" "Ou, ay," said I; "but ye didna tell me if onybody was cried last Sunday ?"--I would have given every farthing I had made by the needle, to have been at that blessed time in my bed with my wife and wean.
Ay, how I was gruing! I mostly chacked off my tongue in chittering .-- But all would not do. "Weel, speaking of ghaists--when he was resting on his spade he looked up to the steeple, to see what o'clock it was, wondering what way Jock hadna come, when lo! and behold, in the lang diced window of the kirk yonder, he saw a lady a' in white, with her hands clasped thegither, looking out to the kirkyard at him. "He couldna believe his een, so he rubbit them with his sark sleeve, but she was still there bodily; and, keeping ae ee on her, and anither on his road to the yett, he drew his coat and hat to him below his arm, and aff like mad, throwing the shool half a mile ahint him.
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