Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-08-05
Raising the Wind; or, Habbie Simp.
son and his Wife Bath Deid.

| hae nae doot but ye've O. heard
tell o. Habbie Simpson, the piper o.
Kilbsrchan; but I'm no thinking that
ye ever heard the story that I'm gaun
to tell ye about him and his wife
Janet. Well, ye see, ii happened that
Habbie, like mony o. ane noo-a-days,
was gay an fond o. wee drap O. the
"blue," and, as the story gangs, so
was his wife. Very aften it hap
pend that when Habbie yoket q
"fuddle," Janet, she yoket it tae.
Moo, it's an auld Scotch sayin' and a
true ane, that "when candle is
lichtit at bath ends, it sumo burns
dune" 1t was sac verified in the
present case, for Habbie waukenin'
&C mornin' after hard fiddle, says
to Janet, "Rise, woman, aud see if
ye can get me hauf gill, for obi my
head is just liken to split" "Hauf a
gill;" quo Janet; "whau wud | get it,
when there's no a plack in a. the
house? and as for takin' it on, ye ken
that's clean DOT o. the question. Ye
maun jist lie still, and thole the best
way We can" "Oh, Janet" cries
Habbie again, "Ye're no amiss at
scheming. Is there nae way ava
that ye can think o. to raise the
wind?" "I'll tell We what I'll do"
quo Janet; "I'll ava 10 the Laird O.
tombstone, and I'll tell him that ye're
deid, and as ye're great favorite o.
his, Pm sure III get something frae
him to help to bury ye." Cd, thatll
dae grand" quo Habbie. OFF gangs
Janet to the liard's house. Ringing
the bell, the door was opened by the
lady, when seeing Janet sac pitiful
lookin,' her ladyship said, keep US
s'the day, is there onything wrang
at hame, that we hae come here sac
sumo in the morning?" "Wrang" quo
Janet, ditchen her cen wi her apron,
"a's wrang thegither, my lady; as ma
cor Habbie deid?" "Habbie deid!"
quo the lady in surprise. "Aweel a
wat is he," quo Janet, "and sair trial
it is to me, lady, for there's no as
muckle 10 the house this mornin' as
wud feed a sparrow, and whaur to
get onything I'm sure I denna ken,
Oh dear, oh, dear, that it ever should
come to this o'tl" Compose yer
sell Janet" vuo the lady, sand come
here was ben the house, and we will
see what can be dune" In gangs
Janet wi the lady, and in short
time received basket VII some bis
cult and speerits, and other articles
needful for sic an occasion. Janet
thanked the lady for her kindness,
and went AVA hame to Habbie flu
blithely, doom they sat, and they
never rose till they had consumed the
whole contents of the basket. As
the auld sang sings, 1.-THE mair ye drink
the drier ye turn" for they
| were ma suner dune than Habbie
says, "Losh, Janet, was real
guild; can ye no. get some MAR
o't2" "Na, ma, quo Janet, Il
hae played my part; it's your turn
moo" "Oh, very weel," quo Habbie;
eff it's my turn moo, We maun be died
next" "Od, 1 haze nae objections,
vuo' Janet, "awa' ye gang and see
Whist ye can dae." off gangs Habbie,
aud on meetin' the laird just come
frae hunting party, he says, "This
is fine day, laird" ga fine day,
Habbie," quo the laird. "Hoo is a
wi YEP Are ye no comm up to play
Us a spring on the pipes the nicht?"
at wadna look weel, laird, for me to
be seen playing on the pipes at your
house, and my ain wife lying a
corpse at hame" "WhatI is Janet
deid?" quo the laird. "Atweel is
she," quo Habbie; land Pm sure it
couIdna haze happed'd at waur time,
for there's neither meat nor siller in
the house; and hoo to get her de-
Gently aneath the yird, I'm sure |
dinna ken" "Dinna vex yerseP
about that" quo the laird, giving
him some money. "Here is trif1e
for ye in the meantime and come up
to the house by-and.by, and I'll see
what can be dune for We" Habbie
thanked the laird for his kindness,
babe him good day, and went ava
hame weel pleased wi what he had
gotten. Janet was Immediately sent
out WI the bottle to buy mair whis-
key to carry on the spree. In the
meantime hame gangs the laird, when
the first thing he heard was that
Habbie Simpson was died. "Na, ma"
quo he, Sits no Habbie, it's only
Janet" otis Habbie," quo the
lady. "Wasna Janet here this
moruin' hersel,' and telt me; and
didna she get some speerits and
biscuits, as she said there was nae
thing in the house?" "Didna | meet
Habbe just as | was comm hame,"
qao' the lard, when he telt me Janet
was deid; but come, we'll AVA to
Habbie's, and see what they are
about" In the meantime Habbie
and Janet were fuddling ava in
a fine style, and laughing heartily at
the way they had raised the wind,
when Janet cries, "Gude preserve ia,
Habbie, what's to be dune moor l
declare if that's no. the laird and
lady. And they are comm STRAIGHT
here" 81 dinns ken," quo
f1AODle, Wuab w uulOoo We w
bath deid." Sac into the bed they
went, and they were nae suner there
than the laird and lady came in, an
seeing Habbie and Janet lying appar-
emily lifeless, the laird says, "Waes
me, is ma that an awful SIGHT to see.
The man an his wife bath deid. |
would gle five shillings this mo-
ment to ken which of the twa deid
first" The words were nae suner
out o. his mouth than up jumps Hab'
bic, crying, sit was me, laird! Moo
gle me the FIVE shillingsl" 1t is
needless to add, that the laird gave
Habbie some money, and had many
hearty laugh. when he thought on
the way Habbie and his wife mad
taken to "raise the wind."-Scotch
AMERICAN