Page 12 - Heart of the Travellers Vol 3 ed 2 May 2017

Wully thankfully teen a fair drouth o't an felt it deein its work as it heated his cheeled beens. The aal man wint by

the name o Hebbie Gow an hid bade aboot here aa his days. Wullie tellt tae him aa the news fae aboot the glens

for he kent fine the shepherds were aye hungry for news aboot the ongyans o fowk they ken. Fin it came doon tae

the reason for him bein up the glen Wully tellt him he wiz aifter rubbit skins but Hebbie hid nae sic thing and said

it wiz only noo an then his dog wid come in wi yin for their supper.

The aal man speired o Wullie if he wiz een o the Tinkler lads that eesed tae bide aboot the Bin. But naa Wullie
wisna o that clan- he cam fae anither clan farrer awa nor that . He hailed fae the Buchan at a place caad the Brunty

aside Knaven. Aifter a big caap o pottage an anither een o toddy Wully felt in affa gweed fettle and him an Hebbie

got doon tae spikkin music an in nae time Wully hid oot his box.It wiz his pride an joy, a Hohner Sunray wi twinty
base.

Seen the bucht wiz fulled o music an the aal man's face beamed as he listened tae the tunes. “Michty me loon

ye can fair mak that thing stott!”

An in a meenit he teen doon aa aal battered fiddle fae the heed o the big press an jined in wi Wully. They

played for oors an they only dauchled fin the aal man lichted the fir cannle tae pit some licht on the ongyauns an

of coorse tae hae anither sup toddy. Wully let him hear some o Scott Skinner's tunes an michty they gaed doon

weel: he'd nivver heard ony o his stuff afore. He in turn played tunes by Gow an Marshall- some o them though
Wully hid heard afore and could jine in wi.

Aifter a gran nicht the aal man bade Wully tae sleep on the deese an gave him a thick blanket made o

hamespun an biggit up the fire wi a load o peat. The aal man gaed tae the back o the room faar there wiz a bun-in-
bed wi doors on it, itsel jist like a big press but on its side. Wulliy wiz jist aboot asleep fin the collie cam up aside

him an cooried its wye aneth the blanket but Wully wiz far ower tired tae bother and jist left the craiter happit wi

the blanket. The neist day wisna ony better regardin the mist an Wully wiz fairly stuck; the aal man though wiz rale

chuffed for he enjoyed Wully's company an widna complain o a fylie langer.

So that day Wully helpit the aal man aboot the place, takkin in peats an gettin watter fae the wall. The collie
stuck tae him like glue, its tail gan ivvery time he peyed it the least bit o attention. The dogs name wiz Loochy an

12