Page 14 - Heart of the Travellers Vol 3 ed 2 May 2017

Fin she saw the look ontae his face she teen a bit o peety on him an speired him tae come inside.

Wully hid nivver met Scorranclach's wife so he didna ken if she wiz even the richt person but fin he saw the

photie o him an her on the mantlepiece he kent at least that bit wiz richt eneuch. She tellt him her man hid been

killed at a place caad the Somme in October 1915. At this Wully near took a dwam. Fin he cam tee a bittie, he

speired at her fit the date wiz. She nivver lat myeowt but gaed tae the dresser and handit him the People's Freen.

On the tap o the page wi a thumpin hairt he read Tuesday 17th September 1920.

“Na na this canna be richt I've only been awa fae here fower nichts an it wiz the month o September 1913 an
yer tryin tae tell ma it's 1920!”

She burst oot greetin eence mair sayin, “It's true I'm nae tellin lees. My Jock is deed an this is 1920!”

Wully kent then he'd hin the comehither on him and that the aal mannie must've been een o the Gweed

Fowk. He'd kept him for syven years an a day for that is fit is said; there is ayewis a day added tae the years- that is

your day! Aa but Wully widna rest easy until he kent fit hid been gyan on so he askit the woman if it wid be aaricht
tae leave his bike in the byre.

He startit up the glen again an this time wi nae bein trauchled

wi the bike he made gweed time. Aboot an oor later he cam tae

the wee side glen an made his wye up. He'd rest fin he reached the

holy well an nae afore! The aifterneen wiz weel on by the time he

cam tae the well but that didna maitter. He hid tae prove
something tae himsel. He lookit aroon for the carved steen an sure

eneuch, he saa the marks he'd made wi his fit scrapin aff the goor.

Nae wye hid syven year gin by or his marks wid be awa lang syne.

He sat doon for a meenit or twa afore he set aff eence mair up
the glen. There wiz nae problem this time tae get this far up for nae mist cam rollin aff the hills. He found the

shepherd's bucht athoot ony trouble an fin he did he near fell awa. The bucht wiz still there richt eneuch but in

ruins, the waas were tummled doon an the sod reef hid faaen in. Nae fowk hid bidden in there for mony a lang

year.

Steppin inaboot tae the bit faar the door hid been he saa something lyin there that made the hairs on the

back o his neck staan straacht up.It wiz the finger boord o the shepherd's aal fiddle. Wully pickit it up kennin fine
as he did that it wiz the fingerboord because o the beaded mither o pearl inlay on the edges. A raik aboot aneth

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