Jack and the Devil's Purse by Duncan Williamson Read Free Book Online Page A

thought it was a wonderful idea.
    ‘Now all come on,’ he says, ‘before me and your mother, shake hands on it!’
    So the three laddies shook hands across the table. The agreement was made.
    ‘Now,’ he says ‘remember, if one o’ youse comes back with a bonnie wife and the other two come back with nothing, there’ll be no squabbling!’
    They made their promise to their father.
    So that day the old farmer went up and got a puckle money. And it was Sandy, the oldest brother.
    ‘Right, Sandy,’ he says, ‘there’s your money. Take as many clothes with you as you want. Now off you go! I’ll send Willie off the morn. What direction are you going, son?’
    ‘Ach, Father,’ he says, ‘I’ll go north.’
    So they bade him goodbye at the door and away he went.
    The next day it was Willie’s turn. So Willie stood at the door. The old farmer gave him money. And he took a weepuckle clothes with him, whatever he wanted, a few things he got from his mother to keep him along the road.
    ‘What way are you going now, Willie?’ the old farmer says.
    ‘Ach,’ Willie says, ‘I’ll go east.’
    ‘All right,’ the farmer says, ‘mind you go! Remember, a year and a day you’d better be back here, wife or no wife!’
    So off Willie went.
    Now the third day it was Jack’s turn. The old man and woman came to the door. You ken, the old woman was near in tears because this was her youngest laddie!
    ‘God knows what’ll happen to them,’ she says. ‘They could get into trouble and they could spend all their money . . . God knows what’ll happen to them!’
    But the old farmer says, ‘We made the plan, didn’t we? Well, you agreed with it as much as I did.’
    So he gave Jack his money. Jack kissed his mother, shook hands with his father.
    ‘Where are you going, brother?’ he says to Jack.
    ‘Ach, Father, I’ll go west. I’ll follow the wind.’
    So anyway, we’ll have to start with Sandy, the eldest brother. Sandy travels on and on he goes. A couple of days going here and going there. And Sandy was a good worker. He came to this farm and he asked for lodgings.
    ‘Oh,’ the farmer said, ‘I’ll give you lodgings, laddie.’
    He had travelled for two days. He was well away from where his father and mother were. ‘I’ll give you lodgings, fine. But you’ll have to do me a wee bit work first.’
    ‘Oh,’ Sandy said, ‘I’m willing to work!’
    ‘You’d better come in,’ he said, ‘and have something to eat then.’
    So he brought him in to the table. And the first thingturned in was this young woman, a bonnie-looking young lassie. And she’s serving. She’s looking at Sandy and putting all these tasty things in front o’ him. Sandy looked and eyed her up and down.
    ‘Aye,’ he says, ‘she’s no bad. She’s no bad at all! That would suit me fine!’ So he sat and cracked to the old farmer. He told him, ‘I’ll do all the work you want. In fact, I’m looking for a job.’ The farmer was so pleased with Sandy’s work, within a week Sandy stayed there. He bade with the old farmer.
    So Willie travelled away, on and on. He travelled on and the next day he came to a big town. But what happened? With the walking didn’t the sole fall off his boot! So in bygone days in the wee streets in the villages there were always cobblers. They called them the ‘souter’, for mending folk’s boots. And this was the first sign he saw above a door. The sole was dragging on his boot.
    He said, ‘I’ll have to get this fixed. I can’t go farther without getting this boot fixed.’ So Willie goes into the cobbler’s shop. There’s an old man with a leather apron on, and he’s chapping away at the back o’ the counter. Willie waited.
    But the old man was taking too long. And Willie was giving a big cough to let the old man know he was there. The old man looked round, an old man with grey hair down his back.
    ‘What can I do for you, laddie?’ said this old man.
    ‘Well, to tell you the truth, I’ve