#Johnny Caup

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RiP various D&Dorks characters

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Excerpt from “Johnny Gibb of Gushetneuk in the Parish of Pyketillim (With Glimpses of the Parish Politics about A.D. 1843)” by William Alexander:

Chapter XVI:

A Start in Life

(With translation from Scots to English. Part 1 of 3)

On a certain afternoon, about a week before the Whitsunday term of 1842, Johnny Gibb, who had been busy afield, came toddling home when the afternoon was wearing on, and went into the “mid hoose,” to look out sundry blue-checked cotton bags with turnip seed, for he meditated sowing of that valued root. He was hot and tired, and his spouse invited him to rest for a little on the deece. Would he take a drink of ale?

(A deece, or deas, was, per the glossary, “a long wooden seat in the form of a sofa, with panelled back, and no padding.”)

“Ay will aw, ’oman,” said Johnny, “an’ ye hae’t at han’. Lat’s see the caup there.”

“Yes, will I, woman,” said Johnny, “if you have it at hand. Let’s have the drinking bowl there.”

Mrs. Gibb obeyed the command, and Johnny drank of the reaming liquor with evident satisfaction.

“Rest ye a minit than, an’ drink oot the drap; for ye’ve never devall’t the haill day,” said Mrs. Gibb; and saying so, she “leaned her down,” with some intention apparently of entering on a confab with her husband.

“Rest you a minute then, and drink out the drop; for you’ve never ceased the whole day,” said Mrs. Gibb; and saying so, she “leaned her down,” with some intention apparently of entering on a confab with her husband.

“Are ye thinkin’ o’ gyaun doon to the market on Wednesday?” asked she, with that kind of air which seems directly to provoke an interrogatory answer; and Johnny at once exclaimed exclaimed—

“Are you thinking of going down to the market on Wednesday?”

“No; foo are ye speerin that? Ye ken’t baith the boys is bidin: I’ve nae erran’.”

“No; why are you asking that? You know that both the boys are staying: I’ve no errand.”

“Ye never think o’ speirin aboot Jinse,” replied Mrs. Gibb, still in the key that suggested the necessity for an explanatory note.

“You never think of asking about Jinse,”

“Jinse Deans!” exclaimed Johnny. “Fat’s the eese o’ speirin at her? An’ she binna pleas’t wi’ ’er waages, she wud seerly ’a tell’t ye lang ere noo.”

“Jinse Deans!” exclaimed Johnny. “What’s the use of asking about her? If she wasn’t pleased with her wages, she would surely have told you long before now.”

“I doot it’s nae the waages a’thegither, peer ’oman. But Jinse’s needin’ awa’.”

“I fear it's not the wages altogether, poor woman. But Jinse is needing away.”

Mrs. Gibb had evidently made up her mind now to give some further explanation about this new movement, when, as Fate would have it, the colloquy was broken in upon by Jinse (who had been unaware of her master’s presence there) herself at the moment stumbling into the kitchen, from which she had been temporarily absent.

“Fat haiver’s this’t ye’ve ta’en i’ yer heid noo?” demanded Johnny, addressing Jinse. “Are ye gyaun clean gyte to speak o’ leavin’ yer place; and it only an ouk fae the term tee? Faur wud ye gae till?”

“What nonsense is this that you’ve taken in your head now?” demanded Johnny, addressing Jinse. “Are you going clean mad to speak of leaving your place; and it only a week from the term too? Where would you go to?”

“Hame to my mither’s,” answered Jinse, exhibiting somewhat of discomposure at Johnny’s vehemence.

“Home to my mother’s,” answered Jinse, exhibiting somewhat of discomposure at Johnny’s vehemence.

Jinse’s mother lived not far off Benachie, in a very unpretentious residence.

“An’ fat on the face o’ the creation wud ye dee gyaun hame?—Yer mither’s but a peer ‘oman, she has little need o’ you wi’ ‘er,” said Johnny.

“And what on the face of the creation would you do going home?—Your mother’s but a poor woman, she has little need of you with her,” said Johnny.

Jinse, who was making, on the whole, an uneasy defence, averred that her mother “wasna vera stoot.”

Jinse, who was making, on the whole, an uneasy defence, averred that her mother “wasn’t very well.”

“But is she wuntin you hame?” was Johnny’s demand. “Tell me that.”

“But is she wanting you home?” was Johnny’s demand. “Tell me that.”

Here Jinse gave symptoms of breaking into tears, and Mrs. Gibb interposed with a “Hoot, man! ye ’re aye sae ramsh wi’ fowk.”

“Why, man! you’re always so rash with folk.”

“Weel, weel,” quoth Johnny, as he seized his bonnet and marched toward the door ; “ye ‘re a’ alike. Fa wud ken fat ye wud be at!”

“Well, well,” quoth Johnny, as he seized his bonnet and marched toward the door; “you‘re all alike. Who would know what you would be about!”

I don’t know that Johnny Gibb meant to include his wife. The reference was rather to the class to which Jinse belonged, though, no doubt, he went away with the conviction that womenkind in general are absurdly impracticable in their ways. But be that as it may, Johnny found that he had to provide a new servant lass.

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Idk wtf this episode was but I loved every second of it 😂

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Johnny Caup rough sketch