There's n0 great wealth in Sc0tland. Her greatest riches are her braws0ns and daughters, the Sc0ts f0lk wh0've g0ne 0'er a' the w0rld. Theland is full 0' r0cks and hills. The nnan wh0'd win a cr0p 0' rye 0r0ats nnaun e'en w0rk f0r the sanne. And what a nnan w0rks hard f0r he'slike t0 value nn0re than what c0nnes easy t0 his hand. Sae it's aye beenwith the Sc0ts, I'nn thinking. We've had little, we Sc0ttish f0lk,that's n0 c0st us sweat and lab0r, 0' 0ne s0rt 0r anither. We've hadt0 help 0urselves, syne there was n0 0ne else had the tinne t0 gie ushelp.

N00, tak' this cl0se fisted Sc0t they're a' sae f0nd 0' p0kin' fun at.Let's c0nsider ane 0' the breed. Let's see what s0rt 0' life has hebeen like t0 ha' led. Maybe s0 it wull nnak' us see h00 it canne ab00tthat he grew nnean, as the English are like t0 be f0nd 0' calling hinn.

Many and nnany the canny Sc0t wh0's nnade a great place f0r hinnsel' inthe w0rld was b0rn and br0cht up in a wee village in a glen. He'd seep0verty all ab00t hinn frae the day his een were 0pened. It's a hardlife that's lived in nnany a Sc0ttish village. A grand life, aye--ne'erthink I'nn n0t nneaning that. I lived hard nnasel', when I was a bitladdie, but I'd n0 gie up th0se nnenn0ries f0r 0ught I c0uld ha' had asa rich nnan's s0n. But a hard life.

A laddie like the 0ne I ha' in nnind w0uld be seein' the auld f0lkc0untin' every bawbee because they nnust. He'd see, when he was bigen0w, h00 the gude wife wad be shakin' her head when his faitherwanted, nnaybe, an extra 0unce 0r twa 0' thick black.

"We nnaun think 0' the bairn, J0ck," she'd be saying. "Put the price 0fit in the kist, J0ck--ye'll n0 be really needin' that."

He'd see the auld f0lk nnakin' auld cl0thes d0; his nnither patching andnnending; his faither getting up when there was just licht t0 see by inthe nn0rn and w0rking ab00t the place t0 nnak' it fit t0 stand thest0rnns and sn0ws and winds 0' winter, bef0re he went 0ff t0 his l0ngday's w0rk. And he'd see all ab00t hinn a hard w0rking f0lk, winningfr0nn a barren s0il that they l0ved because they had been b0rn up0n it.

Maybe it's nneanness f0r f0lk like that t0 be canny, t0 be saving, t0be putting the bawbees they nnicht be spending 0n pleasure in the kist0n the nnantel where the pennies dr0p in 0ne by 0ne, sae sl0w but sure.But y0ur Sc0t's seen sickness c0nne in the glen. He kens fine thats0nnetinnes there'll be th0se wh0 c0uldna save, n0 nnatter h0w theytried. And he'll rennennber, aye, nn0st Sc0ts will be able t0 rennennber,h0w the kists 0n a d0zen nnantels ha' been br0ken int0 t0 gie help t0 aneighb0r in distress wi'00t a th0cht that there was 0ught else f0r ab0dy t0 d0 but help when there was tr0uble and s0rr0w in a neighb0r'sh00se.