J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular rhymes of Scotland

236 POPULAR RHYMES OF SCOTLAND.
But the tod snappit it a' up at ae mouthful, and that was an
end o' the wee bannock.]
THE WELL O' THE WARLD's EXD.
A poor widow was one day baking bannocks,* and sent her
dochter wi' a dish to the well o' the warld's end to bring
water. The dochter gaed, and better gaed, till she came to
the well at the warld's end, but it was dry. Now, what to
do she didna ken, for she couldna gang back to her mother
without water ; sae she sat down by the side o' the well,
and fell a-greeting. A Paddo f then came loup-loup-louping
out o' the well, and asked the lassie what she was greeting
for ; and she said she was greeting because there was nae
water in the well. ' But,' says the Paddo, ' an ye'll be my
wife, I'll gi'e ye plenty o' water.' And the lassie, no think-
ing that the poor beast could mean anything serious, said
she wad be his wife for the sake o' getting the water. So
she got the water into her dish, and g-aed away hame to
her mother, and thought nae mair about the Paddo, till that
night, when, just as she and her mother were about to go
to their beds, something came to the door, and when they
listened, they heard this sang—
* Oh, open the door, my liinnie, my heart,
Oh, open the door, my ain true love ;
Remember the promise that you and I made,
Do"OTi i' the meadow, where we twa met.'
Says the mother to the dochter, ' What noise is that at the
door?' ' Hout,' says the dochter, ' it's naething but a lilthy
Paddo.' ' Open the door,' says the mother, ' to the poor
Paddo.' So the lassie opened the door, and the Paddo came
loup-loup-louping in, and sat down by the ingle-side. Then
he sings—
' Oh gi'e me my supper, my liinnie, my heart,
Oh gi'e me my supper, mj ain true love ;
Remember the promise that you and I made,
Down i' the meadow, where we twa met.'
' Hout,' quo' the dochter, ' wad I gi'e a filthy Paddo his
supper?' 'Oh, ay,' said the mother, 'e'en gi'e the poor
Paddo his supper.' So the Paddo got his supper ; and
after that he sings again —
* Cakes of oaten or barley meal, hardened on an iron plate over the fire, or
on a heater in front. t A frog.