Wheeler, Les
The fermtoon cat wis missin. Far could it be? The fermer had seen that the cat wis missin fan the kye were being milked an the cat wis aye aroon for the milkin.
He spoke aboot it tae his wife. She kent the reason an tellt the fermer. The cat wis haein kitlins an the wife kent that the cat wad be seekin a safe place for the kitlins tae be born.
Twa days later the fermer wis in the barn fan he heard a gie lot a wee skirls an miaowins. Sure enuff, there wis the cat ahin an auld kist an the mither cat noo hid five wee, wee kitlins.
"The ferm mice will seen hae tae be lookin oot for themsels," thocht the fermer till himsel.
He wint intae the ferm-hoose an tellt his wife an she gaed oot tae the barn tae see for hersel. There they wir; five wee, wee kitlins. Fower o the kitlins wir black wi fite paas but the ither een wis strippit black an fite.
They wir hardly able tae see, but the strippit kitlin wis gie lively an already lookin for tae dee some explorin.
Fan the ferm-wife wis servin the fermer's tea that nicht she said:
"The 'brockit' kitlin is gyan tae be a richt handfae."
Noo, 'brockit' is the auld Scots word for haein black and fite strips. Foriver efter that the wee roguie o a kithin wis kent as Brockit.