There's no way to know for sure just from this title. Burnie could be anyone. It might be a person's name, like a farmer named Burnie who has a story to tell about counting cows.
Since the 'glen gay stories' are not clearly defined, Glen Gay could be anyone. He could be a fictional character created for the purpose of these stories, with a set of characteristics and events made up around him. On the other hand, he could be a real person whose name has been used to tell a collection of stories, but we need more context to figure out his identity, his occupation, his age, and other important aspects.
It could be that Burnie lacks new things to talk about. Maybe his life has been a bit monotonous lately, so he can't come up with fresh stories. Or perhaps he's in a rut in his social interactions and just defaults to the same story without thinking.
I'm not sure specifically as there's not much information given. It could be a story where Burnie is sharing an experience related to counting cows, perhaps something humorous or educational about the number of cows.
Since I haven't read 'The Return' by Edith Tiempo, it's hard to say exactly. However, many works of literature deal with common themes such as love, identity, and the passage of time. It's possible that this story also explores these or related themes. For example, if the story is about a character returning to a place, themes of memory and change might be present. Or if there are relationships between characters, themes of loyalty and betrayal could be involved.
Perhaps Burnie has a limited set of experiences or ideas that he can draw from, so he keeps going back to the same story. It might also be that he thinks the story is very engaging and doesn't realize that others have heard it many times before.