John Cheap, the Chapman's Library. Vol. 1: Comic and Humorous: The Scottish Chap Literature of Last Century, ClassifiedGraham, Dougal
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John Cheap, the Chapman's Library. Vol. 1: Comic and Humorous: The Scottish Chap Literature of Last Century, Classified
Graham, Dougal
Chapbooks, Scottish; English literature -- 18th century; Graham, Dougal, 1724-1779; Popular literature -- Scotland
After this a farmer in the neighbourhood hearing the fame of Leper,
how he had frighted the deil frae being a bellman, sent for him to
an alehouse, and drank with him very heartily, and told him he was
sadly borne down by a spirit of jealousy against his wife; and a
suspicion of her being too free with a servant lad he had before;
and if he would keep it a secret and learn him to find it out, he
would give his mother a load of meal, to which Leper agreed; so
he gave the poor supposed cockold instructions how to behave. So
home he goes, and feins himself very sick, and every day worse and
worse, taking death to him; blesses his three small children, and
charges his wife not to marry until his children could do something
for themselves, this hypocritical woman takes a crying, Aha! marry,
she would never marry! no no there should never a man lie by my
side, or kiss my lips, after thee, my ain dear lamb Johnny. Then he
acts the dead man as well as he possibly could, the neighbours were
called in, and he’s fairly o’erseen, as the old saying is, before
good neighbours. The sorrowful widow made sad lament, wrung her
hands and tore her hair.--The reverend women about began to dress
the corpse, asked her for a shirt. Ay, ay, said she, he has twa new
linen sarks, and there is an auld ane in the bottom o’ the kist,
that nae body can wear, ony things good enough for the grave; well,
said they, we must have some linen for a winding sheet, a weel,
quo’ she, I ha’e twa cut o’ linen i’ the kist neuk, but there’s a
pare o’ auld linen sheets, hol’d i’ the middle, may do well enough,
I had need to be carefu’, I’m a poor widow the day, wi’ three sma’
bairns.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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