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
This sport diverted Leper and his lads through the day; and after
supper, knowing he was to get some dirty bed, as the cows and the
people lived all in one apartment, he choose rather to go home;
and knowing the moon was to rise a little after midnight, he sat
by the fire, told them many a fine story to drive away the time,
and bade the wife make the bed to see how it might be: to save
candle she made it in the dark, directly on the floor behind where
they sat, shaking down two bottles of straw; a calf which chanced
to be lying on that place, and which the wife did not notice was
covered with the straw, and the bed clothes spread over it. The
most of the family being in bed, the wife told them to go to bed
also, but Leper knowing of the calf, said I’ll make my bed come to
me, on which the wife began to pray for herself and all that was in
the house; so up he gets his elwand, and gives a stroke on the bed
which caused the brute to rise, and not seeing where to go, it fell
a crying and turned round, which set the whole house a roaring out
murder in their own tongue. The goodwife ran to the bed above the
goodman, and the whole family cried out, not knowing what it was;
but Leper and his two lads whipt off the blankets, and the brute
ran in among the rest unperceived; then Leper lighted a candle, and
all of them got out of bed, paid Leper for his work, and more if he
pleased, and begged him to go away, and take the devil with him. So
home he went, but never was employed by that wife any more.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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