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
Next morning, John was sent to the Flesh-market an errand to his
Father-in-law, who gave him a piece of flesh to carry home, and as
he was coming out of the market, he saw six or seven of the flesher
dogs fall on and worry at a poor country colly dog; “Justice,
justice,” cries John to the dogs, “ye’re but a wheen unmannerly
rascals, that fa’s a’ on ae poor beast, heth ye should a’ be put
in the toubuoth, and ta’en to the bailies, and hanged for the like
o’ that; its perfect murder;” and in he runs amongst the dogs,
“And be hanged to you a’ thegither, What’s the quarrel? What’s the
quarrel?” John flings down the flesh he had carrying, and grips
the colly, who took John for an enemy too, and bites his hands
till the blood followed, the whole of the tykes comes a’ on poor
John, till down he goes in the dirt amongst their feet, and one
of the dogs runs off with the flesh, so John went hame both dirty
and bloody and without his flesh, told Girzy how it happened, who
applied her old plaister, her Tangs and Tongue, made John to curse
the very minister that married them, and wished he might ne’er do
a better turn.
MISFORTUNE III.
Next morning, John was sent to the well with the great stoup to
bring in water for breakfast; and as he was pulling the stoup
out of the well, in he tumbles and his head down, the well being
narrow, he couldna win out: some people passing by chance heard the
slunge, cried, and ran to his relief, hauled him out half dead, and
helped him into the house; and after getting a dry sark, he was
comforted with the old plaister, her Tongue and hard Tangs.
MISFORTUNE IV.
Next day, she says, John, I must go to the market myself, for if
you go you’ll fight wi’ the dogs, and let them run awa wi’ ony
thing you buy: see that ye put on the pat, hae’t boiling again I
come hame. John promised weel, but performs very badly. She’s no
sooner gone, than he puts on the new pat without any water in it,
and a good fire to make it boil, and away he goes to the unhappy
well, fills his stoup, and sets it down to look at a parcel of boys
playing at cat and dog, they persuaded John to take a game wi’
them, on he plays, till ane o’ the boys cries, Hey John, yonders
your Girzy coming. John runs into the house wi’ the water, and the
pat being red-hot on the fire, he tumes in the cauld water into it,
which made the pat flee all in pieces, just as she was entering
the door. John runs for it, and she runs after him, crying catch
the thief, some persons stopped him; she comes up, and then she
laboured him all the way hame, and he crying, “O Sirs, ye see what
it is to be married!” The mither-in-law had to make up peace again,
and he promised good behaviour in time to come.
MISFORTUNE V.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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