Page:Comical transactions of Lothian Tom (1).pdf/6



( 6 )

not loose their breeches willingly, he drew his knife and cut them through the waist-band behind: So Tom goes to a butcher, and gets a raw pudding, and fills it with blood and water, and puts it within the waistband of his breeches, then goes to the school next day, and, as the master was sitting with his back towards the fire. Tom lights a piece of paper, and sets his wig in a low, which burnt for some time unperceived, until the flames came fizzing about his ears! He first put out the flames by trampling on the wig, and being informed that Tom did it, flies to him in a rage, ordering him to loose his breeches, but Tom told him he was never so mad; then he drew his knife, and whips poor Tom over his knee, and with great kicking and ſtruggling, cuts the waiſt-band of his breeches, thro' pudding and all, so that the blood gushed out, and Tom cried out Murder! Murder! and down he fell; the poor Dominie ran out at the door crying and wringing his hands. Word flew about that Tom was sticket by the Dominie, which made the people come runing from several parts of the country round about, to see how it was; but on searching him, they found only the empty pudding, which discovered the fraud: Then two men had to get horses