Page:Fun upon fun, or, The comical and merry tricks of Leper the tailor (2).pdf/6

6 stop the mad laddie, but Leper ran and loosed the dog, crying it's such a man's dog, which had the rope in its teeth; they all cried out, “the deil's i' the cur, the deil's i' the dog;" then took up stones and felled poor colley, and the devil got the blame of making the dog ring the bell.—This spread Leper's fame, for being one of the wisest and most courageous taylors that was in all the kingdom; and many shaking their heads, said, "it was a pity he was a taylor, but a captain or general of an army, as the devil could not fear him."

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 ale-house, 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 had he had before; and if he would keep it 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 cuckold instructions how to behave. So home he goes, and feigns 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.