Page:History and comical transactions of Lothian Tom (4).pdf/11

 he comes, demanding his wages, which his maſter could not deny, being ſo fairly won. The poor butcher returned back to his horſe, got on- ly his travel for his pains, ſo miſſing his calf, he knew not what to ſay or do, but thinking it had broke the rope from about its feet, and had run into the fields, the butcher ſpent that day in ſearch of it amongſt the hede ges and ditches, and ſo returned to Tom's maſter's all night, intending to go and ſearch farther for it next day, giving them a tedious relation how he came to loſe it by a curſed pair of ſhoes, which he believed the devil had dropt in his way, and how he had taken the calf and all along with him, expreſſing his thankfulneſs that the devil was ſo honeſt as to ſpare his old horſe when he ſtole away his calf. Next morning Tom went to work and makes a fine white face or the calf with chalk and water, then brings it out and fells it to the butcher, which was good diverſion to his maſter and other ſer- vants, to ſee the butcher buy his own calf again; no ſooner was he gone with it, but Tom fays, now maſter what will you hold but I'll ſteal it from him again, ert he goes two miles off? No, no, ſays his matter, I'll hol no more betts with you, but I'll give you a ſhilling i you do it, done fays Tom, it will coſt you no more and away he runs a foot thro' the fields, until he cam before the butcher, hard by the place where he ſtole th call from him the day before: and here he lies behin the hedge, and as the butcher came paſt, he puts his han on his mouth, and cries baw, baw, like a calf; th butcher hearing this, ſwears to himſelf, that there wa the calf he had loſt the day before, down he comes an: throws the calf on the ground, gets in thro' the hedg in all haſte, thinking he had no more to do but to tak it up ? but as he came in at one part of the hedge, Tom jumps out at another, and gets the calf on his back then gets in over the hedge on the other fide, and thri the fields he came ſafely home, with the calf on his bac! while the poor butcher ſpent his time and labour in vai running from hedge to hedge, and hole to hole, ſeekin what was not there to be found. So the butcher returi ed to his horſe again, and finding his other calf gon 1