Page:History of John Cheap the chapman (2).pdf/6

 I went twice through it, but none of them would give me the credit to stand all night among their horses, or yet to lie in their cows' oxter. At last, I prevailed with a wife, if her husband was willing, to let me stay, she would, and sent me to the barn to ask him; and I meeting him at the barn door carrying in strae for his horses, I told him his wife had granted to let me stay, if he was not against it; to which he answered, If I should lie in his midden dib, I should get no quarters from him that night; a wheen lazy idle villains turns a' to be chapmen, comes through the country fashing fouks, ay seeking quarters; the next day ye'll be gaun powder'd per wig, and a watch at your arse, and winna let fouk stand before your chapdoors ye'll be sae saucy. I hearing thus my sentence from the goodman, expected no relief but to lie without; yet I perceived when he came out of the barn he only drew the door to behind him. So when he was gone, I slips into the barn, and by the help of one of his kipples, climbs up the mou, and there dives down among the sheaves, and happed myself all over, so that I lay as warm as the goodman himself. But, in the morning, long before day, two fellows came into the barn and fell a-threshing, so that by their disturbance I could sleep no more. At last I got up with my hair all hanging over my face; and when he that stood on the opposite side perceived me, I made my eyes to roll, and wrayed my face in a frightful manner, so that the poor fellow supposing he had seen the deil or something as ill, gave a roar as if he had been sticked; and out at the door he runs; the other following after him, crying, Wa' Johnny man, what did you see? O! Sandy, Sandy, the deil's on the top o' the mou, sheav'ling his mouth at me; I'll no be sae well this month man, my heart's out o' its hule, wow but yon