Page:Important passages in the life of Mansie Wauch, tailor in Dalkeith.pdf/24

24 At the noise of this stramash, I took opportunity to come fleeing down the stair, with the gun in my hand. Benjie was in a terrible pickle; and though his nose was blooding with the drive he had come against Tammie's teeth, he took haud of my arm like grim death, crying, "Take tent faither. take tent; the door is open, and the Pennicuicker hiding himsel behind it. He'll brain some of us wi' a lump o' coal.

I jaloused at once that this was nonsense; judging that the creature would be off and ower to France in some honest man's fishing-boat, down by at Fisherrow; but to throw stoure in the een of the two callants, I loaded wi' a wheen draps in their presence, and went forrit wi' the piece at full cock.

Tammie and Benjie came behint me, while, pushing the door wide open with the muzzle, as I held my finger at the tricker: I cried, "Stand or be shot" whey young Cursecowl's big ugly mastiff-doug, wi' the bare mutton-bane in its teeth, bolted through between my legs like a fury, and wi' such a force as to wheel me ower on the braid id' my back while I gied a dunt on the causeway that made the gun go off, and riddled Nanse's best washing tub in a manner that laid it on the superannuated list as to the matter of holding in water. The goose, that was sitting on her eggs, amang clean straw, in the inside o't, was also rendered a lamiter for life.

What became o' the French vagrant is a' matter o'surmise,—nae mortal kens. But on making search in the coal-house, at our leasure, we fand a boxful of things wi' black dots on them, for playing at an outlandish game they ca' dominoes. I never likit gambling a my life; but as to the dominoes, considering that the Frenchy had left them as the only payment in his power for a bit comfortable supper, it behooved me—for so I thocht—no to turn the wrang side o' my face a'thegither on his present, as that wad be unmannerly towards a pair stranger.