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268 "Brother, pull up the sack, the dogs are biting me."

When the man who carried the sack heard this, he threw it down on the ground. Then he in the sack said,—"Thus, brother, you wanted to cheat me." And the other answered,—"By heaven, you have again cheated me." After a long dispute the man who owed the twopence promised to pay them faithfully to the other whenever he would come again, and then they parted.

Some time afterwards the man who was in the service of the clergyman made himself a home and got married. One day as he was sitting with his wife before the hut, he observed his confederate walking directly towards it; then he said to his wife,—

"Wife, here comes my confederate; I owe him twopence. Now, I do not know what to do, for I promised to pay them to him as soon as ever he found me out. I will go in, lie down on my back, and you must cover me up; then you must begin to cry and to lament, and tell him that I am dead; then, surely, he will go away."

Having said this he went into the hut, lay on his back, and crossed his arms; his wife covered him up, and then began to lament. Meanwhile the confederate approached the hut, and wishing to the woman heaven's blessing, asked her whether this was the house of So-and-so; the woman, writhing in agony on the ground, answered him,—