Page:Tales of my landlord (Volume 1).djvu/41

 measure their backs, the short sheep wad be rather the langer-bodied o' the twa; but it's the woo' that pays the rent in thae days, and it had muckle need."

"Odd, Bauldie says very true,—short sheep did make short rents—my father paid for our steeding just threescore pounds, and it stands me in three hundred, plack and bawbee.—And that's very true—I hae nae time to be standing here clavering—Landlord, get us our breakfast, and see an' get the yauds fed-I am for down to Christy Wilson's, to see if him and me can gree about the luckpenny I am to gie him for his year-aulds. We had drank six mutchkins to the making the bargain at St Boswell's fair, and some gate we canna gree upon the particulars preceesely, for as muckle time as we took about it—I doubt we draw to a plea.—But hear ye, neighbour," addressing my worthy and learned patron, "if ye want to hear ony thing about lang or short sheep, I will be back here to my kail against ane o'clock; or, if Badplan