Page:Watty and Meg, or, the wife reclaimed.pdf/23

 23 John Tamson's Cart. We're a' John Tamson's bairng”-that's an old Scotch sayin', and a true yin. I kent John Tamson weel. He had strapping lads and lasses baith, and be lived in that part o' Glasgow that was remarkable for the march of Sir William Wallace to attaek the English General Perey. Ye'll be speiring whare's that? Weel, it's just the Brunt Burns. His next door neighbour was yin Will Galbraith, a coal earter, like himsel. So yae nicht, after a hard day's wark, he meets Will, "Hech, Will, there's a gay cauld kind o' a nicht. Hae ye ony objeetions to a dram?" "No," quo' Will, "where will we gang ?” “We'll just gang o'er to Lueky Sourkail's." Weel, they sat down, and they had yae dram after anither, till "the proper correetive that aften parts gude company." gar'd them rise-that's the bottom o a toom pouch. " Hech," says John," I'll hae to be up, before the sparrows, to gae wa' for a eart o' coals." Weel ho was as gude's his word; be wakened frae the side o Mrs. Tamson, and yokes the horse geyan canny, and he's no lang till he's through Camlachie toll. But, faith, in that quiet part o' the road between Cam- laehie and Parkhead, John fa's fast asleep. But wha the devil should come by, but Bauldy Baird, and he's a gay gleg kind o' a chiel-ho disna like to let a gude opportunity slip out o' his hand. So he unyoked John's horse geyan eanny, and he sets down the cart as canny. It happened to be Ru’glen Fair morning, and he kent weel whare he was taking his bargain till; so he left John driving his pigs to the market geyan comfortable. But as John suddenly fell asleep, he as suddenly wakened, and looking up wi' his ae e' half opened, he looks first to the tae side o' the cart, and syne to the tither, and he cries, “ Gor, I canna understan' the meaning o' this at a As the Laird