Page:History of John Cheap the chapman (1).pdf/7

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wife, but if the ill thief be a friend of yours, you’ll hae room for him too. Ye thief like widdifu’, said she, are ye evening me to be sib to the foul thief; ’tis weel kend I am com’d o’ good honest folks; it may be so, goodwife, said I, but ye look rather the other way, when ye would lodge the devil in your house, and ca’ a poor chapman out to die, such a stormy night as this. What do ye say, says she, there was nae a bonnier night since winter came in than this, O goodwife, what are you saying, do you not mind when you and I was at the east end of the house, such a noise of wind and water was then; a wae worth the filthy body, said she, is not that in every part? What, said the goodman, a wat weel there was nae rain when I came in. The wife then shoots me out and bolted the door behind me. Well, said I, but I shall be through between thy mouth and thy nose ere the morrow. It being now so dark, and I, a stranger, could see no place to go to, went into the corn-yard, but finding no loose straw I fell a drawing one of their stacks, sheaf by sheaf, until I pulled out a threave or two, and got into the hole myself,