Page:History of John Cheap the chapman (3).pdf/16

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The HISTORY of

when she went to bed, she cried out, "A how hearie, is nae yon a brave moderate chapman we hae here the night? he took just seven soups o' our sowens, and that fill'd him fu'; a dear Andrew man, turn ye about, and tak my cauld a--se in your warm lunchoch." On the morrow I went to the kirk with the goodman, and I missing him about the door, went into the middle of the kirk, but could see no empty seats but one big furm, whare nane sat but one woman by herself, and so I set myself down beside her, not knowing where I was, until sermon was over, when the minister began to rebuke her for using her Merry-bit; against law or licence; and then she began to whinge and yule like a dog which made me to run out cursing, before the minister had given the blessing: I then came home to my lodging house, and then went to dinner with the goodman, and it being the custom in that place to eat pease bread to their broth, and corn cakes to their flesh, so the goodwife laid down a corn scone, and a pease scone to the goodman, and the same to me, the pease one for the broth and the corn one for the beef; and as the goodman and I sat together, when he brake as much of the oat cake below, and when we came to eat the flesh I did the same, so he ate the coarse and I the fine.

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PART III.

I Travelled, then west by Falkirk; by the foot of the great hills; and one night after I had got lodging in a farmer's house, there happened a contest between