them oot the entry.
I gaed by the washin"-hoose door twa-three times, an" heard the spittin", an" the ochin" an" ayin", an" some bletherin" aboot sprentin", an" rubbin" doon, an" sic like; but I cud mak" nether heid nor tail o"t. But, I can tell ye, baith heid an" tail o"t cam" oot on Setarday nicht.
Sandy, as uswal, put on his gosh.o.r.es on Setarday efternune, an" awa" he gaed aboot five o"clock, an" I saw nae mair o" him till the lang legs o" him---- But you"ll learn aboot that sune eneuch. It was a sicht, the first sicht I got o" him, I can tell you.
I was takin" a bit cuppie o" tea to mysel" aboot seven o"clock, for I had been terriple busy a" forenicht. Nathan was stanin" at the table as uswal, growk-growkin" awa" for a bit o" my tea biskit. "I dinna like growkin" bairns," I says to Nathan, juist as I was genna gie him a bit piece an" some noo grozer jeel on"t.
"I"m no" carin"," he says, blawin" his nose atween his finger an" his thoom, an" syne dichtin"t wi" his bonnet. "I wasna growkin"; but at ony rate I"ll no tell ye aboot Sandy. He said he wud gie me a letherin" if I was a clash-pie; but I was juist genna tell you, but I"ll no" do"t noo," an" oot at the door he gaed. I cried on him to come back, but, yea wud!
I saw nae mair o" him for half an "oor, when in he comes to the back shop wi" a bundle o" claes an" flang them i" the flure. "There"s Sandy"s claes," says he. "I got them frae Bandy Wobster at the tap o"
the street. He got them lyin" oot the Sands, an" he disna ken naething aboot Sandy."
"O, Alick Bowden," I says to mysel", says I; "I kent this would be the end o"t some day! He"s gane awa" dookin" an" gotten himsel" drooned.
O, my puir man! I howp they"ll get his body, or never anither bit o"
fish will I eat! There"s Mistress Mertin fand a galace b.u.t.ton in a red-waur codlin"s guts lest week; an" it"s no" so very lang syne sin"
Mistress Kenawee got fower bits o" skellie i" the c.r.a.p o" a colomy.
Puir Sandy! I winder hoo they"ll do wi" the bural society bawbees?"
"Is Sandy deid, Bawbie?" says Nathan.
"Ay; I doot he"s deid, Nathan, laddie," says I.
"An" will you lat me get a ride on the d.i.c.kie at the bural, Bawbie?"
says Nathan, clawin" his heid throo a hole in his glengairy.
"Haud your tongue, laddie," says I; "ye dinna ken what you"re speakin"
aboot."
I gaithered up the claes. There was nae mistakin" them. They were Sandy"s! The breeks pooches were foo o" nails an" strings, an" as muckle ither rubbish as you wudda gotten in Peattie Broon"s, the pigman"s, back shop. There was a lot o" fiddle rozit i" the weyscot, an" a box o" queer-lookin" ointment ca"d auntie stuff. But what strack me first was that his seamit an" his drawers werena there. "Cud he gane in dookin" wi" them on?" thocht I to mysel". I cudna see throo"t ava.
I gaed awa" to the shop door juist to look oot, an" I sees Pottie Lawson, Bandy Wobster, an" twa-three mair at the tap o" the street lauchin" like ony thing. I throo the key i" the door in a blink, an"
up the street I goes. Pottie was juist in the middle o" a great hallach o" a lauch, when I grippit him by the collar. He swallowed the rest o" his lauch, I can tell you.
"What hae ye dune till my man, ye nesty, clorty, ill-lookin", mischeevious footer?" I says, giein" him a shak" that garred him turn up the white o" his een.
"Tak" your hand off me, you ill-tongued bissam," saya he, "or I"ll lay your feet fest for you."
"Will you?" says I; an" I gae him a shuve that kowpit him heels-ower-heid ower the tap o" Gairner Winton"s ae-wheeled barrow, that was sittin" ahent him. When he got himsel" gaithered oot amon"
the peycods an" cabb.i.t.c.h, he was genna be at me, but Dauvid Kenawee stappit forrit, an" says he, "Saira ye richt, ye gude-for-naething snipe "at ye are. Lift a hand till her, an" I"ll ca" the chafts o" ye by ither."
"What bisness hae you shuvin" your nose in?" says Pottie Lawson.
"There was naebody middlin" wi" you."
"Juist you keep your moo steekit, Pottie," says Dauvid, "or I"ll mibby be middlin" wi" you. You"re a miserable pack o" vagues, a" the lot o"
ye, to gae wa" an" tak" advantage o" an" auld man! Yah! Damish your skins, I cud thrash the whole pack o" ye." He up wi" his niv an" took a hawp forrit. Pottie gaed apung ower the barrow again, an" sat doon on the tap o" the Gairner, wha was busy gaitherin" up his gudes.
"Come awa", Bawbie," says Dauvid, takin" a haud o" my airm, "Sandy "ill turn up yet." So awa" we gaed, leavin" the fower or five o" them wammlin" awa" amon" the cabb.i.t.c.h, juist like what swine generally do when they get in amon" a gairner"s stocks.
"Sandy"s a fulish man," said Dauvid, when we landit at the shop door.
"Ye micht as weel tell me that twice twa"s fower, Dauvid," says I.
"Fulish is no" the wird for"t."
"There"s been some haiverin" amon" them aboot rinnin"; an" Sandy, like an auld fule, had been bouncin" aboot what he could do," gaed on Dauvid, withoot mindin" what I said. "Sandy"s fair gyte aboot fitba"
an" harryin" an" sic like ploys. Weel-a-weel, Pottie Lawson an"
twa-three mair o" them got Sandy to mak" a wadger o" five bob that he wud rin three miles in twenty-five meenits oot the Sands, an" they tell me Sandy"s been oot twa-three times trainin" himsel". To mak" a lang story short--Bandy Wobster gae me the particulars--the race cam" aff the nicht. Sandy strippit juist doon at the second slippie on the Sands yonder. He keepit naething on but his inside sark, an" his drawers, an" a pair o" slippers, an" aff he set to rin ootby to the targets an" back. He wasna fower meenits awa" when the lot o" the dirty deevils--that I shud ca" them sic a name--gaithered up Sandy"s claes an" cam" their wa"s in the road, leavin" Sandy to get hame the best wey he cud. Bandy Wobster gae the claes to Nathan at the tap o"
the street, an" tell"d him he fand them on the Sands."
"But whaur"ll Sandy be?" says I.
"That"s mair than I can tell, Bawbie; but I"ll rin doon for the mistress, an" she"ll look efter the shop till we gae oot the Sands an"
see if we can fa" in wi" him," said Dauvid.
Dauvid gaed awa" for Mistress Kenawee, an" I ran up the stair to the garret to throw on my bonnet, takin" Sandy"s claes wi" me. Preserve"s a", when I lookit into the garret, here"s the skylicht open, an" twa lang, skranky legs, wi" a pair o" b.u.g.g.e.rs at the end o" them, wammlin"
aboot like twa rattlesnakes tryin" to get to the fluir. I drappit the claes, oot at the door, an" steekit it ahent me. I keekit in aneth the door, juist to see what wud happen. Sandy landit cloit doon on the flure, an" sat sweitin", an" pechin", an" ac"ually greetin". What a picture he present.i.t! I cudna tell ye a" what he said. There were a lot o" wirds amon"t that"s no" i" the dictionar"; an" I can tell ye, if Pottie Lawson an" Bandy Wobster get the half o" what Sandy promised them, baith in this world an" the next, they"ll no hae far to find for a sair place.
"Man, gin ye"d haen the brains o" a c.o.c.k spug," I heard him sayin" till himsel", "ye michta jaloosed they were to play ye some prank. You muckle, dozent gozlin"," he says; an" he took himsel" a skelp i" the side o" the heid wi" his open luif that near ca"d him on his back. In his stagger his feet tickled amon" his claes, an" he gaithered them up, an" lookit fair dumfoondered like. He put them a" on; an" gyne--what think you? Puir Sandy ac"ually sat doon an" claspit his hands, an" I heard him sayin", "I"m an awfu" eedeit, a pure provoke to a" "at belangs me! but if I"m forgi"en this time, I"ll try an" do better frae this day forrit. An" I"ll gie Pottie Lawson a killin" that he"ll no"
forget in a hurry. He"ll better waurro, if I get a haud o" him. I"ll lat Bandy Wobster awa" wi"t, "cause he"s no" near wyse, an" he"s an"
objeck a"ready."
Juist at this meenit Mistress Kenawee cries up the stair, "Are you there, Bawbie?" an" I had to rin doon. I tell"d them Sandy was hame a"
richt. Dauvid want.i.t to see him. But, na na! I keepit what I kent o"
Sandy"s story to mysel"; an", puir cratur, I was raley sorry for him.
He gaed aboot a" Sabbath rale dement.i.t like; an", i" the efternune, I cam" in upon him i" the back shop dancin" on the tap o" a seek o" caff, an" sayin", "Ye"ll poach neen this winter, ye----" an" so on.
Atween you an" me, it"ll no" be a bawbee"s-wirth o" stickin" plester that"ll sair Pottie if Sandy gets his fingers ower him.
"Ay, you cam" in withoot chappin" on Setarday nicht, Sandy," I says, says I, at brakfast time on Munanday mornin", "cause I saw fine he want.i.t to speak aboot it.
"I"ll do the chappin" when I get a grab o" Pottie Lawson," says Sandy.
"But I"ll tell you this, Bawbie; when I was jookin" alang by the roppie, tryin" to get hame, it"s as fac"s ocht, I thocht twa-three times o" gaen plunk in amon" the water, an" makin" a feenish o"t. I was that angry an" ashamed. But, man, I ran up throo the yairds, without onybody seein"s, an" got in at the skylicht. I"ll swag, Bawbie, I never was gledder than when I cam" cloit doon on my hurdies on the garret flure. But, as Rob Roy says, there"s a day o" rekinin"; an", by faigs, there"ll be some fowk "ill get the stoor taen oot o"
their jeckits when it comes roond, or my name"s no Si Bowden!"
XIX.
SANDY REVENGED.
I was tellin" ye aboot Sandy"s caper oot the Sands, when Bandy an"
Pottie Lawson made sic a fule o" him. We"d never seen hint nor hair o"
them here sin" syne; an" I"m shure they"re a gude reddance. But wha shud turn up i" the washin"-hoose the ither nicht but Pottie! He"d gotten Dauvid Kenawee to speak to Sandy, an" gotten the thing sowdered up some wey or ither, an" there he was again, as brisk as a bee. But Sandy wasna that easy pacifeed. He didna say muckle, but I"ll swag he gey Pottie a neg on Teysday nicht that he"ll no forget in a hurry--nether will Mistress Mollison.
Mind ye, I didna think Sandy was so deep. It was a gey trick. Sandy was determined to pey aff Pottie in his ain coin, an" he had gotten Bandy Wobster to kollig wi" him to gie Lawson a richt fleg.
There was a big meetin" i" the washin"-hoose nae farrer gane than lest nicht; an" efter a fell while"s crackin", Bandy start.i.t to speak aboot mismirizin" an" phrenology, an" that kind o" thing. Bandy tell"d aboot some o" his exploits mismirizin" sailors, an" took on to show aff his po"ers on Sandy. Sandy was quite open to lat him try his hand; so Bandy says, "Has ony o" you lads a twa-shilliny bit?"
There was a gude deal o" hostin" an" heid-clawin" at this question, ilka lad lookin" at his neeper as muckle as to say, "I"ve naething but half-soverins i" the noo."