Transcription
This is a particular Account, founded on fact, of two young rovin' youths, who courted Lasses for cake an' puddin'. You now do see, as well as I These twa young wanton sluts; Who've taken in these hungry fellow, To fill their empty guts. The following story is a particular account of Davy Bodkin, a Spail-licker, and his cousin Sandy Speck, an Apprentice Baker, that formed an inti- macy with two Lasses, that were servants to a Re- verend Gentleman in this Town. One night, when the fore-mentioned were filling their bellies wi' some cauld meat, &c., Sandy says t' Katie, O bring me a drink o' water, woman ! A drink o' water, says Katie, I'll gie ye a drink o' beer; an' then goes t' the pantry for it; Sandy goes after 'er t' get something more than the beer, leaving Davy an' Tibby at the kitchen fire-side guzzling ; as soon as the pantry door opened, it made a cheep, an* the Mistress heard it, an* came down stairs ; an' as soon as Katie heard 'er comin', she came immediately out and shut Sandy in, so that he might not be seen, an" ran into the kitchen, saying, G?d's mercy there's Lucky comin'! Davy up an' pops into a shower bath that was behind 'im, t' screen 'im frae Lucky, as he knew she was a perfect scold, (as is generally the case wi' Ministers' wives,) an' would allow no man whatever t' come t' 'er house after ' er servents, particularly late at night. As Lucky saw nothing, she said nothin', but went, accordin' t' custom, an' locked the door, carried off the key, an' ordered the servants up stairs t' family worship. They were no sooner began with prayer, than the string of the bath gave way, which made the water come down on Davy, an' drenched 'im as if he had been i' the sea. When Davy felt the -ome upon ' m, he im- mediately strove t' get out, but or e'er he got out, o'er clashed the shower bath wi' the door undermost, which kept ' im in as if it were a mouse in a trap, till prayers were done*. When Tibby got down stairs an relieved 'im out of his prison, he had t' dreep the parlour window e'er he could get out o' the house,' an' when he was quitting his grip, he saw a great light which frightened ' im, an' out bawled a policeman Half-past twel', which frightened Davy the more, which made 'im creep in below the area stair t' shelter 'im frae bein' seen by the policeman, for he knew if he were seen, he should be apprehended for house-breaking, an' there he lay for more than an hour, for the said watchman an' a Midden-Mavis? had a long crack at the area door. When they went awa', Davy got up t' the Street an' looked if he could see 'is frien ' sandy ,an' whisteld, a-row,a-row,a-row, a-row, a-row ; but na', Sandy was nae t' be seen nor heard of; therefore, Davy had t' stap awa' hame 'imsel'. The Baker lad, poor fallow, was kept prisoner i' the pantry till twenty minutes past nine next morn- ing, as Katie neglected t' tell Tibby she had put 'im in, owing t' ane o' the bairns that had tane a tout. Owing t the forementioned circumstance, viz:? Davy lyin' all wet so long in a cold frosty night, and Sandy standin' at the lack o' the pantry door, they caught a cold which caused them t' be confined t' bed for upwards of three months; an' they are now both resolved they will never go in or out of any person's window, nor keep correspondence with these Lasses, or any other, if they are not at liberty t' gang wi' freedom. ' It is lamentable to think, that while the Reverend Gentleman, &c. were at their devotion in one part of the house, Davy was cursing like a heathen in the other. ? One who rakes the middens, &c. As the Editor of this Story intends to issue several pieces of composition, both in prose and verse, he begs leave to request, any person who has an entertaining piece by them, (that is no way immoral or offensive, ) that they have a mind to publish, that if they will remit their piece to him, and if he ap- prove of it, he will Edit it with a beautiful engraving, from designs made expressly for the work, and they will receive a few copies as soon as it comes from the press. N.B?Should the piece extend to more than what a baw-bet hand-bill will contain, it will be inserted into one of the numbers of the Edinbury Gleaner. * Though new in my projects, I would not offend That person who shows himself to be a friend ; But I will rebuff all that gives me alarm, Or that which may prove Calcdonia's harm. Published by W. SMITH, No. 3, Bristo Port.
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Probable period of publication:
1820-1830 shelfmark: L.C.1268
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