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set the whole house a roaring out murder in
their own tongue. The goodwife ran to
the bed above the goodman, and the whole
family cried out, not knowing what it was;
but Leper and his two lads whipt off the
blankets, and the brute ran in among the
rest unperceived; then Leper lighted a can-
dle, and all of them got out of bed, paid
Leper for his work, and more if he pleased,
and begged him to go away, and take
the devil with him. So home he went,
but never was employed by that wife any
more.
Leper had a peal of the best customers
both in town and country; so one time he
had occasion to go to the parish of Inchinan,
to make a wedding suit for a gentleman,
after they were finished he desired drink
money for his lads, which the gentleman
refused: Leper resolved to be even with
him, so he goes to the hay loft where the
groom slept, and takes his stockings,
breeches, and jacket, sewed them together,
and stuffs them full of hay; makes a head,
puts a rope about the neck, and hangs it on
a tree, opposite to the lairds window; then
goes to the laird and tells him that his
groom had hanged himself, and that if he
would open his window he would see him
hanging; the laird was struck with aston-
ishment, and knew not what to do; Leper
