17
ways when she began to curl her nose for the future, the tailor had no more to say, bat, 'Maggy, mind the bottle.' Leper was working with a master tai- lor in Glasgow, who hungered his men, and one morning, just when breakfast was set on the table, in comes a gentle- man to try on a suit of clothes; the mas- ter being obliged to rise, desired the lads to say the grace themselves; every one rufused it, and put it to his neighbour, till Leper undertook it, and said, with an audible voice, that the stranger gen- tleman might overhear him, as follows: Och, hoch! we are a parcel of poor beastly bodies, and we are as beastly guided, it we do not work we get noth- ing to eat, yet we are always eating and fre ting; fidging and half starving is like to be our fortune; scartings and scrapings are the most of our mouth- fuls; we would fain thank thee for our fullness, if it were so, but the rest of our benefactors are not worthy the ac- knowledging ;--tech hey. Amen. The gentleman laughed till his sides were
