Past and Present 55 



once went after ttie man, and soon overtook liim. 



"Why hast thou thrown it away?" demanded 

 John, angrily; "It's what our Mary baked for us, 

 and it ought to be good enough for thee. I'll 

 mak thee gang doon and fetch it oot." 



This the man did, very demurely. 



"Now," said John, "sit doon and eat it." 



After the tramp had consumed about half of 

 the loaf, he said he could not eat any more. 



"Yes, thou can," replied John, determinedly, 

 ^'thou may bokken and bokken as thou likes, but 

 I'll mak thee stump it." 



And "stump" it he did. 



After he had finished it, John dismissed him 

 with a sample of his shoemaker's ability on the 

 part which his coat tail covered. Proper treat- 

 ment for such vagabonds ! 



John at one time was breaking in a two-year- 

 old colt, locally called a stag. After he had got 



