_Jock and his Mother._
There was once a widow who had a son, and she called him Jock. Now, one
day she said to him, "You are a lazy fellow, but now you must go out
and earn something in order to help me."
"I'll do that willingly," said Jock. So away he went, and fell in with
a pedler, who said to him, "If you'll carry my pack all day, I'll give
you a needle at night." He carried the pack all day, receiving the
needle at night; and as he went on his way home to his mother, he cut a
bundle of rushes and put the needle in the middle of them.
When he got home his Mother said to him, "What have you done, and
brought home to-day?" "I met with a pedler," said Jock, "and carried
his pack for him, for which I received a needle, which you may look for
among the rushes."
"Out upon you, for a blockhead," said his Mother, "you should have
stuck it in your cap." "I'll mind that another time," said Jock.
The next day he overtook a man carrying plough-shares, and the man said
to him, "If you'll help me to carry my plough-shares during the day,
I'll give you one for yourself at night." "Agreed," said Jock. So at
night he gets a plough-share, which he sticks in his cap. On his way
home he was thirsty, so he went down to the river to have a drink, and
as he stooped the plough-share fell out of his cap and was lost in the
water. He then went home, and his Mother said to him, "Well, Jock, what
have you been doing to-day?" And when he told her she cried out, "How
stupid you are, Jock! you should have tied a piece of string to it and
trailed it after you along the ground." "Well, I'll mind that another
time," said Jock.
Off he started the next morning and fell in with a butcher. "If you'll
be my servant for the day," he said, "I'll give you a leg of mutton at
night." "That is a bargain," said Jock. And after serving his day out
he got a leg of mutton, to which he tied a piece of string and dragged
it after him through all the dust and dirt. When his Mother saw him she
exclaimed, "Will you never grow wise? You should have carried the leg
of mutton on your shoulder." "Well, Mother, another time I shall know
better," was his answer.
The next day he went out as usual, and he met a horse-dealer. He said,
"If you will help me with my horses during the day, I'll give you one
at night." "I'll do that," said Jock. So after serving him he received
a horse as his day's wages. He tied the animal's feet together, but was
not able to lift it up; so he left it and went home to his mother, whom
he told how he had tried to do as she bid him, but that he could not
lift the horse on to his shoulder to carry it. "Oh, you born idiot!"
she cried; "could you not have jumped on its back and ridden it home?"
"I'll not forget that the next time," he promised.
The next day he overtook a drover driving some cattle to a neighbouring
town, and the drover said to him, "If you'll help me safely to the town
with my cattle, I'll give you a cow for your trouble." This Jock agreed
to; and when he got his promised cow he jumped on to its back, and
taking its tail over his shoulder, he galloped along, in high glee,
towards home.
[Illustration: _Jock's Cure for Melancholy._]
Now there was a very rich man who had an only daughter, and she had
such fits of melancholy that it was sad to see her; so that, after
trying every remedy and consulting all the quacks in the country, he
had it publicly announced that whoever could make her laugh should have
her for his wife.
Though she was young and beautiful no one had been found to cure her,
and she was sitting in a very melancholy state, at the window, when
Jock came galloping along on his cow, which seemed so highly ridiculous
to her that she burst out laughing.
Well, according to her father's promise, she was married to Jock, and a
grand wedding it was, and a grand supper was prepared for the guests;
but of all the delicacies Jock was most pleased with some honey he had
eaten.
Now, after all the company had departed, excepting the old priest that
had married them, and who had fallen asleep by the kitchen fire, Jock,
who could not forget the honey, said to his bride, "Is there any more
of that delicious honey we had for supper?" "Yes," she answered, "you
will find plenty more in jars in the kitchen cupboard." So he went into
the kitchen, where the lights had been put out, and all had gone to
bed, excepting the priest, who was sleeping by the fire; and he found
the honey jars.
He thrust his hand into one of the jars to get at some of the
honey, but his hand would not come out again, and he did not know
what he should do, when he bethought him of breaking the jar on the
hearth-stone.
Now, as already said, the kitchen was in darkness; and Jock, mistaking
a large white wig, which the priest wore, for the hearth-stone, gave
the poor man such a whack on the head with the honey jar that he
screamed out murder; and Jock, frightened out of his senses, ran out
and hid himself among the bee-hives.
That very night, as luck would have it, some thieves came to steal
the bee-hives, which they bundled into a large plaid, and Jock with
them without knowing it. Off the thieves ran with their booty on
their backs, and when they came to the brook where Jock had dropped
the plough-share, one of them kicking his foot against it, cried out,
"Here's a plough-share in the water." "That is mine," Jock cried from
out of the plaid; and the thieves thinking it was a ghost on their
backs, let the plaid, with its contents, fall into the water, and it
being tied up Jock could not get out, so was drowned with all the bees.
[Decoration]