BIOGRAPHICAL SRETCHES.
‘‘ Wi’ looks as mild BS mild can be,
An’ smudgin’ laugh, wi’ winkin’ e’e ;
An’ lowly bow down to his knee,
Whe, gentlemen, stay t i i I see,
He’ll say fu’ douce,
What’s i’ the house.
‘‘ Anither bow-‘ Deed, gif ye please,
Ye can get a bit toasted cheese,
A crum 0’ tripe, ham, dish 0’ pease,
An egg, or, cauler frae the seaa,
(The season fittin’,)
A fleuk or whitin’ ;
A nice beef-steak, or ye may get
A gude buffd herring, reisted skate,
An’ ingans, an’ (tho’ past its date),
A cut 0’ veal ;
Ha, ha, it’s no that unco late,
I’ll do it weel.’
3
I‘ 0, Geordie Robertson, dreigh loun,
An’ antiquarian Paton aoun’,
Wi’ mony ithers i’ the tom,
Gif Johmie Dowie should stap down,
What wad come o’er ye,
To the grave before ye 1
I‘ Ye sure wad break your hearts wi’ grief,
An’ in strong ale find nae relief,
War ye to lose your Dowie-chief
Three years at least, now, to be brief,
0’ bottle-keepers ;
Ye’d gang wi’ weepera
“ But, gude forbid I for your sakes a’,
That sic a useful man should fa’ ;
For, fried8 0’ mine, between us twa,
You’d lose a howff, baith warm an braw,
Right i’ your lug,
An‘ unco snug.
“ Then, pray for’s health this mony year,
Fresh three-’n-a-ha’penny, best 0’ beer,’
That can (tho’ dull) you brawly cheer-
An’ gar you a’ forget your wear-
Recant you weel up ;
Your sorrows seal up. ”
To this poetical description of “dainty John,” we may add the prose
remarks of the Trultitions:--“Be was the sleekest and kindest of landlords.
Nothing could equal the benignity of his smile, when he brought in a bottle of
ale to a company of well-known and friendly customers j and it was a perfect
1 John’# best ale was only threepence the bottle. He had an infenor kind at twopence-half-
?my. When ordered to bring a bottle, he generally inquired if his customer wished the
tippenny-ha’penny or the threepenny kind’’