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[157]
[158] cow he jumped on to its back, and taking its tail over his shoulder, he galloped along, in high glee, towards home.

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.