We had in the town a clever lad, with a geni of a mechanical turn,
who made punch-bowls of leather, and legs for cripples of the same
commodity, that were lighter and easier to wear than either legs of
cork or timber. His name was Geordie Sooplejoint, a modest, douce,
and well-behaved young man--caring for little else but the
perfecting of his art. I had heard of his talent, and was curious
to converse with him; so I spoke to Bailie Pirlet, who had taken him
by the hand, to bring him and his leather punch-bowl, and some of
his curious legs and arms, to let me see them; the which the bailie
did, and it happened that while they were with me, in came Mr Thomas
M'Queerie, a dry neighbour at a joke.

After some generality of discourse concerning the inventions,
whereon Bailie Pirlet, who was naturally a gabby prick-me-dainty
body, enlarged at great length, with all his well dockit words, as
if they were on chandler's pins, pointing out here the utility of
the legs to persons maimed in the wars of their country, and showing
forth there in what manner the punch-bowls were specimens of a new
art that might in time supplant both China and Staffordshire ware,
and deducing therefrom the benefits that would come out of it to the
country at large, and especially to the landed interest, in so much
as the increased demand which it would cause for leather, would
raise the value of hides, and per consequence the price of black
cattle--to all which Mr M'Queerie listened with a shrewd and a
thirsty ear; and when the bailie had made an end of his paternoster,
he proposed that I should make a filling of Geordie's bowl, to try
if it did not leak.

"Indeed, Mr Pawkie," quo' he, "it will be a great credit to our town
to hae had the merit o' producing sic a clever lad, who, as the