At her tail followed--alas!--Andrew Truffey's white rabbit, whose pink eyes, now fixed and glazed, would no more delight the imagination of the poor cripple; and whose long furry hind legs would never more bang the ground in sovereign contempt, as he dared pursuit; for the dull little beast, having, with the stiffneckedness of fear, persisted in pulling against the string that tied him to the tail of Widow Wattles's great tom-cat, was now trailed ignominiously upon his side, with soiled fur and outstretched neck--the last joint, and only dead one, of this bodiless tail.
Before Mistress Stephen had reached her home, and just as the last link of the chain had appeared on the square, the mirth was raised to a yet higher pitch by the sudden rush of several women to the rescue, who had already heard the news of the ignominious abduction of their honoured _kye_, and their shameful exposure to public ridicule.

Each made for her own four-footed property.
"Guid preserve's, Hawkie! are ye come to this ?" cried Lucky Lapp, as she limped, still and ever lame with rheumatism, towards the third member of the procession.

"Gin I had the loon that did it," she went on, fumbling, with a haste that defeated itself, at the knot that bound Hawkie's nose to the tail of the cadger's horse--"gin I had the loon 'at did it, I wad ding the sowl oot o' his wame, the villain!" "Losh! it's my ain cat, as weel's my ain coo." screamed Lucky Wattles in twofold indignation.

"Gin I cud but redd (comb) the scoonrel's heid wi' your cleuks, Baudrons!" she added, as she fondled the cat passionately, "he wadna be in sic a doom's hurry to han'le ye again, Is' wad (wager)." By this time Stumpin' Steenie, having undone his cow's tail, was leading her home amid shouts of laughter.
"Pit her i' the lock-up, Steenie.

She's been takin' up wi' ill loons," screeched an urchin.
"Haud yer ill tongue, or I s' tak' you up, ye rascal," bawled Steenie.
"Ye'll hae to saiddle Mistress Stephen afore ye can catch me, Stumpin' Steenie!" Steenie, inflamed with sudden wrath, forsook the cow, and made an elephantine rush at the offender, who vanished in the crowd, and thus betrayed the constable to another shout of laughter.
While the laugh was yet ringing, the burly figure of the stonemason appeared, making his way by the momentum of great bulk and slow motion to the front of the crowd.