James Hogg 
Winter Evening Tales, Collected Among the Cottagers in the South of Scotland 

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. At fourteen years of age, I was, by my own choice, bound apprentice to a joiner in the neighbourhood, with whom I was obliged to serve out my time, much against my will; fori deemed myself master of the craft, and much superior to my teacher, before half my time was expired. After I had strug gled through it, I went home. My father hinted to me, that I ought to take the wages my late master offered me to con tinue with him, until something better should be found. But this I slighted with high disdain, declaring that I would go to London or America, before I accepted ofless than double the sum proposed: and that, at any rate, was I never, to learn any thing better than making a plough or cart-wheel?