Sit thysen down fur a bit: hev a glass o' cowslip wine!

I liked the owd Squire an' 'is gells as thaw they was gells o' mine, Fur then we was all es one, the Squire an' 'is darters an' me,

Hall but Miss Annie, the heldest, I niver not took to she:

But Nelly, the last of the cletch,2 I liked 'er the fust on 'em all,

Fur hoffens we talkt o' my darter es died o' the fever at fall:

An' I thowt 'twur the will o' the Lord, but

Miss Annie she said it wur draäins, Fur she hedn't naw coomfut in 'er, an' arn'd naw thanks fur 'er paäins. Eh? thebbe all wi' the Lord my childer, I han't gotten none!

Sa new Squire's coom'd wi' 'is taäil in 'is 'and, an' owd Squire's gone.

1 See note to Northern Cobbler.'
2 A brood of chickens.

An' the gells, they hedn't naw taäils, an' the lawyer he towd it me That 'is taäil were soä tied up es he couldn't cut down a tree! 'Drat the trees,' says I, to be sewer I haätes 'em, my lass,

Fur we puts the muck o' the land an' they sucks the muck fro' the grass.

VII.

An' Squire wur hallus a-smilin', an' gied to the tramps goin' by

An' all o' the wust i' the parish-wi' hoffens a drop in 'is eye.

An' ivry darter o' Squire's hed her awn ridin-erse to 'ersen,

An' they rampaged about wi' their grooms, an' was 'untin' arter the men, An' hallus a-dallackt an' dizen'd out, an' a-buyin' new cloäthes, While 'e sit like a greät glimmer-gowk 2

wi' 'is glasses athurt 'is noäse, An' 'is noäse sa grufted wi' snuff es it couldn't be scroob'd awaäy,

Fur atween 'is readin' an' writin' 'e snifft up a box in a daäy,

An' 'e niver runn'd arter the fox, nor arter the birds wi' 'is gun,

An' 'e niver not shot one 'are, but 'e

leäved it to Charlie 'is son,

An' 'e niver not fish'd 'is awn ponds, but Charlie 'e cotch'd the pike,

For 'e warn't not burn to the land, an' 'e didn't take kind to it like;

But I 'eärs es 'e'd gie fur a howry 3 owd book thutty pound an' moor, An' 'e'd wrote an owd book, 'is awn sen,

sa I knaw'd es 'e'd coom to be poor; An' 'e gied- I be fear'd fur to tell tha 'ow

much fur an owd scratted stoän, An' 'e digg'd up a loomp i' the land an' 'e got a brown pot an' a boän, An' 'e bowt owd money, es wouldn't goä, wi' good gowd o' the Queen, An' 'e bowt little statutes all-naäkt an'

which was a shaäme to be seen; But 'e niver looökt ower a bill, nor 'e niver not seed to owt, An' 'e niver knawd nowt but booöks, an' boooks, as thou knaws, beänt nowt.

Hoänly Miss Annie were saw stuck oop, like 'er mother afoor

'Er an' 'er blessed darter - they niver derken'd my door.

IX.

An' Squire 'e smiled an' 'e smiled till 'e'd gotten a fright at last, An' 'e calls fur 'is son, fur the 'turney's letters they foller'd sa fast; But Squire wur afear'd o' 'is son, an' 'e says to 'im, meek as a mouse, 'Lad, thou mun cut off thy taäil, or the gells 'ull goä to the 'Ouse, Fur I finds es I be that i' debt, es I 'oäps es thou'll 'elp me a bit,

An' if thou'll 'gree to cut off thy taäil I may saäve mysen yit.'

X.

But Charlie 'e sets back 'is ears, an' 'e sweärs, an' 'e says to 'im 'Noä. I've gotten the 'staäte by the taäil an' be dang'd if I iver let goä! Coom! coom! feyther,' 'e says, 'why shouldn't thy booöks be sowd? I hears es soom o' thy booöks mebbe worth their weight i' gowd.'

XI.

Heäps an' heäps o' boooks, I ha' see'd 'em, belong'd to the Squire, But the lasses 'ed teärd out leaves i' the middle to kindle the fire;

Sa moäst on 'is owd big booöks fetch'd nigh to nowt at the saäle, And Squire were at Charlie ageän to git 'im to cut off 'is taäil.

XII.

Ya wouldn't find Charlie's likes -'e were that outdacious at 'oäm, Not thaw ya went fur to raäke out Hell wi' a small-tooth coämb.

Droonk wi' the Quoloty's wine, an' droonk wi' the farmer's aäle,

Mad wi' the lasses an' all-an' 'e wouldn't cut off the taäil.

XIII.

Thou's coom'd oop by the beck; and a thurn be a-grawin' theer,

I niver ha' see'd it sa white wi' the Maäy es I see'd it to-year

Theerabouts Charlie joompt-and it gied me a scare tother night, Fur I thowt it wur Charlie's ghoäst i' the derk, fur it looökt sa white. 'Billy,' says 'e, hev a joomp!'-thaw

the banks o' the beck be sa high, Fur 'e ca'd 'is 'erse Billy-rough-un, thaw niver a hair wur awry;

But Billy fell bakkuds o' Charlie, an' Charlie 'e brok 'is neck,

Sa theer wur a hend o' the taäil, fur 'e lost 'is taäil i' the beck.

An' Hetty wur weak i' the hattics, wi'out ony harm i' the legs,

An' the fever 'ed baäked Jinny's 'eäd es bald es one o' them heggs, An' Nelly wur up fro' the craädle es big i' the mouth es a cow,

An' saw she mun hammergrate,1 lass, or she weänt git a maäte onyhow! An' es for Miss Annie es call'd me afoor my awn foälks to my faäce 'A hignorant village wife as 'ud hev to be larn'd 'er awn plaäce,' Hes fur Miss Hannie the heldest hes now be a-grawin' sa howd,

I knaws that mooch o' sheä, es it beant not fit to be towd!

Sa I

Es I

XVII.

didn't not taäke it kindly ov owd Miss Annie to saäy

should be talkin' ageän 'em, es soon es they went awaäy,

Fur, lawks! 'ow I cried when they went, an' our Nelly she gied me 'er 'and, Fur I'd ha' done owt for the Squire an' 'is gells es belong'd to the land; Booöks, es I said afoor, thebbe neyther 'ere nor theer!

But I sarved 'em wi' butter an' heggs fur huppuds o' twenty year.

XVIII.

An' they hallus paäid what I hax'd, sa I hallus deal'd wi' the Hall,

An' they knaw'd what butter wur, an' they knaw'd what a hegg wur an' all; Hugger-mugger they lived, but they wasn't that easy to please, Till I gied 'em Hinjian curn, an' they laäid big heggs es tha seeäs; An' I niver puts saäme 2 i' my butter, they does it at Willis's farm, Taäste another drop o' the wine—tweänt do tha naw harm.

Sa I han't clapt eyes on 'im yit, fur he coom'd last night sa laäte Pluksh!!! the hens i' the peäs! why didn't tha hesp the gaäte?

IN THE CHILDREN'S

HOSPITAL.

EMMIE.

I.

OUR doctor had call'd in another, I never had seen him before,

But he sent a chill to my heart when I saw him come in at the door, Fresh from the surgery-schools of France and of other lands

Harsh red hair, big voice, big chest, big merciless hands! Wonderful cures he had done, O yes, but they said too of him

He was happier using the knife than in trying to save the limb,

And that I can well believe, for he look'd so coarse and so red,

I could think he was one of those who would break their jests on the dead, And mangle the living dog that had loved him and fawn'd at his kneeDrench'd with the hellish oorali- that ever such things should be!

Hers was the gratefullest heart I have found in a child of her years Nay, you remember our Emmie; you used to send her the flowers; How she would smile at 'em, play with

'em, talk to 'em hours after hours! They that can wander at will where the

works of the Lord are reveal'd Little guess what joy can be got from a cowslip out of the field;

Flowers to these 'spirits in prison' are all

they can know of the spring, They freshen and sweeten the wards like the waft of an Angel's wing; And she lay with a flower in one hand and her thin hands crost on her breastWan, but as pretty as heart can desire, and we thought her at rest, Quietly sleeping- -so quiet, our doctor said Poor little dear,

Nurse, I must do it to-morrow; she'll never live thro' it, I fear.'

I had sat three nights by the child - I could not watch her for fourMy brain had begun to reel-I felt I could do it no more.

That was my sleeping-night, but I thought that it never would pass. There was a thunderclap once, and a clatter of hail on the glass, And there was a phantom cry that I heard as I tost about,

The motherless bleat of a lamb in the storm and the darkness without; My sleep was broken besides with dreams of the dreadful knife

And fears for our delicate Emmie who scarce would escape with her life;

And thine Imperial mother smile again, May send one ray to thee! and who can tell

Thou- England's England-loving daughter- thou

Dying so English thou wouldst have her flag

Borne on thy coffin-where is he can

swear

But that some broken gleam from our poor earth

May touch thee, while remembering thee, I lay