, Nice; also in Sir Isaac
Holden, Bart, M.P., Dr Dobie, Keighley, and other gentlemen. I have had a
letter, commending my rhyme, from Sir Albert K. Rollit; and other
communications with respect to the outpouring of my muse from Mr Archie
Laidlaw, of Edinburgh; Councillor Burgess, of Congleton, Cheshire, &c. I
was privileged to claim the late Rev J. Room, M.A., as an especial
friend, and may say that of all the times I shook hands with him I
scarcely ever withdrew my hand without finding "something" in it. Mr
Room's last request to me was that I would write seven verses--and only
seven, he said--on the death of his dear, beloved wife. I promised to do
so, but (partly through my dilatoriness, I must admit) the rev gentleman
did not live to receive the verses. During the past few days, however, I
have written the following verses on

THE LATE REV. J. ROOM, M.A.

John Room! he is dead and is buried;
There is mourning the whole village through,
And all the people who knew him
Are loth to bid him adieu.

'Tis true he was filled with compassion;
God's nature in him over-flowed;
He knew all the people with burdens,
And strove hard to lighten their load.

His dress it were plain and quite common,
No pride in him could you trace;
Yet you knew that he was a good parson
Whenever you looked in his face.

The worst things his foes knew about him--
He was fond of satire or joke,
Writing some verses of rhythm,
Which always amused the folk.
Whene'er he walked into the pulpit,
He bowed for a moment in prayer,
Every soul in the temple grew thirsty;--
The true Christian spirit was there.

His likes there are few in the nation,
(I wish in my heart there were more;
For it wants something else besides learning,
To grapple the hearts of the poor.)

'Tis true he was high up in learning
The secrets of nations long dead;
But he cared more for those who were yearning
Sad tears round the sufferer's bed.

Then farewell! my worthy old preacher,
For thou shall have no end of praise--
Good father and true-hearted shepherd,
Who knew both the poor and their ways.

SOME LAUGHABLE STORIES

In this, the last chapter, I should like to give a few anecdotes
concerning an eccentric character who was pretty well known in the
Keighley district, although he was a native of Flintergill, a village
near Kendal. This individual was known as