ght, an' shoo sang aght after him
'at he'd niver paid her for it.

"Why, aw gave yo t'acid drops for it."

"Eea, but tha niver paid for t'acid drops."

"A'a, what a tale I didn't aw give yo t'humbugs?"

"But tha niver paid for t'humbugs."

"Why, aw havn't etten t'humbugs, have aw? Didn't aw give' em yo agean?
Yo dooant want payin' twice, sewerlee?"

"Well aw dooant know hah it is, what tha says saands reight enuff; but
what aw do know is, at tha's getten a rockstick, an' aw havn't getten a
penny."

"You see what it is to be a scholar," sed his mother; "but yo'st loise
nowt bi a child o' mine," soa shoo gave her t'penny an' coom away.

As they wor walkin on, Sammy put t'last bit into his maath an' sed,
"mother, can yo tell me why is old Sally like that rockstick?"

"Nay lad, awm sewer aw cannot."

"Becoss they've booath getten suckt."

"A'a, lad, dooant study soa mich, awm feeard strainin thi brain, but can
ta spell brain?"

"Brane."

"Nay, lad, ther's a I in it."

"Then aw must have three, if aw've two i' mi heead an' one i' mi brain."

"Aw niver thowt o' that, but tha'rt far too clivver for me, an' awst
nivver rest until aw get thi into a bank."

Now it soa happened 'at ther wor a man 'at had done business wi' Sammy's
fayther i' former days, an' after a bit o' persuadin he consented to
tak' him into his office, an' t'lad wor soa praad ov his place, 'at,
strange as it seems, he did begin to leearn a bit o' summate T'chap tuk
a deeal o' pains wi him, an' his mother's heart wor oft made glad wi'
hearin a gooid accaant of his gooins on. When he used to goa to his
dinner wi' a pen stuck behind his ear, an' his finger daubed wi' ink, as
if he'd been cleeanin' aght t'ink bottles, shoo could hardly keep her
arms off his neck, an' monny a time shoo'd sit watchin him as he put
t'puddin aght o' t'seet, wi' tears in her een, an' wish his farther wor
thear to see him. But his face grew whiter an' he didn't seem to have as
mich life in him as he used to have, an' this caused her a deeal ov
uneasiness, an' at last shoo decided to goa an' have a word wi' his
maister. Shoo went to t'office, an' they made a gurt fuss o' t'old woman
an' ax'd her into a private raam to sit daan.

"Aw've come," shoo sed, "to have a word or two abaat ahr Sammy; aw
should like to know hah yo think he gets on?"

"Better than we expected," he said; "he runs errands very well and his
writing is better than it was, but his spelling wants i