bide
touchin'. It's sufferin wi' enflimashun ov its liver. It's a strange
thing, but it's a disease 'at's gooin abaat amang dogs just at present.
Ther's monny a scoor dee ivvery wick, for yo see ther's net monny 'at
know hah to doctor 'em for it. It's a pratty little thing. It'll have to
have some castor hoil an a paather, mum. Aw think aw can cure it in a
wick, mum."

"Well, then, I must leave it with you, and be sure to treat the little
thing kindly."

"Kindly! Why, mum, awd give it th' bit aght o' mi maath. It owt to have
some warm milk an a paather th' furst thing, but aw dooant happen to
have onny ith haase, an my lad willn't be hooam befoor dark, an it's
been awr rent day to-day, but as sooin: as ivver he comes wi his wage
awl get it some, tho' it's a pity, poor thing, 'at it connot have it
nah, but yo see aw didn't know 'at it wor comin'."

After this speech he wor sewer to get a shillin', an sometimes
hauf-a-craan, an as he nivver reckoned owt off his doctor's bill, he
called that "extra bunce."

As sooin as shoo'd getten nicely aght oth gate he'd give it a claat oth
side oth heead, to let it know at th' beginnin' what it might expect if
it didn't behave, an then he'd tak it into th' cellar an tee some band
raand it neck an festen it to th' wall, an throw it a bit o' strea to
lig on, an after chuckin' it a crust o' breead an' givin' it some
watter, he'd leeav it tellin' it 'at as sooin as it had browt its
stummack daan to that it ud noa daat feel better. It ud be pratty sewer
to freat a bit but Sam ud tak noa noatice wol th' next day, an when he
went to luk at it, if he fan th' breead an waiter untouched he'd leeav
it agean. Abaht th' third day he says they generally begin to nibble a
bit, an as sooin as he saw that he used to give 'em a bit o' sop or
summat, but he took gooid care net to give 'em too mich. Bi th' end oth
wick they wor cured, an' he used to wesh 'em an cooam 'em, an tee a bit
a blue ribbon raand ther neck, an' tak 'em hooam, an' when ther
mistresses saw 'em jumpin' an' caperin' abaat, an ommost fit to ait th'
fire iron's, they paid him what he charged withaat a word, an gave him
credit for being th' best dog doctor ith country.

He made a gooid deal o' brass i' that way, but that didn't pay him as
weel as ratcatchin'. Ther wor nivver onnybody could equal Sam at catch
in' a rat, for he wor nivver known to fail. At all th' big haases ith
district he wor as weel known! as th' pooastman. He's