had'nt been vany slow i' leearnin th' vally o' brass, an' as
it wor th' furst time he'd ivver had a shillin he wor soa excited 'at he
started off hooam at a jog trot, an' th' fowk 'at knew him wor soa capt
wol they could'nt tell what to mak on it, but they thowt he must be
havin' a race wi' some sooapsuds at wor runnin daan th' gutter; but that
wornt it, for he'd getten a noashun at noa trade ud suit him as weel as
fishin, for he could tak his own time wi' that, an' he felt sewer he'd
be lucky, for if they wor'nt inclined to nibble he'd caar thear wol
they'd be glad to bite to get shut on him; an' he'd seen a fishin rod to
sell for a shillin, soa he thowt he'd goa hooam an' as sooin as he'd
getten his dinner he'd buy it.

When he gate in, his mother said, "Whear's ta been, an' whativer is ther
to do 'at maks thi come in puffin an' blowin like that?"

"Aw've been to th' end o'th' loin," he sed, "an' wol aw wor thear a chap
coom an' ax'd me to hold his horse for him, an' he's glen me a shillin."

"Well, tha's been sharp for once, an' awm fain to see it, for its a
comfort to know at owt can stir thi. Gie me' that shillin, its just come
i' time, for aw wor at my wits end what to do for a bit o' dinner, an'
that'll just come in to get a bit o' summat."

Joa pottered it aght, an' as shoo took' it shoo sed, "Nah, tha sees what
it is to be sharp.--Tha's done rarely this' mornin."

"Eea, aw see what it is to be sharp, an' if ivver yo catch me sharp
agean yo may call me sharp, for if aw had'nt run hooam 'fit to braik me
neck aw should ha had that shillin.--But it sarves me reight to loise it
for bein i' sich a hurry."

He wor as gooid as his word, an' he's nivver been known to hurry sin.

When he gate to be a man he fancied he wor i' love wi' a young woman 'at
lived claise to his mother's,--one at wor just as queer a karacter as
hissen, wi this difference, shoo could haddle her own livin wi weshin.

He tell'd his mother 'at he meant to ax her to have him somday, an' shoo
sed shoo wor feeared he'd think abaat it wol they'd be booath too old;
but he did'nt, for he met her one day an' he ax'd her if shoo'd nivver
thowt o' sich a thing?

"Nay," shoo sed, "sich a thowt's nivver entered mi heead, an' if it had
aw should nivver ha' thawt o' thee,--but awm i' noa hurry to get wed."

"Noa moor am aw," he sed, "but aw thawt awd mention it, an' tha can tak
thi own time,--all aw want to know is, if tha'll have me when tha's made
up