f kept
at it, an' ther worn't one i' th' lot dar goa to see what it wor. At
last they threw up th' chamer winder and skriked wi' all ther might. Th'
neighbours wor up in a crack, an' th' poleese coom runnin to see what
ther wor to do.

'Ther's a boggard i' th' haase!' they cried aght. 'Do see what it is,
poleeseman, if yo pleeas.'

But as th' door wor lockt, an' nooan on 'em dar goa daan stairs to oppen
it, ther wor noa way to do but to braik a winder pane, soa th' poleese
smashed one ank stuck his heead an' his lantern in an' lewkt all raand,
but ov coorse he could see nowt. But just as he wor baan to back aght
th' cauf gave another 'B-o-o-h!' Daan dropt his lantern inside, an' away
flew his heead aghtside, an' all th' fowk cluthered raand him an' ax'd
him what he'd seen.

'Aw've seen nowt,' he sed, 'but aw've heeard summat.'

One o' th' childer upstairs shaats aght, 'Aw believe it's i'th' back
kitchen.' An' away they all ran raand to see if they could see it thear.
Another poleese had come up, soa he gate his lantern an' held it cloise
to th' winder, an' ther wor sich a skrike an' a skutter as yo nivver
heeard nor saw. Ther wor noa mistak abaat it nah, for they'd all seen
it; them 'at hadn't seen th' een had seen th' horns, an' ther wor one or
two 'at declared they'd seen a tail. Then they held a long confab as to
what they'd better do, an' th' wimmen sed they thowt it wor th' duty o'
th' poleese to goa in an' tak him up whativver he wor; but th' poleese
didn't see it, for, sed one on 'em, 'If he's th' chap aw think he is he
might tak us daan wol we wor tryin to tak him up.' At last a chap says,
'Aw've a gun, let's shooit him.' They all agreed wi' that, an' he went
an' fotched his gun. Ther wor a gooid deeal o' squarin abaat when he
coom back, befoor he could get fair aim; but at last th' poleese gate
his bull's eye on th' bull's eyes. Bang! it went, an' th' boggard
disappeared. Owd Dawdles wor varry saand asleep, but when th' gun went
off he wakkened, an' wonderin what could be to do, he pooled on his
britches an' ran daan stairs an' oppened th' door just as all th' fowk
wor comin raand to try an' get in, for they hadn't a back door.

'We've peppered him his nut whoivver he is,' sed th' poleese.

'Peppered whose nut? What docs ta mean?' sed Owd Dawdles.

'We've shot th' boggard i'th' back kitchen.'

'Boggard be hang'd! Ther's noa boggard i'th' kitchen. It's nowt, nobbut
a white bull cauf! Hev yo all lost yor