g are ta baan to praich,' sed one o'th' chaps 'at had
been lissenin' to this tale, 'does ta know 'at it's ommost twelve
o'clock?'

'Why, nivver heed! It's th' last day i'th' year, an' we'st all have
halliday to-morn. Aw havn't tell'd yo hauf o'th' queer tricks he's
noated for yet. Did yo ivver hear tell abaat that umbrella o' his 'at he
lost at Bradforth market?'

'Noa an' we dooan't want to hear ony moor to neet,' they sed, as they
gate up an' knockt th' ash aght o' ther pipes, 'tha's tell'd us quite
enough for a Kursmiss stoary, an' tha mun save th' rest for th' New
Year.'

Soa they all trudged off to ther hooams to get a warm supper an' let
ther wives sympathise wi' 'em, for havin' to tramp an' tew wol past
twelve o'clock at neet to mak a bit ov a livin' for them 'at wor caar'd
warm an' comfortable at hooam.

Property Huntin'.

Ther's soa monny different sooarts o' fooils 'at it's hard to tell which
is th' warst, an' th' best on us do fooilish things at times. It's varry
fooilish for a young chap at's a paand a wick to live at th' rate o'
twenty-five shillin', for hahivver clivver he may be at figures he'll be
sure to find hissen in a hobble befoor long. Aw once knew a chap they
called "Gentleman Dick:" he wor nobbut a warp dresser, but to see him ov
a neet, when he wor donned up an' walking throo th' streets twirlin' his
cane, yo'd ha' taen him to be a gentleman's son at th' varry leeast.
Fowk 'at knew him sed he had to live o' mail porrige all th' wick, an' a
red yearin for a treeat on a Sunday, to enable him to get new clooas,
an', as it wor, he owed soa monny tailors' bills 'at when he heeard a
knock at th' door he allus had to luk aght o'th' chamer winder to see
who it wor befoor he dar oppen it. But whativver he had to put up wi he
nivver grummeld, an' Setterdy neet an Sundy wor th' time 'at he enjoyed
hissen to his heart's content. One day when he wor aght dooin the grand,
he met wi a young woman i'th' train gooin to Briggus, an' he showed her
soa mich attention wol shoo tuk quite a fancy to him, an' when he ax'd
her if he might see her hooam, shoo blushed an' sed shoo didn't mind if
he did. Shoo wor a varry nice lass an' dressed as grand as yo'd wish to
see an' Dick sed such nice things to her, an' shoo smiled an' luk'd soa
delighted wi him wol he hardly knew what ailed him. When they coom to
some gates leeadin to a varry big hall shoo held aght her hand to bid
him gooid-bye, for shoo sed, 'I'm