ye fixin' mun an' lookin' as though
et had _been there_. I needn' tell 'ee th' ould man wore et ivery
Sunday: 'deed, he wore et most days, but tuk et out o' nights, I've
heerd, for 'twudn' shut when he slep', but used to scare ould Deb'rah
Mennear fairly out of her sken o' moonshiny nights, when the light
comed in 'pon et. An' even when her got 'n to lave et off, her used
allays to put a tay-cup 'pon top o't afore closin' an eye.

"So et went on, sir, till wan Sunday mornin', when the Lawyer was
fairly warmin' to hes work over the weckedness o' backsliders an' the
wrath to come, he whacks the cush'n more'n ord'nary vi'lent, an' I
reckon that made the eye work loose. Anyway, out et drops, and
clatters down along the floor o' the Meetin' House.

"Now Deacon Hoskins i' them days had charge o' the Sunday-school
boys. He was a short-sighted man, the Deacon, tho' that were hes
misfortun'; but he had faults as well, an' wan o' these was a
powerful knack o' droppin' off to sleep durin' sarmon-time.
Hows'ever, he managed very tidily, for he knawed he was bound to wake
hissel' so soon as he began to snore, an' then he'd start up sudden
an' fetch the nighest boy a rousin' whistcuff 'pon the side o' the
head to cover the noise he'd made, an' cry out, 'I've a-caught 'ee
agen, ha' I? I'll tache 'ee to interrup' the word o' Grace wi' your
gammut [8] an' may-games!'--an' he'd look round like as ef he'd say,
'Sorry to interrup', brethren, but desceplin' es desceplin'!'
Many's the time I've a-seed 'n do this, an' you may take my word,
sir, 'twas so good as a play!"

Now this morning Deacon Hoskins was takin' forty winks as ushul, when
the clatter made by th' ould Mennear's eye makes 'n set up,
wide-awake an' starin'. This time, jedgin' by the noise, he tuk a
consait that the boys had been a-playin' marbles sure 'nuff; so he
takes two at haphazard, knacks their heads togither, an' then looks
about. Fust thing he sees es th' eye lying out 'pon the aisle an'
lookin' for all the world like a big shiny glass-alley.

"I told 'ee, sir, the Deacon were short o' sight. He hadn' a doubt
by this time the boys had been foolin' about wi' marbles, so he
reaches out, grabs the eye, an' slips et into hes trowsy-pocket; an'
then he takes a glance round, so much as to say, 'I reckon the owner
of this 'ere glass-alley'll ha' to wait afore he sees 'n agen.'

"In cou'se, the rest o' the brethren knawed what had happened, an'
wan or two fell to