me;
For i' mi jacket button-hoil tha'd quickly dee,
An life is short enuff, booath for mi-sen an thee.

Here, if aw leeav thee bi th' rooadside to flourish,
Whear scoors may pass thee;
Some heart 'at has few other joys to cherish
May stop an bless thee:
Then bloom, mi little pooasy! Tha'rt a beauty!
Sent here to bless: Smile on--tha does thi duty.

Aw wodn't rob another of a joy
Sich as tha's gien me;
For aw felt varry sad, mi little doy
Until aw'd seen thee.
An may each passin, careworn, lowly brother,
Feel cheered like me, an leeav thee for another.

An Old Man's Christmas Morning.

Its a long time sin thee an' me have met befoor, owd lad,--
Soa pull up thi cheer, an sit daan,
for ther's noabdy moor welcome nor thee:
Thi toppin's grown whiter nor once,--yet mi heart feels glad,
To see ther's a rooas o' thi cheek,
an a bit ov a leet i' thi e'e.

Thi limbs seem to totter an shake, like a crazy owd fence,
'At th' wind maks to tremel an creak;
but tha still fills thi place;
An it shows 'at tha'rt bless'd wi' a bit o' gradely gooid sense,
'At i' spite o' thi years an thi cares,
tha still wears a smile o' thi face.

Come fill up thi pipe--for aw knaw tha'rt reight fond ov a rick,--
An tha'll find a drop o' hooam-brew'd
i' that pint up o'th' hob, aw dar say;
An nah, wol tha'rt tooastin thi shins,
just scale th' foir, an aw'll side thi owd stick,
Then aw'll tell thi some things
'at's happen'd sin tha went away.

An first of all tha mun knaw 'at aw havn't been spar'd,
For trials an troubles have come,
an mi heart has felt well nigh to braik;
An mi wife, 'at tha knaws wor mi pride,
an mi fortuns has shared,
Shoo bent under her griefs, an shoo's flown far,
far away aght o' ther raik.

My life's like an owd gate 'at's nobbut one hinge for support,
An sometimes aw wish--aw'm soa lonely--
at tother 'ud drop off wi' rust;
But it hasn't to be, for it seems Life maks me his spooart,
An Deeath cannot even spare time,
to turn sich an owd man into dust.

Last neet as aw sat an watched th' yule log awd put on to th' fire,
As it crackled, an sparkled, an flared up wi sich gusto an spirit,
An when it wor touched it shone breeter, an flared up still higher,
Till at last aw'd to shift th' cheer
further back for aw couldn't bide near it;

Th' dull saand o'th' church bells coom