t, an varry sooin
'Twor th' nicest haase i'th' street.
An when a little lass wor born
They thowt ther pleasur double;
But Dick, alas! had nah to taste
A little bit o' trubble.
For times wer growin varry hard,
An wark kept gettin slacker;
He'd furst to goa withaat his ale,
An then to stop his bacca.
But even that did net suffice
To keep want at a distance,
An they'd noa whear i'th' world to turn,
To luk for some assistance.
An monny a time he left his meal
Untouched, tho' ommost pinin;
An trail'd abaat, i' hooaps to find
Some breeter fortun shinin.
For long he sowt, but sowt in vain,
Although his heart wor willin
To turn or twist a hundred ways,
To get an honest shillin.
One day his wife coom back throo th' shop,
Her heart seem'd ommost brustin;
Shoo sob'd, "Oh, Dick,--what mun we do,
Th' shop keeper's stall'd o' trustin.
We've nowt to ait, lad, left i'th' haase,--
Aw know th' fault isn't thine,
But th' childer's bellies mun be fill'd
Tho' thee an me's to pine."
Dick seized his hat an aght o'th' door
He flew like somdy mad,
Detarmined 'at he'd get some brass,
If brass wor to be had.
He furst tried them he thowt his friends,
An tell'd his touchin stooary;
They button'd up ther pockets
As they sed, "We're varry sooary."
They tell'd him to apply to th' taan,
Or sell his goods an chattels;
Dick felt at last 'at he'd to feight
One o' life's hardest battles.
For when he'd tried 'em ivvery one
He fan aght to his sorrow,
'At fowk wi' brass have far mooar friends,
Nor them 'at wants to borrow.
Wi' empty hands, hooamwards he went,
An thear on th' doorstep gleamin,
Wor ligg'd a shillin, raand an white;--
He thowt he must be dreamin.
He rub'd his een, an eyed it o'er,
A-feeard lest it should vanish,
He sed, "some angel's come aw'm sewer,
Awr misery to banish."
He pickt it up an lifted th' sneck,
Then gently oppen'd th' door,
An thear wor Nancy an his bairns,
All huddled up o'th' flooar.
"Cheer up!" he sed, "gooid luck's begun,
Here,--tak this brass an spend it;
It isn't mine, lass, but aw'm sewer
Aw think the Lord has sent it."
A'a! ha her heart jumpt up wi' joy!
Shoo felt leet as a feather;
An off shoo went an bowt some stuff,
Then they set daan together.
Befooar they'd weel begun, at th' door,
They heeard a gentle tappin,
"Goa Dick," shoo sed, "luk sharp,--awm sewer
Aw heead sombody rappin."
It