University of Virginia Library

But when Nelly got a bit peacefuller,
Then the misthress sthrooghed her hair,
And reddied it, and made it nice—
Dear me! the tender and the wise—
Eh? just so! till she brought it round
To spake about Tommy, and the way he was down
Altogether, lek low in his mind—
And the good, and the faithful, and the kind—
And—any woman, no matter who,
Might be proud to marry him;—and “it's you!
It's you he's lovin' more than his life!
Oh Nelly, couldn' ye be his wife?
Aw, try, Nelly! aw, I think ye could—
Aw, Nelly! there's no mistake he's good,”
But Nelly shivered in every limb—
And—“Oh! don't talk to me about him!”
She says, “for if he's as good as gool,
He's a fool,” she says, “and a stupid fool.”
My word! she was up again like fire.
But the misthress thought she wouldn' try her
That way any more, but just
To pet her, and coax her, the way you must
With the lek, you know, if it's peace you're for—
Or else, you know, look out for war!
Aye—but she got her as quite as quite
And then she went. But that very night
The misthress made up her mind to spake
To Captain Moore himself, to take
Some order someway with the son—
Hard it was, but it had to be done.
And she saw the captain; but what occurred,
To tell ye the truth, I never heard—
Only the misthress came home very weakly,
And off with her to bed directly;
And whiter till white; and it was raelly too much—
Ould love is a dangerous thing to touch.