University of Virginia Library

But Cain to the chapel—and that's the place
They had the row, and every taste.
And who was tellin' me? Tellin'? tellin'?
Why, bless your souls! ould Harry Gellin',
Tommy's father; aye, but it was, though,
Just one day there shoein' a hoss though—
Aw, whatever there's goin', the blacks and the whites of it,
It's in a smithy you'll get the rights of it—
And him a local: but tuk the huff
About something, and left them long enough
After he was tellin' me the fun.
So Bobby Kirkbride it was that begun,
Bobby—and “Brother Cain,” he says,
“We're in a very great disthress,
Brother—very,” he says—“The Church,”
He says, “is troubled. 'Twere gud to search
Your heart, brother, and ascertain
How is it with thee, brother Cain.
It's for our brother's own sake,
And indeed the case is delicake,
Yes, it's delicake uncommon—
I may say it's about a young woman,
Livin' under your own roof,
I understand, but kep' aloof
From the rest of the sarvants. We've heard this;
And then, in this sacred edifice,
We're tould of conduck, as one might say,
Conduck, conduck, in a general way.
Furthermore, it's said in the neighbourhood
That this faymale pessin is well-favoured,
Also, we're informed her state
Is hopeful, or was, at any rate—
Hopeful—and makin' her to be
A pleasin' subject—spiritually—
Spiritually—in another respeck,
We've heard of captains and the lek—
We've heard, no doubt, and a trouble that came
On a fam'ly I'm not goin' to name—
A trouble, yes. So, if he's inclint
To clear his mind upon this pint,
We think, in a spirit of Christian unity,
Our brother should have a opportunity.”