University of Virginia Library

But Harry could look, and Harry could smook,
Aw, bless ye! company for a duke
Was Harry—fuss-rate! He'd a trick of spittin'
He larned of me, thought nothin' of hittin'
A fly on the wall, or a spark in the chimbley,
Any distance you like, the nimbly
You never saw. And the buzz and the bizz
And the 'twixt his teeth, and the fo'ce and the fizz
Like fireworks mostly; and his mouth like a flute,
All to make the puffeck skute —
For a chap from Dalby that way—eh?
You'd hardly think now—what did ye say?
Learnt from me? But a splendid scholar,
Aw, bless ye! baetin' his masthar holler—
Yes, he did, aw, beat complately—
Beat; and amusin' the old man greatly.
“Hit the rose on the side of that mug!”
Or “Spit through the handle of yandhar jug
On the dresser there!” or “Make a ring
Round yandhar cup!” He'd do the thing,
Would Harry, five times out of six.
But Nessy didn' like such tricks;
And she'd say—“Now what are ye after there?
Behave, behave now, Henry Creer!”
And Harry to look a bit to one side,
And Brew to laugh till he fairly cried.
“What's the use o' talkin'! chat!
Jack couldn' do that! Jack couldn' do that,”
The ould man would say, and “I hope he cudn',”
Nessy would say, “and I hope he wudn'.
And even if so be it's allowed of,
It's nothin' to be so very proud of;
No!” and she wasn' takin' the huff!
And some people's manners was middlin' rough.