Part 32 (1/2)

As late at night a rawd along All droo a unket ood, A ooman rawze vrom off tha groun An right avaur en stood:

She look'd za pitis Mr. Guy At once hiz hoss's pace Stapt short, a wonderin how, at night, She com'd in jitch a place.

A little trunk war in her hon; She zim'd vur gwon wi' chile.

She ax'd en nif a'd take her up And cor her a veo mile.

Mr. Guy, a man o' veelin For a ooman in distress, Than took er up behind en: A cood'n do na less.

A corr'd er trunk avaur en, An by hiz belt o' leather A bid er hawld vast; on tha rawd, Athout much tak, together.

Not vur tha went avaur she gid A whissle loud an long; Which Mr. Guy, thawt very strange; Er voice too zim'd za strong!

She'd lost er dog, she zed; an than Another whissle blaw'd, That stortled Mr. Guy;--a stapt Hiz hoss upon tha rawd.

Goo on, zed she; bit Mr. Guy Zum rig beginn'd ta fear: Vor voices rawze upon tha wine, An zim'd a comin near.

Again tha rawd along; again She whissled. Mr. Guy Whipt out hiz knife an cut tha belt, Then push'd er off!--Vor why?

Tha ooman he took up behine, Begummers, war a _man!_ Tha rubbers zaw ad lad ther plots Our grazier to trepan.

I shall not stap ta tell what zed Tha man in ooman's clawze; Bit he, and all o'm jist behine, War what you mid suppawze.

Tha cust, tha swaur, tha dreaten'd too, An ater Mr. Guy Tha gallop'd all; 'twar niver-tha-near: Hiz hoss along did vly.

Auver downs, droo dales, awa a went, 'Twar da-light now amawst, Till at an inn a stapt, at last, Ta thenk what he'd a lost.

A lost?--why, nothin--but hiz belt!-- A zummet moor ad gain'd: Thic little trunk a corr'd awa-- It gawld g'lore contain'd!

Nif Mr. Guy war hirch avaur, A now war hircher still: Tha plunder o' tha highwamen Hiz coffers went ta vill.

In safety Mr. Guy rawd whim; A oten tawld tha storry.

Ta meet wi' jitch a rig myzel I shood'n, soce, be zorry.

THE ROOKERY.

The rook, _corvus frugilegus_, is a bird of considerable intelligence, and is, besides, extremely useful in destroying large quant.i.ties of worms and larvae of destructive insects. It will, it is true, if not watched, pick out, after they are dibbled, both pease and beans from the holes with a precision truly astonis.h.i.+ng: a very moderate degree of care is, however, sufficient to prevent this evil, which is greatly overbalanced by the positive good which it effects in the destruction of insects.

It is a remarkable fact, and not, perhaps, generally known, that this bird rarely roosts at the rookery, except for a few months during the period of incubation, and rearing its young. In the winter season it more commonly takes flights of no ordinary length, to roost on the trees of some remote and sequestered wood.

The _Elm_ is its favorite, on which it usually builds; but such is its attachment to locality that since the incident alluded to in the following Poem took place the Rooks have, many of them, built in _fir_ trees at a little distance from their former habitation. The habits of the Rook are well worthy the attention of all who delight in the study of Natural History.

My zong is o' tha ROOKERY, Not jitch as I a zeed On stunted trees wi' leaves a veo, A very veo indeed,

In thic girt place tha _Lunnun_ call;-- Tha Tower an tha Pork Ha booath a got a Rookery, Althaw tha han't a Lork.

I zeng not o' jitch Rookeries, Jitch plazen, pump or banners; Bit town-berd Rooks, vor all that, ha, I warnt ye, curious _manners_.