TH' OW'D BELLMAN.

THEY may talk o' Turn Breawn bein' as "soft as a cawve,"
But aw'll warrant th' owd Bellman t' be softer bi th' hawve;
Scarce a day passes o'er but he's pooin' his face,
An' bleth'rin an' "cryin'" all up an' deawn th' place.
Th' other day Snuffy Bet ud bumbailys i' th' shop,
Gettin' ready for sellin' her besoms an' pop;
An' among other sundries wur th' owd woman's cat:
Well, aw'm blest, iv th' owd softy didn't "cry" abeawt that.

He "cried" when Dick Whiteside sowd off at his farm;
Aw met him th' same day wi' his bell on his arm,
Soa aw ax'd heaw it wur he wur bawlin' so loud,
Iv th' things belonged him 'at wur beawn to be sowd.
"Nowe, indeed 'em," he said, "cryin's part o' my trade,
An' aw dar say tha'd yeawl a bit, too, if tha're paid."
"Well," aw said, "there's no tellin' what one may ha' t' do,
Aw know aw once cried o'er an onion or two.''

A day or two sin aw' wur goin' deawn th' street,
On a bit ov an errand, when whoa should aw meet,
But owd Jammie wi' th' bell, so says I, "What's up neaw?"
"Oh, nowt, nobbut Jonathan Smith's lost a ceaw,
An' he's gan me a shillin' to go reawnd an cry;
Aw'm on duty, tha sees, so excuse me—good-bye.'
"Stop a bit, mon," aw said, "as aw've nowt mitch to do,
Iv tha'll gie me th' tone hawve on't aw'll cry a bit too."

"Not to-day," Jammie said; "aw con manage misel,"—
Tong-tingle-tum, tingle-tum, tingle-tum-dell!
"Law-st a ceaw, 'at belongs unto Jonathan Smith;
Thoose 'at foind it mun bring it to th' bellman forthwith,
At number nineteen, Betty Singleton's yard,
Wheer th' foinder ull meet wi' a han'some reward.
Neaw, yo chaps, here's a job, mak good use o' yo'r een;
Foind Jonathan's ceaw ogen.   God save the Queen!"

Well, aw see'd him ogen, a week after or so,
He wur plasterin' some mack o' bills on a wo;
"Oh, Jammie," aw said, " what becoom o' that ceaw?
Wur it feawnd th' other day, when tha cried it, or heaw?"
"Feawnd! aye, to be sure; mon aw knew wheer it wur;
Aw'd had it ole th' toime hud at eawr back dur;
When aw'd done goin' reawnd aw went whoam wi' mi bell,
Took th' ceaw, said aw'd feawnd it, geet th' brass for misel."

"Eh, theaw rascal!" aw said, "to do tricks sich as these;
Wheerever does t' think tha'll ha' t' goa when tha dees?
Here, aw think, aw con manage to foind thee a job."
Soa aw towd him aw'd lost one o' th' childer—eawr Bob;
An' ally gan him a papper o' what he had t' say,
An' a shillin' or two, an' then sent him away;
Th' furst corner he coom to he up wi' his bell,
Tong-tingle-tum, tingle-tum, tingle-tum dell!

"Law-st, oather to-day or else sometoime to-morn,
As pratty a babby as ever wur born;
It has cheeks like red roses, two bonny blue een,
Had it's meawth daubed wi' traycle th' last toime it wur seen;
It's just cuttin' it's teeth, an' has very sore gums,
An' it's getten' a habit o' suckin' it's thumbs;
Thoose at foind it may keep it, there's nob'dy ull care,
For thoose 'at han lost it han lots moor to spare!"

Eh, there wur some rare laffin' when Jammie had done;
Some o' th' women reet skreomed, they thowt it sich fun;
But th' chap wur some mad, he threw th' papper on th' floor,
An' swore held ne'er "cry" o'er lost childer no moor.
Sin' that toime he's tried hard to keep eawt o' my seet,
Still aw neaw an' then drop on him somewheer i' th' street;
An' aw allis inquire iv he's wantin' a job,
Iv he is, he can go reawnd a seechin' eawr Bob.