Poetical Works of Richard Watson Author:Richard Watson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: GIB'S AUD MEAR. (Local Dialect.) This was a mare belonging to Gib T n, an ore carrier, who had had it upwards of twenty-two years, having brought it up ... more »from a foal. , A better nag was never yoked; but being feeble by age and hard work it broke down, while carrying coals to Sharnberry mine. The owner loosed it from the cart, and left it lying, and went on his way. Some miners returning from their work, seeing it in such a predicament, raised it from the ground, and conveyed it to Mr. A n's, Middle End, who, thinking it was with foal, and that rest and good treatment would soon revive it, begged it of the owner; but his judgment proving to be wrong, he grew tired of keeping an animal which could never be of any use to him. and wanted Gib to pay for its keep, which he refused to do, on the plea that it was a gift. An altercation took place, and a great deal of ill-feeling was displayed on both sides. The poet, therefore, composed this poem, as he was going to work one fine morning. Upon yan clear September morn, Az folk were gether'n in thir corn ;— 'Twas five o'clock, or varra near, Az aw unto mie wark did steer; Mie wallet owre mie shoulder flung, At, a brisk pace aw jogged along ; Aw knew for wark it was quite soon, Sae 'neath a wall aw sat ma down, By a plantation et's weel kenn'd, Near Al -—n's, at Middle End. While aw was sitting on the ground, A w heard a strange, unearthly sound ; Aw luk'd around, aw thaught it queer, An' spi'd it was Gib T n's auld mear. Yis, thar it stood—'twas nae mistak— An' like a human being spak ; Aw rubb'd mie e'en, for it did seem It could be naught else but a dream, But 'twasn't lang before I knew Et what aw saw and hear'd was true. "Young man," it said, "you needn't wonder, For it is real, it is nae blunder ;...« less