In leäne the gipsies, as we went
A-milkèn, had a-pitch'd their tent,
Between the gravel-pit an' clump
O' trees, upon the little hump:
An' while upon the grassy groun'
Their smokèn vire did crack an' bleäze,
Their shaggy-cwoated hoss did greäze
Among the bushes vurder down.
An' zoo, when we brought back our païls,
The woman met us at the raïls,
An' zaid she'd tell us, if we'd show
Our han's, what we should like to know.
Zoo Poll zaid she'd a mind to try
Her skill a bit, if I would vu'st;
Though, to be sure, she didden trust
To gipsies any mwore than I.
Well; I agreed, an' off all dree
O's went behind an elem tree,
An' after she'd a-zeed 'ithin
My han' the wrinkles o' the skin,
She twold me--an' she must a-know'd
That Dicky met me in the leäne,--
That I'd a-walk'd, an' should ageän,
Wi' zomebody along thik road.
An' then she twold me to bewar
O' what the letter _M_ stood vor.
An' as I walk'd, o' _M_onday night,
Drough _M_eäd wi' Dicky overright
The _M_ill, the _M_iller, at the stile,
Did stan' an' watch us teäke our stroll,
An' then, a blabbèn dousty-poll!
Twold _M_other o't. Well wo'th his while!
An' Poll too wer a-bid bewar
O' what the letter _F_ stood vor;
An' then, because she took, at _F_eäir,
A bosom-pin o' Jimmy Heäre,
Young _F_ranky beät en black an' blue.
'Tis _F_ vor _F_eäir; an' 'twer about
A _F_earèn _F_rank an' Jimmy foüght,
Zoo I do think she twold us true.
In short, she twold us all about
What had a-vell, or would vall out;
An' whether we should spend our lives
As maïdens, or as wedded wives;
But when we went to bundle on,
The gipsies' dog were at the raïls
A-lappèn milk vrom ouer païls,--
A pretty deäl o' Poll's wer gone.
