The Eambles of an Idler 



with a gun an' levelled it. I dropped into the 

 boat as he blazed away, an* the shot rattled 

 'round but didn't hit me. I let the boat drift, 

 peepin' over the gunnel. He loaded ag'in and 

 fired, but I was too far off, an' then I seen two 

 men a-runnin' an' they swung their arms 'round 

 an' held him an' drug him away. I went back, 

 sort o' worried-like, an' up an' told Nance all 

 about it. 



1 ' Says she, 'We'll go over there together,' 

 says she, an' sech a look in her eyes I never 

 seen afore. She wouldn't take no from no one. 



' * ' Are you a-f eared, Job 1 ' says she. 



"Says I, 'No,' an' we went. There was no- 

 body 'bout when we got there, an' we didn't 

 know rightly jus' where to go, but soon we saw 

 the ol' man a-comin'. He'd slipped away from 

 the folks as was a-keepin' an eye on him, an' 

 Nance and me stood there together. He was 

 gone clean daft. There was no look o' sense 

 in his eyes, an' he wouldn't say nothin'. 



" 'Daddy,' says Nance, 'don't you know 

 me?' 



" 'No,' says he, and then he looked wild at 

 me, an' Nance begin a-cryin' and callin', 'Dad- 

 dy', 'Daddy.' 



18 



