Children of the Dear Cotswolds

en-roller sort of motion usually associated with the gait of those who minister to us in the coffee-rooms of hotels-an old man, who, professedly a jobbing gardener, looked

spade the while, but with the air of one who only just tolerated such interruption.-these would find that here was one whose ideas were the result of reflec

day," liked the print to be large and black. As the halfpenny papers in no way pander to such luxurious tastes in their r

lers more, and 'tis more loively loike-I bin to church, I 'ave, don't you think as 'ow I 'aven't sampled 'em both careful-but Oi be gettin' a holdish man, an' them curicks is that weakly an' finnicken in their ways, it don't seem to do me no sort o' good nohow. Not as I've

l you will get most good," I said meekly

to say as 'e's powervul, but 'e do 'oller an' thump the cushion as do do yer 'art good to see, an' 'e do tell us plainish where them'll go as bain't ther to yer 'im, but I bain't sure as 'e's powervul. The powervullest preac

the year. He seemed to regard the whole of the proceedings with a tolerant sort of amusement-tolerance was ever a feature of his mental attitude towards life generally. But as to stepping down, into the arena and taking sides!-such a course was far

e, "an' they says, 'If our candidate do get in, you'll see what us'll do for 'ee. 'E'll do sech and sech, an

e after all?" I asked wit

n't much of a schollard, so I ups an' puts two crasses, one for each on 'em, an

way of plants, and in the autumn had a perfect passion for grubbing up one's most cherished possessions and trundling them off in the wheelbarrow to the rubbish heap. One autumn a friend presented me with some rare iris bulbs, which, knowing the philosopher

o have moved them. "Lor' bless my 'eart! was them things bulbses? I thought as 'ow they was hold onions and

d to the martial strut induced among the rural population by perpetual practice of the goose-step. As it was, he thirsted for news with the utmost eagernes

pade into the ground as though the offending propagandist were underneath-"I'd warm 'im. I'd knock 'is ugly 'ead off before 'e'd come 'is nasty Boerses over me. Let 'im go to St. 'Elena and mind 'em; then 'e'd know. 'Tain't no use for 'im to come and gibber to the loikes of us 'as 'ave 'eard their goin's-on from th

"there's toimes w'en the meek-'eartidest ain't safe if

his master was not so excessively young, but then neither was he particularly well instructed in matters horticultural, and Williams had but a poor opinion of a man who, while he could tell you the long Latin name of every grass in the field and every weed in the hedgerow, had but small appreciation of carpet bedding, and had been heard to remark that a cabbage moth was really much prettier than a cabba

no! But still he permitted her to "come anigh him," and shout her behests into his ear. He was decidedly deaf

g the drawing-room windows. She had hoped that Williams would not notice them, as that bank was never mown till well on in the spring. But Williams not only noted but disapproved t

," exclaimed the young missus; "he w

a way as they never were done, this personage had but to point a diminutive forefinger in the direction of anything he coveted when Williams would hasten to procure it for him with the greatest alacrity. He was not of imposing stature, this new autocrat. When he fi

n a fine white coach propelled by a white-clad attendant. Williams would not have been averse from occasional parleyings with the attendant. She was young and pretty; but she had other and more lively fish to fry, and would

nsisted upon helping to wheel manure from the stable-yard to the potato patch, and fell into the manure-heap. He hung on to a big water-can that Williams was carrying with such force that he spilled most of the contents over himself, and he persisted in digging in such close proximity to Williams that the senior gardener was fain to rest upon his spade and admire his assistant. He possessed a garden of his own

e young missus profited by the subjugation of Williams to do sundry bits of gardening on her own account which he never discovered. As for the "professor gen'leman," as the cottage children called him, he bowed ben

gardening the autocrat occasionally

ms; you must say 'he was.' It's 'h

n't say as I do; but I'll say

illiams. '

s spade and smiling broadly at his own wit; while the autocrat broke int

usiastic admirer of the national game. On the autocrat's fourth birthday the old gardener presented him with a tiny cricket-bat, and during the summer months gardening was varied by batting practice. Williams was too

ever wore any other shape. Winter or summer, his large bald head was protected from rain or sun by a wide-brimmed and generally seedy tall felt hat. On Sundays it was a silk one, carefully brushed, but decidedly smudgy as regarded outline. All the children in the adjacent cottages were bidden to see the guy, as Williams proudly cast it upon a large bonfire that he had been saving for the occasion for many weeks. The professor gentleman let off rockets, and ev

hill every day to see him, but he

hey do say, and 'e be that weak and

lying, gaunt and ashen-coloured and still, in the straight white bed. The w

or so very ill, but that he might get round, but his deafness is against him,

lying outside the white coverlet. Williams opened his eyes and stared languidly at

doctors and nusses they mumbles so, I can't yer 'em, and I'd like to

udly, right into the old man's ear; but Williams

the matron. "I'll bring the little lad-it migh

" she answered. "He sleeps so

e bedside of old Williams. The occupants of the three other beds in the men's ward-it is quite a little hospital-raised themselves and watched the pretty

onnie!" said a v

remembering that he never used to speak to Williams like tha

e saw Billy a smile broke over his f

e asked of the world in general. Then,

m to 'get well!" whis

ms," Billy shouted; "I've got to go walks wiv

s Oi, Mazt

stopping here?-though it's very pretty," he added hastily, fearing lest h

I don't seem to 'ave no sart o'

nued, remembering his instructions to "interest" the sick man, "and Trimmie has scratched up such

ventured to disagree with that gentleman-on occasion expressing a strong desire to thrash "that the

eek Williams raised his head quite tw

ramblin' and spilin' my garden--" and Williams dropp

ded in rousing the patient rather more effectually than th

r the nurse appro

illiams!" she almost shouted

the patient. "I'll take the messy s

he makes out," whispered the nurse to the matron

st to be expected this side of the grave, that he simply couldn't lie there and think of his garden going to "wrack and rewin

was discharged as convalescent, and by Christmas was well enough to dictate to

uldn't never yer what it were all about; and the doctor 'e cum, and passun 'e cum, but I didn't seem to take no sort of delight in no