o' Bells.

"'Twere back-end o' t' yeer," he continued at last, "an' t' lads had
gone into t' woods to gether hesel-nuts an' accorns. There were a
two-three big lads amang 'em, but most on 'em were lile uns, an' yan
were lame i' t' leg. They called him Doed o' Billy's o' Claypit Lane.
Well, t' lads had gotten a seet o' nuts, an' then they set off home as
fast as they could gan, for 'twere gettin' a bit dosky i' t' wood. But
lile Doed couldn't keep up wi' t' other lads on account o' his gam leg.
So t' lads kept hollain' out to him to look sharp an' skift hissen, or
he'd get left behind. So Doed lowped alang as fast as he were able, but
he couldn't catch up t' other lads, choose what he did, an' all t' time
t' leet were fadin' out o' t' sky. At lang length he thowt he saw yan o'
t' lads waitin' for him under an oak, but when he'd gotten alangside o'
him, he fan' it were a lad that he'd niver clapped een on afore. He were
no bigger nor Doed, but 'twere gey hard to tell how owd he were; and
he'd a fearful queer smell about him; 'twere just as though he'd taen t'
juices out o' all t' trees o' t' wood an' smeared 'em ower his body. But
what capped all were t' clothes he was donned in; they were covered wi'
green moss, an' on his heead was a cap o' red fur.

"Well, when Doed saw him, he was a bit flaid, but t' lad looked at him
friendly-like and says:

"'Now then, Doed, wheer ista boun'?'

"'I's boun' home,' says Doed, an' his teeth started ditherin' wi' freet.

"'Well, I's gannin thy ways,' says t' lad, 'so, if thou likes, thou can
coom alang wi' me. Thou'll happen not have seen me afore, but I can tell