Well, it wuz so, an’ de ole king fun’ it out and was well-nigh crazy. An’ when he fun’ it out, for shuah dem days when any young woman had a misforchant, she used to be burnt. An’ he ordered a man to go an’ get an iron chair an’ a cartload of faggots; an’ she hed to be put in dis iron chair, an’ dese faggots set of a light rount her, an’ she burnt to death. As dey had her in dis chair, and a-goin’ to set it of alight, deah wur an old gentleman come up—dat was my ole Dubel[3] to be shuah—an’ he says, ‘My noble leech,[4] don’t [[202]]burn her, nor don’t hurt her, nor don’t ’stry her, for dere’s an ole wessel into de bottom of dat park. Put her in dere, an’ let her go where God d’rect her to.’
So dey did do so, an’ nevah think’d no more about her.
Durin’ time dis young lady wuz confined of a little fox. And d’rectly as he was bornt he says, ‘My mammy, you mus’ be werry weak an’ low bein’ confined of me, an’ nothin’ to eat or drink; but I must go somewheres, an’ get you somethin’.’
‘O my deah little fox, don’t leave me. What ever shall I do without you? I shall die broken-hearted.’
‘I’m a-goin’ to my gran’father, as I suspose,’ says de little fox.
‘My deah, you mustn’t go, you’ll be worried by de dogs.’
‘Oh! no dogs won’t hurt me, my mammy.’
Away he goned, trittin’ an’ trottin’ tell he got to his gran’fader’s hall. When he got up to de gret boarden gates, dey wuz closed, an’ deah wuz two or tree dogs tied down, an’ when he goned in de dogs never looked at him. One of de women corned outer de hall, an’ who should it be but dis ole witch!
He says, ‘Call youah dogs in, missis, an’ don’t let ’em bite me. I wants to see de noble leech belonging to dis hall.’
‘What do you want to see him fur?’