Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 15, 1904.djvu/93

Rh an' again, 'Jenky, Jenky, Jenky!' Now 'e 'adn't come thro' the door, 'cos that was locked; an' 'e 'adn't come thro' the window, 'cos that was shut an' barred; an' yet there e' was, sittin' in the chair, calling 'Jenky, Jenky, Jenky!' an' 'Jenky, Jenky, Jenky!' Then Jenkyns blew into the candle agen, an' the dim blue light went away, an' the candle burned clear, an' lo an' behold! that little grey old man was vanished.

There!' says Jenkyns; but me brothers didn't wait to hear any more; they just took to their heels an' set off home as if the Old Man were after them, leavin' me to follow as best I could. But I believe to this day 'twas the Old Gendeman himself as we saw."

I asked her what had become of the big book, and what was in it, but she did not know, though she thought that the books were left to a nephew who had disappeared. She did not know the contents of them either, but said that "the Bible was a great book with him!" I had no time to ask any more questions, for Mrs. Pryce was launched on another story.

"One day there was a young man goin' to Monmouth races, an' as 'e was passin' 'is field, 'e see'd the cattle 'atin' of 'is crops. So 'e up an' took 'is jacket off an' throwed it over the gate, an druv' 'em off; but when 'e come back 'is jacket was gone. Now there was an 'ooman round there as 'e knowed 'ud take anything, but o' course 'e 'oodn't miss the Monmouth races, an' so 'e went without 'is jacket. But when 'e came back 'e told 'is wife, an' she told 'im to go off to old Jenkyns an' 'e'd get it back for 'im. Well, old Jenkyns 'e said, 'That 'ooman wont rest till she come an' put your coat back on the gate where she took'd it from. But what'll I do to punish 'er?'

Oh!' said the young man, 'don't do anything to hurt her, so long as I gets me jacket back.'

Well,' says the old Jenkyns, ow 'ud it be if I was to put the button 'ole on her cheek, just 'ere, under 'er eye?'

All right,' says the young man.

"An', sure enough, that 'ooman come'd an' put back that jacket on the gate, where she tooked it from; but ever arterwards she 'ad the mark of a black button-hole on 'er cheek, just beside 'er eye, so as everyone should know what sort of an 'ooman she was."

"But have you seen the mark, Mrs. Pryce?" I said.