“I mind me when luttle Sammy first spoke.  He was two years old an’ the size of a child o five, though he could no monage the walkun’ yet but went around on all fours, happy an’ contented-like an’ makun’ no trouble oz long oz he was fed promptly, which was onusual often.  I was hangun’ the wash on the line ot the time when out he comes, on all fours, hus bug head waggun’ tull an’ fro an’ blunkun’ un the sun.  An’ then, suddent, he talked.  I was thot took a-back I near died o’ fright, an’ fine I knew ut then, the shakun’ o’ Doctor Hall’s head.  Talked?  Never a bairn on Island McGill talked so loud an’ tull such purpose.  There was no mustakun’ ut.  I stood there all tremblun’ an’ shakun’.  Little Sammy was brayun’.  I tell you, sir, he was brayun’ like an ass—­just like thot,—­loud an’ long an’ cheerful tull ut seemed hus lungs ud crack.

“He was a eediot—­a great, awful, monster eediot.  Ut was after he talked thot Doctor Hall told Margaret, but she would no believe.  Ut would all come right, she said.  Ut was growun’ too fast for aught else.  Guv ut time, said she, an’ we would see.  But old Tom Henan knew, an’ he never held up hus head again.  He could no abide the thung, an’ would no brung humsel’ tull touch ut, though I om no denyun’ he was fair fascinated by ut.  Mony the time, I see hum watchun’ of ut around a corner, lookun’ ot ut tull hus eyes fair bulged wuth the horror; an’ when ut brayed old Tom ud stuck hus fungers tull hus ears an’ look thot miserable I could a-puttied hum.

“An’ bray ut could!  Ut was the only thung ut could do besides eat an’ grow.  Whenever ut was hungry ut brayed, an’ there was no stoppun’ ut save wuth food.  An’ always of a marnun’, when first ut crawled tull the kutchen-door an’ blunked out ot the sun, ut brayed.  An’ ut was brayun’ that brought about uts end.

“I mind me well.  Ut was three years old an’ oz bug oz a led o’ ten.  Old Tom hed been goun’ from bed tull worse, ploughun’ up an’ down the fields an’ talkun’ an’ mutterun’ tull humself.  On the marnun’ o’ the day I mind me, he was suttun’ on the bench outside the kutchen, a-futtun’ the handle tull a puck-axe.  Unbeknown, the monster eediot crawled tull the door an’ brayed after hus fashion ot the sun.  I see old Tom start up an’ look.  An’ there was the monster eediot, waggun’ uts bug head an’ blunkun’ an’ brayun’ like the great bug ass ut was.  Ut was too much for Tom.  Somethun’ went wrong wuth hum suddent-like.  He jumped tull hus feet an’ fetched the puck-handle down on the monster eediot’s head.  An’ he hut ut again an’ again like ut was a mod dog an’ hum afeard o’ ut.  An’ he went straight tull the stable an’ hung humsel’ tull a rafter.  An’ I was no for stoppun’ on after such-like, an’ I went tull stay along wuth me suster thot was married tull John Martin an’ comfortable-off.”