Page:Life's little ironies (1894).pdf/235
'tis kept back in kindness. And he didn’t come out of church again ; I know it as well as you.’
“‘Nancy did not answer yes or no to that, and no more was said. But three days after, William Privett was mowing with John Chiles in Mr, Hardcome’s meadow, and in the heat of the day they sat down to eat their bit o’ lunch under a tree, and empty their flagon, Afterwards both of ’em fell asleep as they sat. John Chiles was the first to wake, and as he looked towards his fellow-mower he saw one of those great white miller’s-souls as we call 'em—that is to say, a miller-moth—come from William’s open mouth while he slept, and fly straight away. John thought it odd enough, as William had worked in a mill for several years when he was a boy. He then looked at the sun, and found by the place o't that they had slept a long while, and as Wilktam did not wake, John called to him and said it was high time to begin work again, He took no notice, and then John went up and shook him, and found he was dead.
“Now on that very day old Philip Hookhorn was down at Longpuddle Spring dipping up a pitcher of water; and as he turned away, who should he see coming down to the spring on the other side bat William, looking very pale and odd. This surprised Philip Hockhorn very much, for yeara before that time William’s littie son—bis only child—had been drowned in that spring while at play there, and this bad so preyed upon William’s mind that he’d never been seen near the spring afterwards, and had been known to go half a mile out of his way to avoid the place. On inquiry, it was found that William in body could not have stood by the spring, being in the mead two mile off ; and it also came ont that the time at which he was seen at the spring was the very time when he died.”