No one had dealin's wi' 'em nor went nigh 'em, 'cept that they was allowed to make ropes.

'Tesn' so many years that the rope-walk was moved down to th' harbour mouth." Caleb stopped rowing, and leant forward on his paddles.
"These 'ere leppards in time got to be quite a happy famb'ly--'cept, of course, they warn't happy, 'cos nobody wudn' have nuthin' to say to 'em.

Well, the story goes as one on 'em got falled in love wi' by a very nice gal down in Troy, and one fine day she ups an' tells her sorrowin' parents that she's agoin' to marry a leppard.

'Not ef we knows et,' says they; 'we forbids the banns'; and wi' that they went off to bed thinkin' as they'd settled et.

'But,' says Parson Lasky--" "Who was he ?" interrupted Mr.Fogo.
"On'y a figger o' speech, sir, and nothin' to do wi' the yarn, as the strollin' actor said when his theayter cotched a-fire.