Lancashire (England) -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
'Ther's noabry kept Him aat o' aar haas, as I know on, hes ther,
Sally?' said Moses, turning to his wife.
'Doesto think 'at onybody's axed Him?' she replied. 'And if He
coome, what kind o' a welcome would He ged, thinksto? I know thaa
reckons to meet Him on a Sundo, and when thaa sits at "His table,"
as tha co's th' sacrament, and at th' deacons' meetings. But
that's abaat as mich on Him as yo' want, I think.'
Mr. Penrose stood up to leave, but, recollecting himself, he said:
'Shall I pray with you, Mr. Fletcher?'
To which he received the curt reply:
'Thaa con pleeas thisel.'
Mr. Penrose knelt by the bedside of the poor
mammon-worshipper--self-blinded and hardened by the god of this
world--and with a full soul cried:
'Merciful Father! Who hast forgiven so much, and in whose
continued forgiveness lies our only hope, inspire us with the
spirit of Thy forgiveness towards all men, and grant that Thy
great heart, which bears enmity towards none, may so warm these
selfish hearts of ours that we may not only love our neighbours
but our enemies, with the love wherewith we are loved. Pardon our
littlenesses, consume our selfishness, and fashion us after Him
whose strength bore all burdens, whose heart heard all entreaties,
and whose love went out alike to friend and foe. Amen.'
* * * * *
It was in the golden autumn weather when Moses and his dog, for
the first time after the _mêlée_, turned out for an afternoon's
stroll. Both bore sore evidences of the severity of the struggle,
one being bandaged over his forehead, the other following with
tell-tale limp and disfigured coat.
Not caring to face the inquisitorial eye of the villagers, nor
hear the rude sarcasm and stinging wit which he knew they would
hurl at him from their tongues, Moses turned down a foot-road
leading from his garden to Folly Clough, and thus secured the
quiet ever found in those deeply-wooded seams that plough into the
very heart of the moors. Following the water-worn path which wound
in tortuous ascent under clustering trees and between slopes of
bracken, the two soon gained the head of the Clough, and climbed
towards the banks of the Green Fold Lodge, a stretch of water into
which drained the moisture of vast tracts of uplands, its overflow
rushing through flood-gates and pouring its volume through the
Clough to feed the factories below. Seating himself on the bank of
the Lodge, he recalled the day when he rescued his dog from its
chill deeps, and, turning to Captain, he said:
'It wor welly bein' thi grave once, owd lad. Aw wonder why it wor
aw saved thee. Thaa's getten many a lickin' (thrashing) sin' then
on my accaant.'
Whereupon the dog bounded round his feet, and held up its head for
one of those caresses which Moses was never known to extend save
to his dog.
As they rested together Moses continued:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account