My Neighbors: Stories of the Welsh PeopleEvans, Caradoc
General
My Neighbors: Stories of the Welsh People
Evans, Caradoc
Wales -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
"Weakish is the male," observed Mrs. Jenkins. "Much trouble he has in
his inside."
"Poor bach," replied Evan. "Well-well. Fair night for to-day."
"Why for you are in a hurry?"
"Woman fach, for what you do not know that I abide in Wandsworth and the
clock is late?"
Mrs. Jenkins laughed. "Boy pretty sly you are. Come you to Richmond to
buy one egg."
Evan coughed and spat upon the ground, and while he cleaned away his
spittle with a foot he said: "Courting business have I on the Thursdays.
The wench is in a shop draper."
"How shall I mouth where she is? With Wright?"
"In shop Breach she is." He spoke this in English: "So long."
In that language also did Mrs. Jenkins answer him: "Now we shan't be
long."
Narrowing his eyes and crooking his knees, Evan stood before Mary.
"Like to find out more would I," he said. "Guess did the old female that
I had seen the adfertissment."
"Blockhead you are to bare your mind," Mary admonished him.
"Why for you call me blockhead when there's no blockhead to be?"
"Sorry am I, dear heart. But do you hurry to marry me. You know that
things are so and so. The month has shown nothing."
"Shut your head, or I'll change my think altogether."
The next week Evan called at the dairy shop again.
"How was the people?" he cried on the threshold.
Mrs. Jenkins opened the window which was at the back of her, and called
out: "The boy from Wales is here, Dai."
Stooping as he moved through the way of the door, Dai greeted Evan
civilly: "How was you this day?"
"Quite grand," Evan answered.
"What capel do you go?"
"Walham Green, dear man."
"Good preach there was by the Respected Eynon Daviss the last Sabbath
morning, shall I ask? Eloquent is Eynon."
"In the night do I go."
"Solemn serious, go you ought in the mornings."
"Proper is your saying," Evan agreed. "Perform I would if I could."
"Biggish is your round, perhaps?" said Dai.
"Iss-iss. No-no." Evan was confused.
"Don't be afraid of your work. Crafty is your manner."
Evan had not anything to say.
"Fortune there is in milk," said Dai. "Study you the size of her. Little
she is. Heavy will be my loss. The rent is only fifteen bob a week. And
thirty gallons and more do I do. Broke is my health," and Dai laid the
palms of his hands on his belly and groaned.
"Here he is to visit his wench," said Mrs. Jenkins.
"You're not married now just?" asked Dai.
"Better in his pockets trousers is a male for a woman," said Mrs.
Jenkins.
"Comforting in your pockets trousers is a woman," Dai cried.
"Clap your throat," said Mrs. Jenkins. "Redness you bring to my skin."
Evan retired and considered.
"Tempting is the business," he told Mary. "Fancy do I to know more of
her. Come must I still once yet."
"Be not slothful," Mary pleaded. "Already I feel pains, and quickly the
months pass."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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