English language -- Dialects -- England -- Lancashire -- Texts; Lancashire (England) -- Fiction; Short stories
an' Pudge carried it into th' chapel-yard, to play itsel' out i'th open
air. An' it yowlt o' th' way as they went, like a naughty lad bein'
turn't out of a reawm for cryin'. Th' parson waited till it wur gone;
an' then he went on wi' th' sarvice. When they set th' organ down i'th
chapel yard, owd Pudge wiped his for-yed, an' he said, 'By th' mass,
Dick, thae'll get th' bag for this job.' 'Whau, what for,' said Dick.
'Aw 've no skill of sich like squallin' boxes as this. If they'd taen my
advice, an' stick't to th' bass fiddle, aw could ha stopt that ony
minute. It has made me puff, carryin' that thing. I never once thought
that it 'd start again at after th' hymn wur done. Eh, I wur some mad!
If aw'd had a shool-full o' smo' coals i' my hond, aw'd hachuck't 'em
into't.... Yer, tho', how it's grindin' away just th' same as nought
wur. Aye, thae may weel play th' Owd Hundred, divvleskin. Thae's made a
funeral o' me this mornin'.... But, aw say, Pudge; th' next time at
there's aught o' this sort agate again, aw wish thae'd be as good as
keep that pow o' thine to thysel', wilto? Thae's raise't a nob at th'
back o' my yed th' size of a duck-egg; an' it'll be twice as big by
mornin'. How would yo like me to slap tho o' th' chops wi' a
stockin'-full o' slutch, some Sunday, when thae'rt swaggerin' at front
o' th' parson?'
"While they stood talkin' this way, one o'th singers coom runnin' out
o'th chapel bare yed, an' he shouted out 'Dick, thae'rt wanted, this
minute! Where's that pitch-pipe? We'n gated wrang twice o' ready! Come
in, wi' tho'!' 'By th' mass,' said Dick, dartin' back; 'I'd forgetten o'
about it. I'se never seen through this job, to my deein' day.' An' off
he ran, an' laft owd Pudge sit upo' th' organ, grinnin' at him....
That's a nice do, isn't it, Nanny?"
"Eh," said the old woman, "I never yerd sich a tale i' my life. But
thae's made part o' that out o' th' owd yed, Skedlock."
"Not a word," said he: "not a word. Yo han it as I had it, Nanny; as
near as I can tell."
"Well," replied she, "how did they go on at after that?"
"Well," said he, "I haven't time to stop to-neet, Nanny; I'll tell yo
some time else, I thought Jone would ha' bin here by now. He mun ha'
co'de at 'Th' Rompin' Kitlin'; but, I'll look in as I go by.'"
"I wish thou would, Skedlock. An' dunnot' go an' keep him, now; send
him forrud whoam."
"I will, Nanny--I dunnot want to stop, mysel'. Con yo lend me a
lantron?"
"Sure I can. Jenny, bring that lantron; an' leet it. It'll be two
hours afore th' moon rises. It's a fine neet, but it's dark."
When Jenny brought the lantern, I bade Nanny "Good night," and took
advantage of Owd Skedlock's convoy down the broken paths, to the high
road in the valley. There we parted; and I had a fine starlight walk to
"Th' Top o' th' Hoof," on that breezy October night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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