like a stick, but expressed it in a tone that indicated their hope and
expectation were not as one. But the new officers of the chapel exulted
in their swelling money-bags, in the well-filled pews, and idolized the
preacher of the new inspiration.
And not only in his own chapel, but far and near spread the fame of the
Rev. David Jones, and to chapel openings and consecrations, to missions
and special efforts, invitations came in showers. He became the rage,
and though he protested at any term that savoured of Episcopacy and the
Scarlet Woman, he, in his heart of hearts, acknowledged the discernment
of an ardent admirer who had publicly referred to him as the Bishop of
the Holme Valley. At nights he dreamed of the Presidency of the Union.
And now, when all things seemed to go well, people began to talk of the
Sunday meetings at Co-op mill, and of Tom Pinder, who, folk said, spoke
out what Jones only hinted at.
"Aw'll tell yo' what it is," said one shrewd level-headed critic, "Aw've
heard that pea-i'-a-bladder preich at Aenon Chapel, and aw've heard
Co-op Tom fro' th' same text, but Pinder doesn't ca' it preichin', he
ca's it explainin'."
"An' what wer' text?"
"Why t' eleventh commandment, and mi own opinion is 'at Pinder sees as
far as th' purson, an' spits it aat like a man, upright and dahnwright,
and a babby could tell what he meeans: but th' other chap, he goes as
far as Pinder, but he beats abaat th' bush, an' he 'perhaps this' and
'may it not be that?' an' he watches th' deacons an' th' chief
pew-howders to see ha' it gooas dahn, an' he lets hissen aat an' he
poo's hissen in like th' cap'n of a sailin' booat wi' one eye on the
clouds an' t'other on th' shoals an' reefers."
"Nah, Pinder just says what's in him, an' if yo' dunnot like it yo can
lump it. An' what's more, at th' end o' ivvery lectur', yo' can get up
an' just ha' a few minnit's enjoyment o' yo'r own accaant an' pitch into
th' discourse like owd Billy, an' th' harder yo' hit th' more Pinder
seems to like it."
"An' why canno' Jones speik it aat plain same as Pinder?"
"Well, there's some folk so constitooted, yo' see, 'at they like to swim
wi' th' tide an' 'll tak' uncommon gooid care nevver to waste their puff
swimmin' up-stream. An' then yo' see, Jones has a large fam'ly, an' my
misses says 'at Mrs. Jones wi' her rings an' mantles, an' feathers, an'
faldelals can do wi' all 'at Jones can addle an' more at th' top on it."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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