Yorksher Puddin': A Collection of the Most Popular Dialect Stories from the Pen of John HartleyHartley, John
General
Yorksher Puddin': A Collection of the Most Popular Dialect Stories from the Pen of John Hartley
Hartley, John
English language -- Dialects -- England -- Yorkshire; Yorkshire (England) -- Fiction
"Tha'rt a bigger fooil nor aw tuk thi for Joa," he said to hissen, as he
sam'd hissen up, "aw thowt tha'd sense enuff to tak thi time an' net
come off th' top ov a thing like that i' sich a hurry. It ommost knockt
th' wind aght o' me, an' if aw dooant knock th' wind aght o' that horse
awl see." It wor nobbut leet enuff to see th' glimmer oth' harness, tho'
th' mooin wor just risin, an' he laid his whip on wi' a vengence, but as
it did'nt offer to stir he went up to it. "What's th' matter wi' thi?"
an' he put aght his hand to find it. "Well, awl be shot! Tha worn't mich
when we set off, but tha seems to ha gooan to nowt! Aw could caant thi
ribs befoor, but aw can feel 'em nah. Ther's nowt left but a skeleton!"
Th' meoin began to show a bit breeter, an' after grooapin abaat for a
while he sed, "It strikes me it isn't a horse at all. Ther's somdy been
playin me a trick. Awm nooan mich ov a driver at th' best hand, an' awd
as mich as aw could manage to drive comin, but awm blest if aw can drive
a five barr'd gate goo in back! Awm fast what to do wi' this lot."
"Why, what's th' matter, Joa?" sed one o'th' chaps, comin' up as if he
knew nowt abaat it. "What are ta dooin wi' th' heears here at this time
o' neet?"
"That's what aw want to know," he sed, an' he tell'd him all he knew
abaat it.
"Well, th' horse can't be far off," th' chap sed, "they'd nivver tak th'
horse, for it isn't worth stailin. It'll be i' one o' theas fields sewer
enuff. We can find it bi mooin leet."
Joa an him went to seek it, an' as he knew just whear to find it they
had'nt long to luk. As sooin as ther backs wor turned, tother chaps
oppened th' heears an' filled it wi' th' biggest topstooans off th' wall
'at they could lift, an' when it wor fairly looadened they shut it up
agean, an' left it as if it had nivver been touched.
Joa an' his friend coom back wi' th' horse, an' had it harnessed up all
right, but altho' it tugged an' pooled as hard as it could, it did'nt
stir th' heears.
"Its studden soa long wol aw think it must ha' takken rooit," sed Joa.
"O, nay, its nobbut settled a bit wi' th' graand bein soft. It'll goa
reight enuff when it gets off. Tak hold o' one o'th' wheels an' let's
give it a start."
Th' old horse pooled its hardest, an' wi' th' help they gave at th'
wheels they set it movin, an' as sooin as th' chap saw that, he bid Joa
geoid neet an' left him, tellin him at if it stuck fast he mud get
behund an' thrust a bit. It hadn't gooan monny yards when Joa saw he mud
awther thrust or stop thear all th' neet, an' altho' th' rate they wor
gooin at wor slow enuff to suit even one a' Joa's disposition, yet th'
sweeat rolled off him, for he'd quite as mich to do as th' horse. Once
or twice he stopt to consider whether he hadn't better tak th' horse
aght an' get into th' shafts hissen.
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account