Yorksher Puddin': A Collection of the Most Popular Dialect Stories from the Pen of John HartleyHartley, John
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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
"Just thee please thisen, Dick. Aw had thowt o' gooin, but as tha says
it's sure to cost summat, an' awr Billy wants some new clogs, for yond
tak watter varry ill, an' aw dooant know what we could do better wi' th'
brass, an' aw think we con have as comfortable a teah at hooam."
"Aw'm sure, an' moor soa, an' as tha's decided nut to goa, aw'll tell
thi ov a marlock some o'th' chaps has been playin' but tha munnat split,
for it hasn't to get aght woll after th' pairty. Tha knows Hungary at
works wi' us?"
"Does ta meean him 'at once ait a pailful o' draff?"
"Th' same chap! An' he declared 'at if he gate aside o'th steaks at this
doo, he'd polish th' lot (an' aw believe he can ait owt less nor a
bullock), soa some o'th chaps made it up 'at he should have a dish to
his own cheek; but they'd ta be donkey steaks--for owd Labon ('at hawks
cockles an' mussels) had let his donkey catch cold or summat, at ony
rate it dee'd, an' soa they thowt if they could get some steaks off that
they'd just come in, but they knew 'at owd Labon had rayther part wi'
his heead nor let onybody mell o'th donkey, for he thowt as mich on it
as if it wor a Christian. But they determined to scheme some way to get
it, soa Joe Longfooit offered to go into th' yard where it wor, an' cut
off one hinder leg an' tak it hooam ta cook, if Sam Sniggle 'ud watch
aght to see 'at noabody coom. Labon kept his donkey, tha knows, in a
place at th' top o'th long stepses, an' used ta goa raand th' back rooad
wi' it, soa one dinner time they'd watch'd Labon aght o'th' yard, (where
he'd been standin' rubbin' his een, an' strokin' his owd favourite,) an'
when he'd getten nicely off they ventured to try ther luck. Joe
Longfooit went up wi' a gurt carvin' knife, an' left Sam at th' bottom
to whistle if he saw onnybody comin', an' he stood thear for a while,
but he wanted a bit o' bacca, an' ther wor sich a wind i'th' steps 'at
he couldn't get a leet, soa he went across the rooad into a doorhoil for
shelter. He worn't aboon a minnit or two away, but when he coom back
what should he see but owd Labon within a few steps o'th' top. He hardly
knew what ta do, but he managed as mich wind as made a whistle, an'
stood watchin' for th' next move. Joa heeard the signal, but it wor too
lat, for he couldn't get aght withaat th' owd chap seein' him, an' he'd
getten th' leg cut off ready for huggin' away, soa seizin' hold o'th'
shank, he watched for owd Labon's hat showin' aboon th' wall top, when
he gave it sich a clencher wi' th' thick end o'th' leg, woll he forced
th' brewards reight onto his sholder, then he laup'd ovver th' wall an'
ran hooam wi' his prize as fast as his legs could carry him, leavin'
Laban to find his way into dayleet ageean as weel as he could. Sam met
him at th' haase an' they worn't long i' cutting some grand lukkin'
steaks off, an' puttin' 'em ov a dish i'th cubboard, an' bith' time
they'd done that, th' bell rang an' they'd ta goa back ta ther wark.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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