Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents, and Strange EventsBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
History
Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents, and Strange Events
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Legends -- England -- Yorkshire; Yorkshire (England) -- Miscellanea
Lord Beaumont gave an entertainment at which Jemmy was present, and
danced with a niece of his host. He danced very well, and was very
popular; all the evening he was surrounded by a knot of young ladies and
gentlemen who did their best to draw him out. But it was dangerous game,
for those who attempted to play jokes on him generally got the worst of
it. A young man present asked Jemmy to procure him a suit of clothes
like his own, as he wanted them to attend a masquerade in. Jemmy asked
in what character he wished to appear.
"Oh, as a clown, of course," was the answer.
"Nay, then," said Jemmy, "thou'st nowt to do but go just as thou art;
nobbudy'll mistake thee for owt else."
"You have got your answer," said Lord Beaumont's niece, laughing; "I
hope you are satisfied with it."
During his stay in London, Jemmy visited the Court of Chancery, and
whilst Lord Beaumont was talking to a friend, a barrister in wig and
gown passing by stopped, and staring at Jemmy, said, "Holloa, my man,
what lunatic asylum have you escaped from, eh?"
"Bless me!" exclaimed Jemmy, catching Lord Beaumont's arm; "sithere,
yonder's an owd woman i' her nightdress that's tummled out o' bed into
an ink-pot, and is crawling aboot. Let's get a mop and clean her."
After spending a week in the metropolis, he returned home much delighted
with his visit, which furnished him with topics of conversation for a
long time.
Sarah, his old housekeeper, falling ill, and being unable to work, Jemmy
engaged the services of a young woman from Snaith to wait upon him, and
she so accommodated herself to Jemmy's whims, that she soon became a
great favourite with him. He would not, however, allow followers about
the house; and as Mary had a sweetheart, the meetings between them had
to be carried on surreptitiously.
However, one day whilst Jemmy was hunting, his bull tripped in jumping a
fence, and fell, with Jemmy's leg under him, which was broken with
compound fracture.
This invalided him for some while. He had a block-tackle fixed to a hook
in the ceiling of the room, and a sling made for his leg to rest in,
fastened to the lower end, and whenever he wished to alter the position
of his leg, he hoisted it up or let it down with the tackle.
During his illness the restraint of his observant eye was off Mary, and
the sweetheart had opportunities of visiting her. One night, when Jemmy
was somewhat recovered, he was sitting in the corner of his garden
enjoying a pipe of tobacco, when he saw a man jump over the wall into
the garden and make his way to the kitchen window, then rap with his
fingers against the glass. Mary came out to him, and they spent some
time in conversation together, and when they parted he promised to
return and see her the following night.
Jemmy heard every word that had been said, and he sat chuckling to
himself, and muttered, "So thou'lt come again to-morrow night, wilt
thou? I'll learn thee to come poaching on my preserves."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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