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
Mrs. Nicholson's nephew took his aunt and her cousin to the place where
Mr. Nicholson's sister resided. She explained to the persons who had the
care of her the arrangement which Mr. Nicholson had made for her future
custody, and desired them to be in readiness to convey her to Whitehaven
when she was sent for. Both the old woman and the person she lived with,
who was a niece of Mr. Nicholson's, seemed much affected at the thought
of parting with each other; but the idea of joining her dear brother
seemed to console the old lady. Alas! she little knew the cheerless home
that awaited her.
When they had arranged this business, they returned to Park End. Her
nephew then took her to visit another lady, an old acquaintance of Mr.
Nicholson's, between whom it appeared a rather close intimacy had
subsisted previous to Mr. Nicholson's removal to Yorkshire. They
received as usual a very kind reception, and an invitation to remain.
Many sheep are kept in that part of Cumberland, and this was the period
for the annual clipping. At this season they make a kind of feast with
what is called there "butter sopps." Mrs. S----, the lady of the house
where they were staying, presented Mrs. Nicholson with some of the
butter sopps in a basin, requesting her to take them to Mr. Nicholson as
a present from her, jocosely remarking that she would like to be within
hearing when he was eating them. Mrs. Nicholson accepted the butter
sopps, and promised to deliver the message.
Part of old Miss Nicholson's furniture was sold, and arrangements were
made for removing the remainder to Yorkshire. Then Mrs. Nicholson and
the old lady started. It happened that part of the furniture of Miss
Nicholson had been bought by parties from Whitehaven, and a cart was
engaged next day to convey a sofa and a clock to the abode of the
purchaser. Mrs. Nicholson persuaded her cousin to proceed in this cart
to Whitehaven, at which place her other sister resided. This lady was
the companion of Mrs. Nicholson when she went to Selby confirmation, and
wrote the lively account of her visit which appears in this memoir. Mrs.
Nicholson's notable plan of travelling in the cart with the sofa and
clock was adopted. The sofa was placed lengthways on the cart, so that
the two passengers when seated thereon travelled sideways. The
clock-case lay behind, with a basket containing the works placed on the
top. They proceeded along pretty well until they were near a town named
Distington, through which they had to pass, when by some means the works
of the clock began to strike like a bell ringing, nor could their
efforts to stop it avail. With every roll of the cart it went tingle,
tingle, tingle, until the people began to look out of their houses as
they passed. "Come and look," said they; "here is such a fat woman
mounted on a sofa, and they are ringing a bell and going to show her."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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