Yorkshire Tales. Third Series: Amusing sketches of Yorkshire Life in the Yorkshire DialectHartley, John
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Yorkshire Tales. Third Series: Amusing sketches of Yorkshire Life in the Yorkshire Dialect
Hartley, John
English language -- Dialects -- England -- Yorkshire; Yorkshire (England) -- Fiction
"Noa, ther's noa need for that. But when a chap isn't clivver enuff to
be a sweep, he owt still to have sense enuff to luk for one when ther's
one wanted. But aw know one thing, an that is, aw'll put on mi things,
an set off an leeav thi to it, an tha can awther sweep it, or get it
swept, or caar ith' haase wol tha gets sufficated, soa tha knows!"
An wi that, Mally went upstairs to get don'd, leavin Sammywell to mak
th' best he could on it. In a varry few minnits, shoo wor daan agean, an
flingin a shillin on th' table shoo sed, "Thear's th' brass to pay th'
sweep if tha gets one, and be sewer to tell him net to mak onny moor
muck nor he can help, an aw'll cleean an fettle all up ith' mornin; an
if tha wants owt to ait, tha knows whear it is, an as for owt to sup,
tha'rt better baght, an tha knows tha spends sadly to mich," an away
shoo went.
Sammywell set varry quiet for a minnit or two, studyin things, an then
he sed, "Ho! Soa that's it! Well, we shall see! Shoo's left a shillin
for th' sweep but nowt for me. Varry gooid.--Then it just comes to
this;--If aw fotch a sweep, he gets th' shillin an aw sit drymaath, but
if aw sweep it misen aw'st have a shillin to spend, soa here gooas!" an
he seized th' pooaker an varry sooin had th' foir scaled aght.
"Aw dooant think it'll tak me aboon five minnits when aw start, an if aw
dooant mak sich a gooid job on it shoo'll nivver know unless shoo gooas
up to see, an' if shoo tries that trick it's sewer to be weel swept
bith' time shoo comes daan agean," an he put on his hat an went aght,
lockin' th' door after him.
Wol he wor suppin his second two penoth, who should come in but his old
chum Parker.
"Halloa, Sammy!" he sed, "What's up? Aw've just met th' mistress and
shoo sed shoo'd left thee at hooam, varry thrang."
"Did shoo? Well, tha sees aw havn't started yet, but aw'st ha to mak a
beginnin varry sooin, tho aw must say its a job at's a bit aght o' my
line."
"Why, whativver is it?"
"Its nobbut th' chimley wants sweepin, an aw doant fairly know ha to set
abaat it."
"Oh, if that's all, aw can tell thi ha to manage that. It willn't tak
thi aboon five minnits."
"Thar't just th' chap aw wanted to see. Call for twopenoth for thisen an
then tell me ha to goa on."
Parker didn't need axin twice, an when he'd getten it, he sed,
"Tha doesn't keep hens, does ta?"
"Noa, aw keep nowt but Mally an misen, an awr Hepsabah's childer th'
mooast oth' time."
"Well, but some oth' naybors do; an tha could borrow one for a few
minnits. A gooid old cock wod be th' best."
"Eeah, aw could get one at belangs th' chap at lives th' next door but
one. They're all off at their wark but aw could get one aght o' their
yard withaat axin."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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