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
"Aw think Pinchems an Twitchems will be th' best place," sed Hepsabah.
"Just whearivver tha likes, an be sewer tha gets one to suit thi."
When they gate to th' shop, Sammywell felt like holdin back, for he'd
nivver been i' sich a place befoor, but he screwed his courage up, an
tellin' Hepsabah to lead th' way he follered, feelin like a fish aght o'
watter.
Hepsabah walked in as if shoo owned th' shop, an spaikin to a gentleman,
they wor shown up stairs whear ther wor sich a lot o' wimmin tryin hats
on, an sich a lot o' young lasses fussin abaat an attendin to em, wol
Sammywell wor fairly flammergasted amang it. One nice young woman browt
him a cheer to sit on, but he darn't ventur 'on it, for it lukt as if it
wor made o' black sealin wax, but Hepsabah flopt daan on it as if shoo'd
been used to sittin o' sich articles all her life. Sammywell whispered
to her to be as sharp as shoo could, an stood watchin what wor gooin on.
Then th' young woman coom agean wi her armful o' what lukt to be flaars
an feathers an ribbins all jumbled in a lump, but which proved to be
what they called hats, an as shoo put furst one an then another on to
Hepsabah, he wor fairly surprised to discover what a bonny lukkin woman
his dowter wor; an when shoo axt him which he liked best, he could
nobbut say, "onny on em! suit thisen, lass!" an th' young woman smiled
at him an sed, "It's nice when a gentleman likes to see his wife well
dressed," an Sammywell blushed an sed "Hem! hem!" but didn't undeceive
her. After tryin on abaat a scoor, nooan seemin to exactly suit
Hepsabah, th' young woman browt another, an Sammywell's e'en fairly
sparkled. "By th' heart!" he sed, "but that's what aw call a Bobby
Dazzler!" an it wor plain to be seen at Hepsabah thowt soa too. "Aw
should like it," shoo sed, "but awm feeared it'll cost a lot."
"Tha's nowt to do wi that. It's me at's to pay for it!" soa in a few
minnits it wor packt in a box, an handed to her, an Sammywell tell'd her
to tak it an get aghtside an wait for him an he'd bi wi her as sooin as
he'd sattled for it. Hepsabah's face wor all smiles, tho' ther wor just
a glisten o' tears in her een as shoo went away.
"An nah, young woman," sed Sammywell, as he held his purse in his hand,
"ha mich do yo want?"
Shoo handed him th' bill, but he seemed as if he couldn't mak it aght,
soa he put on his spectacles. "This is a mistak, Miss," he sed, "aw've
nobbut agreed to pay for one."
"That's quite right, sir," shoo sed, "One hat,--twenty two and six."
"Twenty two fiddlesticks!"
"No, sir, twenty two shillings and six pence. That's not much for a
gentleman to pay for his wife's hat."
"But shoo isn't mi wife! Shoo's nobbut mi dowter!"
"No one would think you had a daughter so old;--you must have married
very young," sed th' young woman smilin at him in a way at made him feel
funny all ovver.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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