Yorkshire Tales Volume III Part 6

top on it! Oh my poor heead! aw wish tha had it for hawf an haar, then tha'd know summat."

"Awm nooan soa sewer abaat that! Tha's had it ivver sin aw knew thi an its varry little at tha knows!"

"Aw know it'll drive me aght o' mi senses if it doesn't stop."

"Well, tha willn't have far to goa, that's one blessin. Bless mi life!

its n.o.bbut a touch o'th tooithwark."

"n.o.bbut a touch isn't it? If tha'd to be touched i'th same way tha wodn't live five minnits. As it happens, it isn't th' tooithwark at all, it's th' newralgy aw've getten into mi heead."

"Well, be thankful at tha's getten summat in it at last, for its been empty long enuff, an that owt to be fain whether its newralgy or oldralgy. Aw've noa patience wi thi, for if ther's th' leeast thing ails thi tha upsets all th' haase. When awr Hepsabah's Jerrymier had it he hardly made a m.u.f.f, an he did have it wi a vengence, poor child."

"Awd like to know if ther's owt i' this world at Jerrymier hasn't had?

If awd to come hooam wi mi neck brokken tha'd declare at Jerrymier had had his brokken monny a time, an seemed to enjoy it! Aw wish he'd nivver been born for he's th' plague o' my life!"

"It mud ha been a gooid job for him if he nivver had been born, an th'

same could be sed abaat moor nor him, soa tha can crack that nut."

"Tha'd tawk abaat crackin nuts if tha'd th' face ache like me.

O-o-o-o-h! aw believe th' top o' mi heead's commin off! Aw dooant expect onny sympathy, but connot ta gie me summat to ease me a bit? If tha doesn't awst goa ravin mad." "Onny body to lissen to thi ud fancy tha wor that already. Which side is it on?"

"It isn't th' aghtside tha may be sewer. O-o-o-o-h! its like drivin a nail into mi heead."

"Tha mun goa an get it pool'd."

"Pool'd! what pool'd? They can do me noa gooid wi poolin unless they pool mi heead off, an aw dooant think tha'd shed a tear if tha'd to see me come walkin hooam wi it under mi arm!"

"Why, aw dooant know what use it ud be to thi under thi arm, but it's been varry little use to thi under thi hat. But aw'll see what aw can do for thi if tha'll have a bit o' patience."

"Patience! All reight, la.s.s. Aw'll ha patience. Dooant hurry thysen whativver tha does. Tha'd better goa an have a bit ov a tawk wi awr Hepsabah, an tak Jerrymier for a walk befoor tha starts. It may be th'

deeath ov his gronfather, but that meeans nowt."

"Ther's nubdy wants thee to dee, for tha'd be worth less then nor tha art nah, if sich a thing could be. Nah, here sithee,--ther's a nice little oonion aw've rooasted, an tha mun let mi put it i' thi earhoil."

"Will that do onny gooid thinks ta?"

"We can n.o.bbut try. Tha knows a sheepheead an oonion is allus gooid."

"Mally,--when tha wor poorly aw shed tears ovver thee."

"Well, if tha did, ammot aw sheddin tears?"

"Eeah, but its pillin that oonion at's made em come. Tha'll be sooary for this someday. Ooooh!"

"Nah, tha'll see that'll gie thi a bit o' ease. Keep this warm flannel to th' side o' thi face wol aw mak thi a pooltice."

"Doesn't ta think aw owt to have summat i'th inside as weel?"

"Aw've heeard say at a dooas o' oppenin physic is a varry gooid thing, an aw've some tincture o' rewbub at aw gate for Jerrymier."

"Then let Jerrymier have it! aw'll have nooan sich like muck! Can't ta think o' summat else?--summat warm an comfortin like."

"Aw can mak thi a sup o' mint teah. That's a varry gooid thing aw believe."

"Tha knows mint teah nivver does for me. Ha does ta think a drop o' warm whisky an watter, withaat sewger ud do? It isn't nice takkin, but when its for physic aw can put up wi it."

"If tha thinks it'll do thi onny gooid aw'll slip aght an get thi a tooithful."

"If it wor n.o.bbut a tooith at wor botherin me, tha might gie me a tooithful, but when its mi whooal heead, a pint 'll be little enuff."

"Keep still just whear tha art, an aw'll fotch thi some, for unless aw do aw dooant think tha'll let me have a bit o' sleep."

Sammywell sat varry still an Mally wornt varry long befoor shoo wor back, an as sooin as shoo could shoo made him a gla.s.s booath strong an hot, an considerin at it wor baght sewger, he tuk it varry weel, tho' he did pool a faal face after he'd getten it daan.

"Nah, aw'll mak thi a gooid big bran pooltice at'll goa all ovver thi heead, an then tha mun get to bed, an then aw'll tak a drop o' whisky to awr Hepsabah's husband, for he's fair made up wi a cold."

"Tha mun do nowt o'th sooart. Ther isn't a war thing for a cold nor whisky; all th' doctor's 'll tell thi that. If he's getten a bad cold mak him some mint tea. Ther's nowt better for gettin him onto a sweeat.

An aw think if aw wor thee aw wodn't bother abaat that bran pooltice wol we see ha th' whisky goas on. Awm sewer aw feel a bit easier bi nah. Aw think aw'll creep up to bed, an awd better tak th' bottle up wi me for fear it should come on agean, an aw'll leeav thee to mak th' mint teah, an be sewer tha doesn't stop long, for aw connot rest withaat thi."

He went to bed an Mally made a jugful o' strong mint teah an tuk it to Hepsabah's, an when shoo coom back an went up to bed, Sammywell wor asleep.

"He must ha had another tarrible pain," sed Mally, "for th' bottle's empty, but he's saand asleep nah."

When Mally wakkened i'th mornin, Sammywell wor still asleep, soa shoo gate up as quietly as shoo could, an tuckt him in nice an comfortable, an went daan-stairs to get a bit o' braikfast ready.

"Aw know he likes a sup a teah,--an aw'll mak him a bit o' nice b.u.t.tered tooast an cook him a Yarmoth Blooater, an may-be he'll feel a bit better after he's getten that into him, tho' sometimes aw think he hardly desarves it, for he does try me sometimes wol aw think he's ommost spun me to th' length. But what can aw do? He's nooan what yo call an ill en, but he's soa aggravatin. But aw've nubdy to blame but misen, for aw've spoilt him ivver sin aw had him an awst ha to tak th' consequences. If ivver aw get wed ageean aw'll begin as aw meean to go on. But, A'a dear o' me! whativver am aw tawkin abaat! An old gronmother like me thinkin abaat gettin wed ageean! But ther are times when sich thowts will get into a body's noddle, for aw once heeard a chap say, at a chap does live sometimes till he's to old to be wed, but a woman nivver. But aw needn't trouble misen wi thinkin abaat sich things for he's nooan deead yet nor likely to be; an if he wor aw dooant know whear aw could ivver get another to suit me as weel. If aw could n.o.bbut taich him a bit o' sense, an get him to behave as a chap ov his years owt to do it ud be different, tho' aw do believe aw should feel lost withaat him."

"His braikfast's all ready nah, an aw'll tak it to bed to him, an if he's wakkened up in a daycent temper aw'll have a tawk to him."

Sammywell had just wakkened when shoo went in wi it. "A'a! Mally, la.s.s,"

he sed when he saw his braikfast, "Aw dooan't know whativver aw mud do but for thee!"

"Is thi heead onny better?"

"Aw nivver felt better i' mi life. It's a shame to put thee to all this trubble, for aw could ha getten up to it."

"It's noa trubble, Sammywell, an aw wodn't care owt abaat trubble if tha'd n.o.bbut try an behave thisen, an net spaik to me i'th way tha does.

Awm sewer sometimes, when tha gets into one o' thi tantrums aw feel as if ther wor nowt left for me to live for. If tha'd n.o.bbut try to reform a bit,--if tha'd be as tha used to be forty or fifty year sin, aw should be th' happyest woman within saand o'th taan hall chimes. Get that into thi an tha'll happen feel better. Aw mun goa becoss its weshin day, an aw've an extra wesh, for awr Hepsabah's sent all Jerrymier's clooas at he's worn for this last fortnit, an he does mucky a seet o' brats an stuff."

"Jerrymier agean! What the duce has ta to do wi weshin Jerrymier's clooas! Let her wesh em hersen. Aw've just studden this wol awm stall'd!"

"Thear tha goas agean! If onnybody says a word to thee tha flies off in a pa.s.shion. Aw know what awr poor Hepsabah has to do an tha doesn't.

Tha'd nivver ha gooan on like that when we wor wed at furst."

"Noa! but ther wor noa Jerrymier then!"

"Ther'd ha been noa Jerrymier nah if it hadn't ha been for thee. Tha cannot get ovver th' fact 'at tha'rt his gronfather. But aw mun be off for standin tawkin to thee willn't get th' clooas weshed."

"It's a drop o' rare gooid teah is this,--aw wonder if shoo's mixed it hersen, if net shoo should allus buy at that shop. Aw dooant think ther's a chap onnywhear 'at's a better wife nor aw've getten, an aw can't help thinkin sometimes at aw dooant treeat her just as aw owt to do. Aw think it's abaat time aw altered things. Shoo wants me to reform, an do as aw used to do when we wor wed at furst. Well, aw can hardly manage that, but aw remember th' time 'at aw used to mak a gooid bit a fuss on her, an used to spaik moor lovinly like. Awm blessed if aw dooant try it on agean! If a little thing like that'll suit her, shoo's worthy on it an shoo shall have it. Aw've had a gooid braikfast, an aw could ha supt a gallon o' that teah if awd had it.--It's th' weshin day, an aw used to give her a help sometimes, an aw'll do it agean."