Yorkshire Tales Volume III Part 15

Th' story had wrought sich a wonder Noa ither tale ivver has done-- Two hearts, that afooar wor a.s.sunder, Wor knit i' a crack into one.

An' still he kept tellin' her th' story, Which mooar an' mooar wonderful grew, (Soa oft its been tell'd its grown h.o.a.ry,) But shoo could hav sworn it wor new.

Shoo thowt of th' angels above 'em, Wor jealous o' her, an' him, then-- For angels has noa chaps to love 'em, Love's n.o.bbut for wimmin an' men.

But th' love i' her heart ovvercame her, An' shoo pitied th' whole angel thrang, Aw know what love is, an' dooant blame her, An' aw dooant think her pity wor wrang.

Th' story wor towd, an' for ever It wor noa gurt shakes what might befall; Nowt but deeath, these two hearts could sever, An' that n.o.bbut partly, net awl: For love like one's soul is immortal, If its love, it wont vanish away-- Its birth wor inside o' th' breet portal Ov Eden, it knows noa decay.

Sin' then it has lived on, while th' ages Has rowled on wi' uniform flow, As young, an as fresh, as when sages Towd ther sweethearts it cent'ries ago-- An' chaps 'll be tellin th' story, Th' breet, owd, owd story ov love, When time, an' love, fade inter th' glory 'At streams thro' th' manshuns above.

Jim Nation's Fish-shop.

Sammywell Grimes an his wife, Mally, wor set anent th' foir,--Sammywell seemingly varry mich interested ith' newspaper, an Mally, showin signs ov impatience, wor darnin stockins. All wor silent except for th' tickin oth' clock, wi nah an then a long-drawn-aght sigh throo Mally an an occasional grunt throo Grimes. At last Mally couldn't stand it onny longer, an shoo pitched th' stockins on th' table an sed,--

"Dost know, its just cloise on an haar an a hawf sin tha set daan wi that paper, an tha's nivver oppened thi lips to me durin that time? Aw remember when things wor different. Ther wor a time when tha tuk a delight i' tellin me all th' news, but latterly tha tells me nowt, an if it worn't for Hepsabah an some oth' naybors aw shouldn't know whether th' world wor gooin on as usual, or it had come to an end."

"Why, la.s.s,--th' fact oth' matter is ther's nowt to tell. Aw nivver saw th' like. Aw dooant know what papers are gooin into, for ther isn't a bit o' news in em. Aw've just glanced ovver this an aw can find nowt worth readin."

"It doesen't tak thee an haar an a hawf to find that aght. Is ther owt in abaat th' war?"

"Oh, war! Aw believe it does say summat abaat th' war. It's still gooin on, an one chap has sprained his ankle an another has had a narrow escape an De Wet is expected to be captured as sooin as they get hold on him, an a lot moor sich tales, but they arn't worth thinkin abaat coss they'll all be contradicted ith' mornin."

"An does it say nowt abaat that butcher at's run away an left his wife?

Awr Hepsabah wor sayin shoo believed they'd catched him."

"Hi! They've catched him, an he wor browt up at th' Taan Hall this mornin an he pleaded 'guilty,' soa th' magistrate sed as he'd allus borne a gooid character he'd give him his choice, an he could awther goa back hooam an live wi his wife or goa to quod for three months wi hard labour."

"They've let him off easier nor he desarved, but aw should think his wife's gien him a bit ov her mind."

"Nay, net shoo! Shoo's nivver had th' chonce, for he tuk three months.

Shoo's a tartar aw believe."

"Shoo must be if that's th' case. A'a, Sammywell,--a chap at's blessed wi a gooid wife owt to goa daan on his knees i' grat.i.tude for they're varry scarce."

"Aw believe they are;--a chap wod have to goa a far way to find one at this day."

"He'd have to travel a deeal farther to find a gooid husband,--aw can tell thi that! An if tha arn't satisfied wi thi wife tha's getten tha'rt at liberty to goa an find a better. It's noa use a woman tryin to be a gooid wife at this day, for they get noa better thowt on. If they did, tha'd think moor o' me nor tha does!"

"Aw dooant see ha aw could do that, la.s.s, for tha nivver gives me a chonce to forget thi unless its when awm asleep, an net oft then, for if tha doesn't want one thing tha wants another, an awm allus fain to do what aw con for thi, but tha'rt nivver satisfied for long together. Aw wonder sometimes what aw gate wed for."

"Aw've been wonderin that for a deal o' years. Th' fact is aw dooant know what sich chaps live for. If aw wor a man aw should like to be able to luk back an think awd done a gooid turn to mi fellow-man."

"Aw think aw did that when aw wed thee."

"It wor th' best thing tha ivver did for thisen, an tha knows it! But awm net gooin to waste mi time tawkin to thee for tha arn't worth it.

Has ta made up thi mind what tha'rt baan to have for thi supper?"

"Owt 'll do for me."

"As tha seems to care soa little abaat it, suppooas tha gooas withaat for a change."

"All reight, la.s.s. Just do as tha likes."

"Aw connot do as aw like, if aw could aw should have summat to ait, for aw've hardly put a bite into mi heead this day, an ther's nowt ith'

haase aw can touch, an awm too tired to goa aght for owt, an aw've nubdy to send, soa aw'st ha to do withaat as usual."

"If tha'll n.o.bbut say what tha wants aw'll fotch it for thi if its to be had; tha knows that."

"Well, if tha doesn't mind. Aw think we could booath enjoy a bowlful o'

mussles,--but they mun be gooid ens an aw dooant think tha knows th'

shop. They call th' chap 'at keeps it Jim Nation, but aw dooant know whear it is, but tha can easy find aght."

"Willn't onny other shop do just as weel?"

"Noa, another shop willn't do becoss aw want th' best. We allus pay ready bra.s.s for awr stuff an aw dooant like to think at other fowk get better sarved; an when aw went for th' milk this mornin aw heeard Mistress Whitin tawkin to Widdy Baystey an shoo sed, 'my husband's getten mussels twice as big sin he went to Jim Nation's shop,' an aw want some oth' same sooart."

"Gie me summat to put 'em in," sed Grimes, "aw'st sooin find it for ther isn't monny fish-shops i' Bradforth."

"Well, luk as sharp as tha can," sed Mally, "an be sewer they're fresh."

Grimes set off an Mally began at once to get th' table laid for th'

supper.

Befoor Grimes had gooan varry far he thowt his wisest plan wod be to ax somdy. Soa seein a poleeceman he made enquiries.

"Aw dooant know exactly," sed th' bobby, "but aw fancy ther's a chap o'

that name keeps a shop somewhere up Manningham way."

Soa Sammywell set off i' that direction, keepin his een oppen for a fish shop. After he'd gooan ommost a mile he sed,

"Awm a fooil for commin all this way, for if awd n.o.bbut gien it a thowt aw'st ha known ther wor noa shop o' that sooart up here. Mi best plan wod ha been to goa to th' market an enquire thear. They'd be sewer to know," soa he walked back agean, but he made a few enquiries as he went along, but nubdy seemed to know.

Just as he'd getten to Westgate he saw Tom Taggart an he felt sewer he'd know, for he seemed to spend his time trailin abaat th' streets.

"Hallo, Tom!" he sed, "tha'rt just th' chap aw wanted to see! Can ta tell me whear Jim Nation keeps his fish shop?"

"Jim Nation?" sed Tom, rubbin his chin,--"Let me see. Are ta sewer it's a fish shop?"

"Aw should think it is for he sells mussels."

"O,--hi, tha'rt reight. It is a fish shop. What did ta say wor th'

chap's name?"

"Jim Nation."

"O,--Jim is it? Tha'rt sewer it isn't 'Tom'?"