Yorkshire Tales Volume III Part 21

"Aw mud ha known it! But if yond Minnie doesn't let my lad alooan aw'll mak this taan too hot for her. Shoo owt to be smoored an all sichlike."

"Excuse me, Mrs. Dempster, but if you are alluding to my niece Minnie, I must ask you to speak with more respect, for she is as good as she is good-looking, and that is saying a great deal."

"Yo dooan't meean to say shoo's yor neese sewerly."

"She is my niece and your boy's sweetheart. They were engaged last night with my full consent, and a nice young couple they are. If all goes well, they are to be married when Charley comes of age, and will then succeed me in this business."

"Laws-a-mercy on us! Well,--well. An a nice la.s.s shoo is too," an off shoo set to think things ovver agean.

Shoo nivver agean interfered wi his coortin. They're wed nah. Shoo lives wi em, but shoo can't understand why they allus laff if shoo sets em fresh eggs for ther braikfast.

What a Gallus b.u.t.ton did.

One Friday neet last summer, ther wor a braik daan at th' shop 'at d.i.c.k Taylor worked at, just befoor stoppin time, soa th' ovverlukker telled him 'at it wor noa use his comin i'th mornin, as they wodn't be able to start th' engine agean wol Mundy.

d.i.c.k worn't sorry, for it wor fine weather, an' he thowt a day's halliday ud be varry pleasant. When he gate hooam, he telled his missis 'at he wor baan to laik th' next day, an' shoo sed,

"Naah, d.i.c.k, ther's a chonce for yo to pleeas me--yo know aw've axed yo all th' summer to tak me raand to see th' parks i' Bradforth, for aw've nivver seen one on em, exceptin Lister's, an' that's becoss it's soa near--they tell me 'at th' flaars i' Peel's park, an' up at Horton, are reeal beautiful."

"We'll goa, Mary," d.i.c.k sed, "an' up to Bowlin Park too."

Shoo gave him a kuss, an' gate him his teah, an' let him keep a shillin aght o' his wage, to get some cigars wi' for him to smook when they wor aght th' next day. After braikfast i'th mornin they set off.

They lived near th' Stashun at Manningham, in a haase off Valley Road, soa they cut across, an' ovver th' ca.n.a.l, an' up bi Spinkwell, into th'

main road for Peel Park. It wor varry hot, soa bi th' time they gate into th' park, an' lukt at th' flaar beds daan bi th' lake, an' climbed up on to th' terrace, they wor varry glad to sit daan on a seeat near to whear th' band stand is.

Ther's a grand view thro' thear, yo can see reight ovver Bradforth as far as Lister's Milns, an' Queensbury--th' sun wor shinin, an' d.i.c.k wor just leetin one o'th cigars when a young man abaat two or three an'

twenty coom daan th' walk, huggin' a basket--when he seed em he stopt, an' sed:--

"Can yo give me a match, mate?"

"Eah," d.i.c.k sed, "hear's a box, help thisen,"--when he'd leeted his pipe, Mary sed, "This is a varry nice park, sir."

"I," he answered, "an' it's a nice place for coortin in, on a neet when th' band isn't playin--you cannot coom here ov a evenin withaat findin abaat hawf a scooar o' cupples--yo see it's net too near th' taan, wol it's nice an' quiet--but it's net too lonely nawther, a decent la.s.s can coom here wi' her sweetheart, an' nawther her mother nor nubdy else can say owt agean it, for ther's allus somdy awther commin or gooin."

"Yo seem to know it well?" d.i.c.k sed to th' young feller.

He wor n.o.bbut a ugly chap, but when d.i.c.k sed this, he smiled wol he wor nearly nice lukkin, an' his een twinkled wi' fun, as he sed,

"Aw should think aw do know it, an' aboon a bit too, why aw wor rewinated net hawf a yard thro' whear yor missis is sittin."

Mary jumped up as if th' seat wor baan to bite her, an' her nelly tummeld reight thro' th' railin, an' ligged among th' shrubs on the slope abaat ten feet below.

When th' young feller seed that, he fair skriked aght wi' laffin, but befoor d.i.c.k could do owt, he wor ovver th' railin, an had getten her umberel up agean.

"It wor a nelly tumblin daan like that at did for me," says he, "but aw see yor maized, soa aw'll tell yo all abaat it;" soa he sat daan on th'

seat beside me, an' he began.

"When aw furst coom a workin to Bradforth, abaat three year sin, aw lodged wi' a young feller 'at lived i' Otley Road--we slept i'th same room; an' one Sundy mornin as we wor dressin, aw sed to him, 'at aw wor flayed aw should have to buy a new pair o' Sundy britches, for them aw hed getten wor wore varry shabby.

"'Aw'll sell yo a pair,' he sed; an' he pulled a pair aght ov a box, 'aw bowt em off th' pegs, an' gave fifteen bob for em, noa mooar nor a year sin--but aw nivver liked em--aw wor em when mi sister wor wed, an when aw went to Blackpool for a wick last July, an' that's all, yo shall have em for eight bob, an it's a bargain sich as yo willn't get ivvery day.'

"They wor reeal smart traasers, an' to mak a long stooary short, aw bowt em; an' that evenin, aw wor gooin aght a walkin wi' a la.s.s 'at aw knew, soa aw wore em to luk smart like. Aw wor thinner then than aw am nah, for aw've filled aght a bit sin aw wor wed; but this chap 'at aw bowt em off, wor hawf as fat agean as aw wor, a reglar porker, fit for killin; an' when aw coom to put th' britches on, aw fun aght, 'at they wor ivver soa mich to wide for me raand th' waist--that worn't th' warst o' it, for aw fun aght also 'at fower aght o'th six gallus b.u.t.tons wor off--but aw hadn't time to sew onnymooar on, soa wi' a bit a bother aw made em do.

"Well, aw set off wi' th' new traasers on--it's trew 'at they wor hitched up that high 'at aw worn't a bit comfortable, an' ther wor as mich room in em as wod nearly have done for two like me, but as me tail coit hid it aw didn't mind that, an' aw felt a reeal swell, aw can tell yo, for they wor th' leetest coloured pair 'at ivver awd ivver had i' my life. Amy wor waitin o' me, an' we walked daan here to Peel's Park, an'

sat on this varry seeat."

"Awm gettin varry interested," Mary sed, when he stopt to leet his pipe 'at had gooan aght, "goa on wi' yor tale."

He puffed away for a minnit, an then went on:--"Someha or other Amy's nelly slipt in between th' railins like yor's did a bit sin, an aw wor ovver th' fence after it like a shot,--but when aw wor climbin up agean, my golly, if one o'th two remainin b.u.t.tons didn't snap cleean off, aw think th' thread mun ha' been as rotten as apples,--luckily aw wor just on th' top o'th rail, or aw dooan't knaw what aw should ha done, but aw managed to get on to th' seat, an thear aw sat."

Mary an d.i.c.k booath started o' laffin, an d.i.c.k sed, "Well, an ha did yo'

goa on?"

"It wor noa laffin matter for me aw con tell yo',--it wor summer time, an not dark wol nearly ten o'clock, an it wor n.o.bbut eight then. Amy faand aght in a minnit 'at summat wor wrang, but shoo sed nowt, an aw kept it quiet as long as aw could, wishin at th' sun 'ud luk sharp an goa daan, but asteead o' that, it seemed to me 'at it wor gooin higher up ivvery minnit. Soa when shoo'd sed at shoo wor chilly, an wanted to walk a bit, abaat hawf a duzzen times, aw wor forced to tell her th'

truth. Aw expected shoo'd a made fun o' me, but shoo didn't; shoo lukked reeal consarned abaat it, an sed shoo wor varry sorry for th' mishap, but we'd stop whear we wor till it wor dark. Soa we sat thear for a bit, an then shoo sed,

"'It ud be a deeal better for yo if yo hed sumdy to luk after yor clooas far yo.'

"Mi mother lives up at Keighley," aw sed, "an it's soa far shoo connot, an th' lanlady's hawf blind."

"'Well,' Amy went on, 'but if yo'd hed a wife, shoo'd do all sich things as that for yo.'

"Someha' or other mi arm slipt raand her waist, an aw willn't tell yo'

noa mooar; long befoor th' sun hed set, an it went daan sooin enuff nah, it wor all sattled."

"'All's weel at ends weel,'" d.i.c.k sed.

"Eeah," th' young feller sed, "but aw'll tak mi solem Alfred Davey 'at when aw put them thear britches on, aw'd noa mooar thowts o' bein wed, nor aw hed o' be in hang'd. Aw'd n.o.bbut gooan aght walkin wi' Amy to pa.s.s th' time away, as young fellers will do."

"Awm sewer aw hooap shoo's made yo a gooid wife," sed Mary.

"Nivver a chap hed a better wife i' all th' world nor aw hev," sed he, "but yo' shall coom in an see her, we live i' them haases at th' end o'th Corperashun Quarries daan thear. Coom on."

d.i.c.k explained 'at they wor gooin to see th' other Parks, but he wodn't ha' noa refusal.

"Yo' con goa to-morn to Horton,--coom on, an me an Amy 'll goa wi' yo'

to Bowlin Park this afternooin, we've nivver been sin it wor oppened."

He wor soa pressin 'at they went an hed ther drinkins wi him an Amy,--an he show'd 'em th' britches 'at hed been the cause ov it all. They went to Bowlin i'th afternooin, an sin' then they've oftens had a bit ov a aght together.