“Mussels!  Ther’s noa mussels at this time oth’ year,” he sed.

Mally lukt flummuxt for a minnit, then givin Jerrymier a shillin to goa to th’ pooarkshop for a duzzen sheep trotters, they sooin landed safely hooam.

“Noa wonder tha didn’t bring onny mussels, Sammywell, for they arn’t i’ season, but aw’ve browt summat aw know tha likes.  Here Jerrymier, tak these for thisen, an dooant be long befoor tha’rt i’ bed.”

Ha they enjoyed ther supper aw can nobbut guess, an what explanation shoo gave Grimes aw dooant know, but Jerrymier an his gronfather wor laffin fit to split th’ next mornin, at th’ yard botham.

Bob Brierley’s Bull Pup.

Bob Brierley had been wed three months.  He wor a book-keeper an a varry daycent chap for owt aw knaw to th’ contrary.  His wife wor a nice young thing, an blest wi a gooid share o’ common sense.  It seems strange, but yo’ll find its generally th’ case, at th’ best lasses wed th’ biggest fooils.  But this isn’t allus soa, for aw wed one o’th best misen.

Hasumivver, Bob an his wife wor varry happy, at leeast they thowt soa, but they had to have a taste o’ trubble like th’ rest o’ fowk.

They’d noa childer, nor onny signs o’ onny, but they had a bull pup.  It wor a gooid job i’ one respect at they had this pup, for if they hadn’t aw should ha been short ov a subject to write abaat.

Whether it had etten summat at upset it stummack, or whether it grew sick o’ seein them fondlin an messin wi one another aw dooant know, but ther’s noa daat abaat it bein sick.

This didn’t bother Bob varry mich;—­men havn’t sich tender feelins as wimmin, but Angelina, (that wor wife’s name, but her husband called her Angel) wor i’ sooar trubble.  Shoo gave it castor oil, an hippi-kick-yor-Anna, an coddled it up i’ flannel, an cried ovver it, an when Bob coom hooam to his drinkin, an grumeld becoss it worn’t ready, shoo called him a hard hearted infidel.

Bob didn’t quite like it, but seein at shoo wor soa put abaght, he made shift wi sich things as wor handy, an then tuk his share o’ nursin wol Angel cook’d a beefsteak for hersen.

But i’ spite ov all they could do, it just fittered once an gave a farewell yelp, and deed.  It wor a sorrowful neet.  Whether they lost onny sleep ovver it aw dooan’t know, but next mornin Angelina sed shoo’d “had its voice ringin in her ears all th’ neet, an shoo thowt shoo’d nivver get ovver th’ loss on it.”

“Oh, we’st get ovver it i’ time,” sed Bob, “it nobbut cost ten an sixpence, an when aw get mi wage advanced aw’ll buy another.”

Angelina made noa reply to what shoo considered a varry unfeelin remark, an for th’ furst time durin ther wedded life shoo began to suspect at Bob wor noa better nor th’ rest o’ fowk.

“What mun we do wi th’ little darlin?” shoo axt.

“Why, chuck it i’th middin,” sed Bob, an then seein a luk ov horror coom ovver her face, “unless tha intends to have it stuffed, or mak sawsiges on it.”