“Aw’ve done it,” he sed wi’ tears in his een, “Hah mich is ther to pay?”

“Nah, aw willn’t mak noa charge,” th’ man answered, “yo’ve done weel, aw didn’t think yo’ could ha’ managed it, ther’s three fowk tried at that hoister to-neet, an a dog beside, but it lickt ’em all.”

Th’ lad turned away, an slipt behind a row o’ stawls, an aw willn’t say onny mooar abaat what happened after.

Chairley’s Coortin.

Chairley Dempster wor nobbut a little chap but he’d a varry big opinion ov hissen.  He’d consait enuff for hawf a duzzen.  His mother wor a widdy an he wor th’ only child shoo’d ivver had an shoo set a deeal o’ stoor on him, an firmly believed at ther wornt another at wor fit to hold th’ cannel to him.

Noa daat this accanted for him havin sich a gooid opinion ov hissen.  They wornt varry weel to do, for when her husband deed, he’d nowt he could leeav her except th’ bit o’ furnitur an th’ babby.

Fowk thowt shoo’d be wed agean, but they wor mistaen.  If it hadn’t been for havin Chairley happen shoo wod ha done, for shoo wor young an strong, an varry gooidlukkin i’th bargain’ an lots o’ chaps wod ha thowt thersen lucky if they could ha ’ticed her to buckle on wi ’em.  But shoo kept em all at a distance, an managed, wi weshin an cleeanin for fowk, to mak as mich as kept her an her lad.

Shoo spoilt him, as wor to be expected, an denied hersen lots o’ things shoo badly needed to keep him weel donned, an shoo wor nivver as praad as when shoo heeard somdy say at he lukt ‘like a little gentleman.’

Shoo kept him at Schooil wol he wor fourteen, an he didn’t shame his taichers, an when he left he wor cliverer nor mooast lads ov his age.

Dooant run away wi th’ idea at he wor a fine young gentleman, for he wor nobbut a country lad, for he’d been browt up in a country place amang country fowk, but he wor one o’th better sooart, an amang th’ naybors wor considered a bit ov a swell.

What trade to put him to bothered his mother aboon o’ bit.  Shoo could ha liked to ha made him into a doctor or a parson, or shoo wodn’t have objected to startin him as th’ president ov a bank, but sich things cost brass an shoo wor varry poor.  He could ha liked to ha been a sowger, but he worn’t big enuff, an sailerin didn’t suit his stummack.  At last he had to be content to get into a grocer’s shop as a lad abaat, and he wor sixteen bi this time.

Th’ maister sooin tuk a fancy to him, for he worked hard an steady, an befoor he’d been thear a month he wor put behind th’ caanter to wait on customers.  His mother wor ovverjoyed at this, an altho shoo wornt one o’th biggest or best customers, ther wor nubdy went ofter to th’ shop.  If shoo nobbut wanted two articles shoo went twice for em, an shoo wor nivver in a hurry to get sarved, for the biggest pleasur shoo’d ivver known wor to watch Chairley deal aght punds o’ sewgar an cakes o’ sooap.

But ther’s noa pleasur i’ this world at isn’t mixt wi some pain, an it wor soa i’ her case.  One day as shoo wor watchin him sarve a lass wi a rasher o’ bacon, an saw th’ way he smiled at her an shoo tittered back at him, struck her for th’ furst time, at th’ day might come when he’d be somdy else’s Chairley, an shoo’d hay to tak a back seeat.