Yorkshire Ditties, First Series

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Title: Yorkshire Ditties, First Series
To Which Is Added The Cream Of Wit And Humour From His Popular
Writings
Author: John Hartley
Release Date: January 6, 2006 [EBook #17472]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
0. START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK YORKSHIRE
DITTIES, FIRST SERIES ***
Produced by David Fawthrop
Yorkshire Ditties
by
John Hartley Born 1839 Died 1915
to which is added the Cream of Wit and Humour from his popular
writings.
First Series
London W. Nicholson & Sons, Limited, 26, Paternoster Square, E.C

and Albion Works, Wakefield.
[entered at stationers' hall]
Introduction
As the First Volume of the Yorkshire Ditties has been for some time
out of print, and as there is a great demand for the very humorous
productions of Mr. Hartley's pen, it has been decided to reprint that
Volume, and also a Second One; both to be considerably enlarged and
enriched by Selections from Mr. Hartley's other humorous writings.
The Publishers would also intimate that for this purpose they have
purchased of Mr. Hartley the copyright of the DITTIES, and other
Pieces appended to each Volume.
The Publishers presume that both Volumes will, on account of their
great humour, be favourably received by the Public.
CONTENTS OF FIRST SERIES.
Poetry.
Bite Bigger
To th' Swallow
Plenty o' Brass
Th' Little Stranger

Babby Burds
Wayvin Mewsic
That's a Fact
Stop at Hooam
The
Short Timer
Th' First o'th' Soart
Lines, on Finding a Butterfly in a
Weaving Shed
Uncle Ben
The New Year's Resolve
The Old
Bachelor's Story
Aght o' Wark
Another Babby
The Little Black
Hand
Lily's Gooan
My Native Twang
Shoo's thi' Sister

Persevere
To a Roadside Flower
Prose Pieces. Cream of Wit and Humour from his popular writings
The New Year
Valentine Day
March Winds
April Fooils

Policeman's Scrape
Information
Watterin' Places
Flaar Shows

October Ale
Force of Example
Gunpaader Plot
Th' Last Month

Meditated Strike
New Year's Parties
Smiles, Tears, Getting on


Mysterious Disappearance
Sam it up
Fooils
Cleanin' Daan Month

Hay-making
Hollingworth Lake
Plagues
End o'th' Year

Scientific
Valentine Dream
Bite Bigger
As aw hurried throo th' taan to mi wark,
(Aw wur lat, for all th' whistles had gooan,)
Aw happen'd to hear a
remark,
'At ud fotch tears throo th' heart ov a stooan--
It wur raanin, an'
snawin, and cowd,
An' th' flagstoans wur covered wi' muck,
An' th' east wind booath
whistled an' howl'd,
It saanded like nowt but ill luck;
When two little lads, donn'd i' rags,
Baght stockins or shoes o' ther feet,
Coom trapesin away ower th'
flags,
Booath on 'em sodden'd wi th' weet.--
Th' owdest mud happen be ten,
Th' young en be hauf on't,--noa moor;
As aw luk'd on, aw sed to
misen,
God help fowk this weather 'at's poor!
Th' big en sam'd summat off
th' graand,
An' aw luk'd just to see what 't could be;
'Twur a few wizend flaars
he'd faand,
An' they seem'd to ha fill'd him wi glee:
An' he sed, "Come on, Billy,
may be
We shall find summat else by an by,
An' if net, tha mun share thease

wi me
When we get to some spot where its dry."
Leet-hearted they trotted
away,
An' aw follow'd, coss 'twur i' mi rooad;
But aw thowt awd nee'er seen
sich a day--
It worn't fit ta be aght for a tooad.
Sooin th' big en agean slipt away,
An' sam'd summat else aght o'th' muck,
An' he cried aght, "Luk here,
Bill! to-day
Arn't we blest wi' a seet o' gooid luck?
Here's a apple! an' th' mooast
on it's saand:
What's rotten aw'll throw into th' street--
Worn't it gooid to ligg thear
to be faand?
Nah booath on us con have a treat."
Soa he wiped it, an' rubb'd it, an'
then
Sed, Billy, "thee bite off a bit;
If tha hasn't been lucky thisen
Tha shall share wi' me sich as aw get."
Soa th' little en bate off a
touch,
T'other's face beamed wi' pleasur all throo,
An' he said, "Nay, tha
hasn't taen much,
Bite agean, an' bite bigger; nah do!"
Aw waited to hear nowt noa
moor,--
Thinks aw, thear's a lesson for me!
Tha's a heart i' thi breast, if tha'rt
poor:
Th' world wur richer wi' moor sich as thee!
Tuppince wur all th' brass

aw had,
An' awd ment it for ale when coom nooin,
But aw thowt aw'll goa
give it yond lad,
He desarves it for what he's been dooin;
Soa aw sed, "Lad, here's
tuppince for thee,
For thi sen,"--an' they stared like two geese,
But he sed, woll th' tear
stood in his e'e,
"Nah, it'll just be a penny a piece."
"God bless thi! do just as tha will,
An' may better days speedily come;
Tho' clam'd, an' hauf donn'd, mi
lad, still
Tha'rt a deal nearer Heaven nur some."
To