Yorkshire Ditties, Second Series | Page 9

sigh,
An' we leearn to prize the jewel,
Tho it's hidden from the eye.
Him 'at thinks to gether diamonds
As he walks along his rooad,
Niver need be tired wi' huggin,
For he'll have a little looad.
Owt 'at's worth a body's winnin
Mun be toiled for long an' hard;
An' tho' th' struggle may be pinnin,
Perseverance wins reward.
Earnest thowt, an' constant striving,
Ever wi' one aim i'th' seet;
Tho' we may be late arrivin,
Yet at last we'st come in reight.
He who WILL succeed, he MUST,
When he's bid false hopes farewell.
If he firmly fix his trust
In his God, and in hissel,
Did yo Iver.
Gooid gracious! cried Susy, one fine summer's morn,
Here's a bonny to do! aw declare!
Aw wor niver soa capt sin th' day
aw wor born!

Aw near saw sich a seet at a Fair.
Here, Sally! come luk! Ther's a maase made its nest
Reight ith' craan o' mi new Sundy bonnet!
Haiver its fun its way into
this chist,
That caps me! Aw'm fast what to mak on it!
Its cut! Sithee thear! It's run reight under th' bed!
An luk here! What's'theas little things stirrin?
If they arn't some
young uns at th' gooid-for-nowt's bred,
May aw be as deead as a herrin!
But what does ta say? "Aw mun draand 'em?" nooan soa!
Just luk ha they're seekin ther mother;
Shoo must be a poor little
softheead to goa;
For awm nooan baan to cause her noa bother.
But its rayther to bad, just to mak her hooam thear,
For mi old en's net fit to be seen in
An' this new en, awm thinkin, ul
luk rayther queer,
After sich a rum lot as thats been in.
But shut up awr pussy, an heed what aw say;
Yo mun keep a sharp e'e or shoo'll chait us;
Ah if shoo sees th'
mother shoo'll kill it! An pray
What mun become o' thease poor helpless crayturs?
A'a dear! fowk have mich to be thankful for, yet,

'At's a roof o' ther own to cawer under,
For if we'd to seek ony nook
we could get,
Whativer 'ud come on us aw wonder?
We should nooan on us like to be turned aat o' door,
Wi a lot a young bairns to tak 'care on:
Ah' although awm baat bonnet,
an think misen poor,
What little aw have yo'st have t'share on.
That poor little maase aw dooant think meant me harm,
Shoo ne'er knew what that bonnet had cost me;
All shoo wanted wor
some little nook snug an' warm,
An' a gooid two o'-three shillin its lost me.
Aw should think as they've come into th' world born i' silk,
They'll be aristocratical varmin;
But awm wasting mi time! awl goa
get 'em some milk,
An' na daat but th' owd lass likes it warmin.
Bless mi life! a few drops 'll sarve them! If we try,
Awm weel sure we can easily spare 'em,
But as sooin as they're able,
awl mak 'em all fly!
Never mind' if aw dooant! harum scarum!
An Old Man's Christmas Morning.
Its a long time sin' thee an' me
have met befoor, owd lad,--
Soa pull up thi cheer, an' sit daan,

for ther's noabdy moor welcome nor thee:
Thi toppin's grown whiter
nor once,--
yet mi heart feels glad,
To see ther's a rooas o' thi cheek,
an' a bit ov a leet i' thi e'e.
Thi limbs seem to totter an' shake,
like a crazy owd fence,
'At th' wind maks to tremel an' creak;
but tha still fills thi place;
An' it shows 'at tha'rt bless'd
wi' a bit o' gradely gooid sense,
'At i' spite o' thi years an' thi cares,
tha still wears a smile o' thi face.
Come fill up thi pipe--
for aw knaw tha'rt reight fond ov a rick,--
An' tha'll find a drop o'
hooarm-brew'd
i' that pint up o'th' hob, aw dar say;
An' nah, wol tha'rt toastin thi
shins,
just scale th' foir, an' aw'll side thi owd stick,
Then aw'll tell thi some
things 'ats happen'd
sin tha went away.
An' first of all tha mun knaw
'at aw havn't been spar'd,
For trials an' troubles have come,
an' mi heart has felt well nigh to braik;
An' mi wife, 'at tha knaws wor
mi pride,
an' mi fortuns has shared,
Shoo bent under her griefs,

an' shoo's flown far, far away aat o' ther raik.
My life's like an owd gate
'ats nobbut one hinge for support,
An' sometimes aw wish--aw'm soa
lonely--
at tother 'ud drop off wi' rust;
But it hasn't to be, for it seems
Life maks me his spooart,
An' Deeath cannot even spare time,
to turn sich an owd man into dust.
Last neet as aw sat an' watched th' yule log
awd put on to th' fire,
As it cracked, an' sparkled, an' flared
up wi' sich gusto an' spirit,
An' when it