Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 10, 1899.djvu/526

 484 Miscellanea.

" Mother and Joe come into the kitchen. Mother she sot a reading of a newspaper into chimley corner, but I couldn't seem to have nothing to doin' wi' it. So I went on to bed and got to sleep, I were that tired.

" I 'bid abed mid abin a couple or dree hours, then I got up and went down to see how all were agoing on. When I got there all were quiet enough, the vire were burning up under the heart, wasn't a soul about, and the 'leven pins was in the heart sure enough.

" I was just going off again when my missus she zed : ' Drat if ee shall. Bill, afore thic heart do burn ' ; and I swore a woath as sooner nor that fire should go out afore thic heart were burned, I'd beat up our clock, I 'ould, to make fuel.

" Then I got afeard, for swearing over such a thing, and heaved up a corner o' the sack-bag to look out o' winder a bit to see if anybody were coming aneist us. But lor' bless ee ! 'twere quiet and still enough, not a light to be seed nowhere.

" So I sot down again in front o' the fire, when all on a suddent like, there busted a spout o' blood out o' the heart sort o' sideways, right out on the kitchen floor, and 'fore we had time to spake a word the awfuUest screeches and noises that ever anybody did hear, just outside our front door. And fust the door did sheck, then the winders did rattle, just as if they was going to be droved in.

" We had sackbags up to winder so nobody couldn't look in, so I croped up stair and looked out o' chamber winder. Well ! blowed if there werdn' thic Mrs. Hart ! You do know they railing opposite our house ? You 'ouldn't believe it, but I seed she get back to they rails and make a rush at our front door wi' all the yells ever she could rise, as she did come on she did beat the door wi' her fistes and her feet, and then she'd try the winders both sides o' the door, ascreeching awful all the time. Well, I raly thought as she'd beat in the door, so she did kick un. So I oped the cham'er winder and asted her : ' Whatever do ee want here this time o' night, and whatever be ee making such a rumpus about?' ' Oh! ' says she, your missus must come direcly minute; I must have she out 'cause my baby is a-dying.' So I says : ' My missus can't come direc'ly, 'cause she be about a job as is rather perticler to finish \ but she shall come to ee in-by mid-be.' So she went on home and I went downstairs.