Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 2, 1891.djvu/335

Rh chancy to ca'all 'em sich! Noa; an' ef thou'd seed 's much on 'em as a done, thou'd twist thy tongue into 'nother sha'ape, thou 'ould. Fo'ak i' these pa'arts, tha ca'alled um mostly tha "Stra'angers"; or th' "tiddy people", 'ca'se tha wor none so big 's a new-born babby; or th' "Greencoaties", fro' ther green jackets; or mebbe th' "Yarthkin", sence tha doolt i' th' mools. But mostly th' Stra'angers, as a said afore: fur stra'ange tha be—i' looks 'n wa'ays—an' quare i' ther loikin's, an' stra'angers i' th' mid o' th' fo'ak.—Hev a seed un?—Ky, that a hev; often 'n often, an' no later 'n last spring. Tha be main tiddy critters, no more'n a span hoigh, wi' a'arms 'n legs 's thin 's thread, but gre'at big feet 'n han'ds, 'n he'ads rowllin' 'bout on ther shouthers. Tha weers gra'ass-green jackets 'n breeches, 'n yaller bonnets, fur ahl th' wo'ld loike towdie-stools o' ther he'ads; 'n quare bit fa'aces, wi' long nosen, an' wide gobs, 'n great red tongues hangin' oot 'n flap-flappin' aboot. A niver heerd un sp'akin' 's a can moind on; but whan tha be fratched wi' owt, tha girns 'n ye'ps loike 'n angry hound, an' whan tha feels ga'ay 'n croodlesome, tha twitters an' cheeps 's soft an' fond 's th' tiddy bi'ds.

In ma yoong da'ays, an' i' ma gran'ther's afore ma, tha Stra'angers wor more aba'out 'n to now, an' fo'ak wor no'on so feared on 'un 's thou'd ha' thowt. Tha wor mischeevious fractious bodies ef tha wor crossed, but so be's tha wor let alo'an tha done no'on ha'arm nor maddled wi' annybody; an' ef fo'ak wor good to 'm, tha niver furgot it, an' tha'd do owt to he'p un i' s' to'n.

O' summer noights tha da'anced i' tha moonshine o' th' great flat sto'ans 's thou sees aba'out; a do'ant knaw'a wheer tha come from, but ma gran'ther said 's how 's gran'ther's gran'ther 'd tou'd 'em, 'at long agone th' fo'ak set fire on tha sto'ans, 'n smeared 'un wi' blood, an' thowt a deal more on 'un than o' th' pa'asson bodies an' th' cho'ch.

An' o' winter evens tha Stra'angers 'd d'aance o' nights o' th' fire-pla'ace, whan tha fo'ak wor to bed; an' tha crickets pla'ayed fur 'n wi' roight good will. An' tha wor allus theer,