Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 2, 1891.djvu/338

282 th' blood tha fund oot th' reets o't. An' tha want thruff th' ta'ouns an' thruff th' garths, an' into th' inns, 'n oop 'n da'oun th' la'ands, 'n tha ca'ahled oot to th' fo'ak to met 'em th' nex' even coom da'arklins. An th' fo'ak wunnerd an' scratched ther he'ads, but th' nex' night, tha coom ahl to th' meetin'-pla'ace by th' cross-roads to year th' wise-women.

An' tha tellt un ahl as 'd fund oot; tha tellt em as' th' Stra'angers wor wo'kin agin 'em, maddlin' wi' iverythin'; wi' th' crops an' tha beasts, an' tha babes 'n th' childer; an' 'at ther on'y cha'ance, wor to mak 't oop wi' th' tiddy people. An' tha tellt un, how ther forbears 'd used ter kep friendly wi'th Stra'angers; an' how tha gi'n 'em th' fustlings o' ahl—i 'th' fields an' th' gyardens, 'n th' vittles, an' how by'n by tha gi'n oop ahl o' that so't, 'n fair to'ned ther ba'acks o' th' greencoaties. An tha tellt em as th' tiddy people 'd bin main pa'atient 'n 'd wa'aited 'n wa'aited fur long, to see ef tha fo'ak 'd coom back to 'm; an' how to last, th' toime 'd coom to pa'ay 'm ba'ack, an' th' trooble an' th' bad toimes 'd coom as tha knowed wa'al. An' tha cried on ivery man as 'd seed 's beasts dwinin' an' ahl as a put han' to go'an arsy-varsy; an' to ivery woman as 'd heerd th' brats greet fur bre'ad 'n had none to gi' un, an' as 'd buried th' little weakly wans fro 's arms, to tak' oop wi' th' au'd wa'ays, 'n th' au'd ta'ales, 'n mak' friends age'an wi th' tiddy people 'n git th' ill cha'ance took off of 'em; an' by 'n by th' men wor grippin' han's 'pon it an th' wimmen wor greetin' as tha thowt on th' dead babbies 'n th' hunger'd childer—an' tha ahl want ho'am to do ther best to put th' wrong reet.

Wa'al!—a caynt till 'ee 't ahl, but as' th' cuss o' th' Stra'angers coom, so 't ging; slowly, slowly th' mischance wor bettered. Tha tiddy people wor fratched, an' 'tworn't wan da'ay nor yit wan Soomer as 'd win ba'ack th' au'd toimes. But th' fustlins wor laid 'pon th' stoans, wheeriver tha cud be fund; an' th' bre'ad an' th' drink wor spillt o' th' hearth-side as afore toime, an' th' au'd fo'ak tell't th'