Part 10 (2/2)

Lord et Manor i full uniform a fut back bearing Coat of Arms for Haworth, a gert wild cratur wi two tails on, one et awthur end.

Two citizens wi white cravats raand their hats.

The Members et Corporashun one-abreast singin ”a nuttin we will go, brave boys.”

Big Drums and Triangles.

A Mahogany Wheelbarrow and a silver trowel on a cart trail'd wi six donkeys, and garded wi ten lazy policemen all sober.

A pair of crakt bag-pipes.

The Contractor in a sedan carried wi two waggoners i white smocks.

All the young maidens fra fourteen to thirty-nine, six-abreast, drest i sky blue, and singin throo combs.

Twenty oud wimin knittin stockings.

Twenty navvies i their s.h.i.+rt sleeves weeling barrows, wi workn tooils.

Taan skavengers wi shoulder'd besums decorated wi ribbons.

Bellman and Pinder arm-i-arm drest I full uniform, and the latter now and then bawlin aht wats bahn to tak place.

All scholars at female line laking at duck-under-watter kit, and the males laking at frog-loup, and jumping o' one another's backs.

Taan chimla sweeps maanted o' donkies wi their face white.

All the furiners fra the continent o' Haworth, and crookt-legged uns fra Keighley followed up.

Bulk o' the inhabitants wauking wun-abreast, wi their hats off, and singing and shouting

”The Railway! the Railway!”

In fact, the Railway wur e ivverbody's maath, what we singing and shouting, them at cud do nawther whisper'd in wun another's ears-Railway!

But getting to where the ceremuny wur to tak place the processhun halted and formed itseln into a raand ring, and cheers wur geen wi shakin hats and handkerchiefs, which lasted wal their showders and arms warkt wal they'd hardly strength to shut their maaths and don their hats on. But hasumivver they manijed to get reight agean, and then a parson called Ned Oufield gat up and made the following narashun-

Fellow countrymen and citizens o' Haworth,-It gives me gert plezur to see such a gert event as this tak place i the city o' Haworth, namely, digging t' furst sod o' wat's called Grand Trunk Line between Keighley and yor native element, and reight pleased I am to offis.h.i.+ate as chairman on this occashun. Perhaps sum on yo maint naw what I mean wi yer native element; but I mean yer oud mountain side, and aw naw yor like yer forefathers, yo love it dearly, tho' yor ancestors wor nowt but barbarians in the fourth and fifth sentries, yet they were the furst to embrace Christianity, which they did it yer 600, be the Latin inscripshun on the church steeple.-(Loud cheers).-And although yo been behind we yor Railway, ye been up i different arts and sciences. Wat nashun, my frends, can boast of a majishun like yor oud Jack K-.-(Loud cheers). He wur a credit to yo all, and yo wur sadly indebted to him; he proffesied twenty yer sin at this event wud c.u.m to pa.s.s (a voice,-ha wish he wur alive he sud be contractor), and if he'd been livin to this day, its a hundred to wun but the Railway wud hev been made to some where else ner Keighley, for ha feel convinced et Keighley is not worthy of amalgamashun wi a respectable city like Haworth.-(Hear, hear.) For look wat insultin langwidj they've used to yo at different times.-(Groans.) Furst, they said yo muckt church to mak it grow bigger. Then yo walked rahnd tahn's post office at Keighley and thout it wur the cemetery, and to make up for the lot, they call us wild craturs and mock wur plezant dialect, which is better English ner theirs.-(Groans, wich lasted for ten minits.) Yes, my fella citizens, you've hed to put up wi a deal o' slang fra theas uncultivated rascals.-(We have.) And wat's war nur all, yah've hed to wauk wet and dry, thro thick and thin, i all sorts o' weather to Keighley, wen you've wanted to go on the continent or Lundun. But soin yo can wauk slap to the train in a jiffey.-(Loud cheers.) Mr. Oufield then thenkt his fella taansmen and wimen and ended his speech wi expressin his delight in the loyalty of the people for the railway, and as the time was fast waxin, he begged leave to sit dahn, wich he did t'

midst lahd enthusiastic shouting.

This been dun and ivverybody gotten their maaths shut agean, Ike Ouden gat up and made a speech, and a grand un it wor yo mind, for if the arkangel hed dropt streyt dahn fra heven and let o' t'top o' t'platform, it cuddant a suited t' folk better, for he began as follows:-

Fella-citizens and tahnsmen o' Haworth,-Wen I see before me so many smiling faces and so many distingwisht citizens, I awn ha felt a pang as to my unfitness for appearing afore yo on this occashun; but yor committee wor so urgent in their appeal to me that I wor certainly induced to akcept the honnor of diggin the furst sod o' the Grand Trunk Railway, wich will be the gratest blessin that ivver will be i Haworth.

But yet its not for me to say wat is kalkulated or unkalkulated for the people o' Haworth to do in the 19th sentry, yet I may ventur to say at this glorious muvment nah bahn to tak place will shortly prove the gratest blessin ivver witnessed it city o' Haworth.-(Loud applause).

Look at the export and import of the city, and compare the spaven'd horse and cart wi the puffin w.i.l.l.yams and all the fine carriages. Look et difference between wen it tuk a week to go to Liverpool, and a month to Lundun, in a oud coach, and hev to mak wur wills afore we went.-(Enthusiastic cheering.) Yes, my frends, we stud good chance e being robbed and plundered if net summat war. Besides wat an immense diffrence it will mak to Haworth, wen shoo can export her own mannifacturs to all the civilised and uncivilised wurld, and by means o'

steam find their ways into rejuns nivver trod but by feet o' wild craturs and beasts o' prey. But to mak t' story short ha mean to say it will be a grate c.u.mfort and a blessin to both the lame and lazey, and speshally to the latter. But as the time was gettin on fastish, as it allus dus when there's out to be dun, so Mr. Ouden finisht his speech as follows:-

Put yor shoulders to work, lads, and ne'er be danted, Think yer behint and there's no time to dally, For nah is the time yor a.s.sistance is wanted I makin yor railway along the Worth Valley.

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