Part 11 (2/2)

They're standing i' groups and they're living i' hopes, And more disappointments they dread, Wi' they're ears touching th' grand, they've harken'd for th' saand, Wal they've omust gone wrong i' ther head.

Sez d.i.c.k o' Grate Beckers, just keep up yor p.e.c.k.e.rs, Yo hevn't much longer to wait For blue milk and porridge, yol get better forridge, Wen the railway gets fairly agait.

For its labour i' vain to harken for th' train When all's goin on varry steady; So pray yo be calm its takin no harm, They'll bring it as soin as its ready.

For th' rails are all laid, and there's nowt to be made, n.o.bbut th' navvies to clear off all th' muck; Then all al be goin, for th' Cowinhead mooin Is bahn to be browt on a truck.

So Sam o' Blue Bills, wi' thi' pints an' thi' gills, Its bahn to be better for thee, To Keighley an' back tha ma go in a crack, When tha's bahn on a bit of a spree.

And John o' Pot Anns tha mun alter thi plans, For tha nivver can get him i' force; For I'm happy to tell at steead o'th' ca.n.a.l They're bahn to try th' big iron horse.

There's oud Jim o' Kyas is bahn to be wise, An' th' folk sez at he's takkin a hig; He'll see it first tried afore he will ride, He's dahn abaht the Paper Mill Brig.

He sez he'll be sure, it dropt in before, And it might do again for a pinch; For he sez they'll be kapt if sum on em trapt, So he's blest if he'll trust it an inch.

There's oud Mally Brook hez been dahn to look, And shoo's sore disappointed they say; Shoo's omust goan crackt for shoo sez it weant act, For they n.o.bbut can run it wun way.

Sho sez at high cla.s.s ats laid dahn all th' bra.s.s, Just nah they're beginnin ta craw; To mak up for th' trouble they're bahn to charge double, For bad speckulashun it law.

So to sattle em dahn, Sir Chrestofer Brahn, Hez tould em it wur his intent, If they'd n.o.bbut be quiet till things wur all reight, He'd give em a trip to Chow Bent.

Yes, and besides a trip to Chow Bent, they gat several more trips promised bi th' diffrent distingwisht citizens o' Haworth. Wun promised to give em trip to Bullock's Smithy, anuther to Tingsley Bongs, wal they wur getting quite up o' thersels and th' railway. Or else they'd been for many a year and cudn't sleep a wink at neet for dreamin abaht th'

railway ingens, boilers, and so on, and mony a time they've wakken'd i'

ther sleep shakkin th' bed posts, thinkin they wur setting th' ingen on or stoppin it. But they'd gotten reight and thout they wur bahn to hev no more trouble; but alas! it wur a mistak, for on th' morning of the 14th o' November an' oud skyologer went aht a weather-gazin and planet-ruling, and woful news and bad omens he browt back wi' him, for he sed at th'

Stars wur shoiting in and aht, And gravel ratches wur abaht, And th' folk, he sed, they little knew What mischief it wur bahn ta brew.

And news he spred abaht the tahn, What lots o' rain wud tumble dahn; And like his anshent sires he spoke, The shockin news withaht a joke.

For soin the rain i torrents fell, And O what awful news to tell, It lookt as th clahds wur bahn to shutter, For every d.y.k.e, and ditch, and gutter, A reguler deluge did resemble, Which made Haworth folk to tremble.

Some tried to stop its course wi' stones, And some dropt on their marrow bones, And hoped at if the wurld wur drahnd, The railway wud be safe an' sahnd;

But prayers like these hed no avail, For th' waters deluged all the dale; And th' latest news et I hev heerd Th' railway's nearly disappeared; But if its fun withaht a flaw, Wha, folks, I'm like to let yo know.

CHAPTER III.

”Work boys, work, and be contented.”

Ha, its all varry weel for the poit to sing that, but if he hed a railway at stake he wud happen alter his tune, an espeshully if he wur an eye-witness nah, for th' storm wur ragin at heyest, and the folks wur waiting wi' pashent expectashun to knaw whether they wur bahn to be at an end or not, for th' flooid wur coming dahn thicker an' faster, and there look'd to be monny a hundred mile o' watter in the valley. Hasumivver they muster'd all t' energy they cud, for they wur determined to knaw th'

warst, so they went to see if they could find th' oud weather gazer at hed proffesied th' flooid; and after a good deal o' runnin abaht, they fan him peepin thru summat at shap of a tunnel. Sum sed he wur lookin at th' mooin, others sed he wor looking into futurity, hasumivver they asked him to come dahn an' look at the railway, and tell em whether th' flooid wur bahn to tak it away or not, but th' saucy oud hound refused at first, for he said at he wur flaid at sum on em wodn't be able to stand th'

shock if he tell'd em th' warst, so th' oud lad sed

If my advice yoh want, poor things, An cannut do withaht it, Go arm yor seln to th' teeth, he sed, An' doant be long abaht it; Both rakes an' powls an' props an' ropes Yo cannot get ta sooin, An' take the Cowinheeader's plan When they discuver'd the mooin, Doant gape abaht, but when yor arm'd Take each a diffrent rowt; And let yor cry be ivvery man, Th' poor railway's up the spout.

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