Part 15 (1/2)

”They _calls_ 'n Worcester: we dunno whether 'tis his right naht to _ha'_ Worcester! He's like 'nough to cop it, too!”

FOOTNOTE:

[3] The earlier portions of this chapter have already appeared in _Country Life_

XXV

_June 20_--On the afternoon of June 20th, oncethe potatoes, yet not in the circu in the rain According tothe desired dazzling blue; soft high clouds floating fro the trees” Blackbirds, it see, warning them, too, with an incessant ”tit, tit”; and no doubt, besides this June sound, there was that of garden tools struck into the soil

And yet, forafternoon air, another of the great characteristics of English suht look away to Hindhead and rejoice in the sense of vast warht admire the landscape, and practise st the potatoes, and it is his point of view, not e to these talks

Forgetful, both of us, that the sao, we spoke of his work; and first he admired the potatoes, and then he praised his beck ”Nice tool,” he said I took hold of it: ”Hand-ran'mother There's no tellin' how old he is”

He went on to explain that it was a ”polling beck,” pointing out peculiarities hardly to be described here They interested s about the tool, which it was good to handle

Fro came towas probably a hundred years old

Through a hundred seasons men's faces had bent over it and felt the heat of the sun reflecting up frohtened in the hot soil And what sweat and sunburn, yet what delight in the crops, had gone to the polishi+ng of the handle! A stout ash shaft, cut in soo, and but rudely trimmed, it shone noith the wear of men's hands; and to balance it as I did, waret the thrill of a newfrom the afternoon For those who use such tools do not stop to admire the summer, but they co-operate with it

The olddown upon his back and brown arms as he once ed Soon I fetched a tool fornear him and hear his chatter

He touched on scythes for a e (a place which lies on a valley side, facing the midday heat), and to tell of a family of blacksmiths who once lived there ”They used to e-tools And they earned a name for 't, too, didn't they? I've see as e-'ammers, and one with a little 'ammer, tinkin' on the anvil” ”And he is the hed too--ere so happy there in the broiling sunshi+ne--”Yes, but I've often noticed it, the others does all the work” To which I rejoined, ”But he keeps ties; and it's he who knows to a blohen they have done enough”

”There was one part ofa axe,” said Bettesworth, ”as they'd never let anybody see 'ereed that it had to do with so the steel

Another shi+fting of the talk brought us round to his brother-in-law--that acco a traction engine, with one truck which carried three thousand bricks ”That must do aith a lot of hoss hire,” said Bettesworth ”And yet,” I urged, ”there seem more horses about than ever” ”And they be dear to buy, so Will Crawte says,” added Bettesworth

”How norantly, ”do you reckon three thousand bricks? More than a four-horse load, isn't it?”

Bettesworth made no effort to reckon, but said easily, ”Yes They reckons three hunderd an' fifty is a load, of these here wire-cut bricks; four hunderd, of the old red bricks; and stock bricks is five hunderd And slates, 'Countess' slates--they be twenty inches by ten--six hunderd o' they goes to a load”

Wondering at his knowledge, I commented on the endless variety of technical details never dreamt of by people like myself; and Bettesworth assented, without interest, however, inbut his subject ”That's one o' the things you wants to learn, if you be goin' with hosses--when you got a load Law! half o'

these carters on the road dunno whether they got a load or whether they en't I've alot now; but I learnt it once”

”How do you mean 'learnt' it? Picked it up?”

”No 'Tis in a book You can learn to reckon things If you be goin' for a tree, or a block o' stone, or bricks, you wants to knohat's a load for a hoss, or a two or a three hoss load A oin' for a block o' stone He put his tape round it, an' told ht to carry a two-foot rule in your pocket; and then put it across the stone--or p'r'aps 'tis two or three bits you got to take”

As there is nothing in the talk itself to give the i in the sunshi+ne when I heard of these details, that now e sh road--seem all sun-baked and dusty, in the heat whichthe summer landscape

Twice in the early days of July the oldis touched upon By now, in the cottage gardens, the broad-beans are at their best; and he desires, it is said in one place, no better food than beans, served for choice with a bit of bacon But there are peas too; and one day he tells me simply that he ”had peas three times yesterday There's always some left from dinner, and then I has 'em in a saucer for my supper”

_July 29_--As July ran to its close, the weather, though still war down in front of the grey disives a _poor_ account of the harvest,” says Bettesworth ”What? have they started?” I ask; and he, ”Yes, I've heared of a smartish few”

I supposed he meant in Sussex; but it appeared not ”No,” he said, ”I dunno as they've begun in Sussex, but about here Lent corn, oats, an' barley, an' so on There's So-and-so”--he na, and went on, ”But 'tis all machine work, so there won't be her 'n your knees in so--an' then the dryth But it don't much matter about the barley I've heared old people say they've knowed barley sowed and up and harvested without a drop o' rain on it fust to last Where you gets straith other crops, I suppose, is theas 'll stand dryth as well as purty near anything”