up in a garret, all bi mysen, an’ th’ walls
wor covered wi bits o’ pictures, an’ shelves
wor stuck up here an’ thear, filled wi bottles
o’ all maks o’ stuff, an’ aw’d
an old box ’at aw could lock up whear aw kept
some pipes an bacca, an’ owt else at aw darn’t
let awr fowk know ‘at aw had, an’ carefully
put away under th’ bed wor another little box
whear aw kept cannels. Awm just th’ same
as if aw can see mysen nah, as aw wor then, sat daan
oth edge oth bed an’ th’ five paand nooat
on th’ table anent me, studdyin what to buy.
Aw varily believe ’at aw bowt one hauf oth taan
o’ Halifax, i’ mi mind, before aw went
to sleep; an aw didn’t goa to sleep soa easily
that neet as usual, for after aw’d put th’
cannel aght, aw bethowt me ’at skyleet mud be
left unfastened, an’ soa aw had to get up an
see. When aw’d getten to bed agean aw felt
sewer aw could hear summat stir under th’ bed,
an’ aw listened for a long time an’ then
aw felt sure ther wor somdy tryin to breik into th’
haase, for aw could hear’ em sawin away as if
to cut a pannel aght oth door. At last aw thowt
awd wakken up some o’ awr fowk an let ’em
know, but as sooin as aw oppened th’ door aw
heeard it wor mi father snorin, soa a crept back to
bed. Aw wor just droppin off to sleep when a
thowt struck me, ’at maybe some on ’em
ud be comin up stairs ith mornin before aw wakkened,
an’ they’d be sure to see that five paand
nooat, an’ then aw should have to give an’
accaant on it, an’ mi father’d be sure
to say he’d tak care on it for me, an’
aw know what that meant, soa aw jumped up age an an’
put it under th’ piller. Aw did fall asleep
in a while, but aw wakkened i’ gooid time ith
mornin an’ th’ furst thing aw luk’d
for wor that nooat, an’ thear it wor, all reight.
Then aw gate up an walked aght a bit wol th’
braikfast wor ready. Aw hadn’t gooan far
when aw met a chap smokin a cigar, an’ thinks
aw, awl have a cigar. Soa aw went into a shop
an’ axed far a gaoid cigar. ’Do yo
want it very mild?’ he axed. ‘Noa,’
aw sed, ’let me have it as strong as owt yo
have.’ For, thinks aw, aw’l let him
see at awm noa new beginner,—tho to spaik
th’ truth aw dooant think aw’d iver smok’d
hauf a duzzen i’mi life. ‘That’s
the best and strongest cigar you can buy,’ he
sed, holdin one up between his finger an thumb, but
keepin a gooid distance off. ‘Weel,’
aw sed, ‘aw’l tak that.’ ’But
these cigars are sixpence each.’ Is that
all?’ aw sed, as aw threw daan mi five paand
nooat. As sooin as he saw that he picked it up
an’ held it up to th’ leet, an stroked
it, and luk’d at me an’ smiled; and he
seemed to tak a fancy to me all at once, an’
axed m’e whear aw lived, an what they call’d
me, an’ a lot o’ things beside. Then
he gave me a leet for mi cigar, an’ he sed he
thowt aw wor a judge ov a cigar as sooin as he saw
me, an’ he had just one box ’at he’d
like me to give my opinion on. Weel, aw worn’t
gooin to say at aw didn’t know th’ difference
between a penny cigar an’ one worth a shillin,
soa he showed me a box, an’ aw luk’d at