‘Why, what’s th’ matter?’ sed his dowter.

‘Matter! connot ta taste th’ difference between that watter an’ th’ watter tha used to get aght o’th’ pump?’

‘Why, father,’ shoo sed, ’that is pump watter, for aw pump’d it mysen befoor they pool’d it daan.’

‘Oh, did ta.  It wor happen a bit o’ bacca aw had i’ mi maath.  But allus bear this i’ mind, if iver tha gets wed an’ should leave this fowld niver go to live whear ther isn’t a pump.’

After th’ drinkin all th’ chaps could be seen standin i’th’ door hoils, leeanin agean th’ jawm, for they felt lost, an’ didn’t know whear to goa.  They’d allus been i’th’ habit o’ getherin raand th’ owd pump, an’ it seemed nah as if they couldn’t tell whear to stand for th’ pump had acted as cheerman for’ em when they had ther argyfyin meetins,—­an’ a varry gooid cheerman too.

At last one on ’em screwed up courage to goa an’ luk at th’ owd pump case as it ligged i’th’ muk, an’ then one an’ another joined him, wol it luk’d for all th’ world as if they wor holdin an inquest.

‘That’s been a gooid friend to us all,’ sed Jacob, ‘an’ aw dooant like to see it liggin thear.’

‘Noa, moor do aw,’ sed another, ‘an’ it luks a sooart o’ desolate, sin they tuk th’ guts aght.’

‘Aw wish somdy’d tak their guts aght,’ sed Levi, ’it ud sarve ’em reight.  But what mun we do wi’ it!  Th’ fowld luks lost withaat it.  Suppooas we put it up agean just to luk at?’

‘Aw propooas we bury it,’ sed Jacob, ‘an’ then raise a monement ovver it.  It desarves one better nor lots ’at get ’em.  It wor allus sober, an’ minded its own business, an’ niver refused to give owt it had if yo shook it bi th’ hand.’

‘Well, but whear mun we bury it?’ sed Jonas.

‘Aw think,’ sed Jacob, ’’at as it’s had a wattery life, it owt to have a wattery grave.  Let’s pool them flags up an’ drop it into th’ well.’

They all agreed to this, soa it worn’t monny minits befoor they had th’ well oppened, an’ wor ready to drop it in, but one o’th’ women happened to ax ‘who wor gooin to read ovver it.’  Nah this had n ver struck nooan on’ em befoor, an’ they saw at once ’at it should be attended to.

‘Whear’s Elkanah?’ sed Jacob.  ‘He’s allus ready wi’ a speech, let’s see what he can find to say.’  Soa one on ’em whistled, an’ Elkanah coom, an’ they tell’d him what they wanted.

‘All reight,’ he sed, ’but if yor baan to bury it like that aw think ther owt to be a burryin drinkin.’

‘That’s reight, Kana!’ shaated th’ wimmin, ’let’s have it reight if we have it at all.’

‘That’s my noation,’ sed Elkanah, ’an aw’ll see what aw con collect befoor we bury it,—­aw’ll be a shillin.’

‘Soa will aw,’ ‘soa will aw,’ ‘aw’ll be another,’ an ther wor sooin thirteen shillin an’ sixpence sam’d up.  ‘Nah, awm ready,’ he sed, ’tak off yor hats, an’ handle it gently for its rayther rotten.’  They all did as they wor tell’d, an’ havin getten ready Elkanah spake,—­