‘Oh, we’ll have it made o’ wood,—­th’ pump wor a wooden un, an’ Simeon’s a wood turner, an’ he’ll turn it cheap, willn’t ta Simeon?’

’Aw’ll do it as reasonable as aw con.  Aw think aw could get up a varry gooid en for abaat thirty shillin.’

‘Well, aw’ll be ten shillin,’ sed Kana, ‘an’ tother can be subscribed for at a penny a wick a piece.’

‘Why, that’s fair enuff, lads, what do yo say?’

‘We’ll all agree to that,’ sed Jonas, ’but whear mun we put it?  May be ‘as th’ Corporation’s taen away th’ pump they may want to shift th’ statty.’

‘Corporation be hanged! we’ll put it up thear an’ let them mell on it ‘at dar.’

‘Well’ sed Simeon, ’aw’ll start it reight away, but aw’st want Kana to sit aside o’th’ lathe wol awm turnin, or else awst niver be able to get a likeness on him.’

‘Oh, th’ likeness matters nowt; tha can paint his name on it an’ then iverybody’ll know whose it is.’

‘After a bit moor tawk they sauntered off, some one way an’ some another, an’ amused thersens as weel as they could wol bed time, an’ then went to sleep, all except Simeon; he could’nt sleep, for he didn’t like to admit ‘at he couldn’t turn a statty, an’ still he didn’t know ha to start; but he wor bent o’ having th’ thirty shillin ony way.

Next mornin he made a beginnin, an’ he thowt he’d turn th’ body pairt first, an’ he made a varry daycent job on it he thowt, an’ when they ax’d him at neet ha he wor gettin on, he tell’d ’em th’ belly piece wor all reight, an’ he’d have it all done bi Setterdy neet; an’ he kept his word, an’ when they all coom hooam thear it wor, wi’ a gurt bedquilt ovver it, waitin to be unveiled, an’ yo con bet it worn’t long befoor they’d all swallow’d ther drinkin an’ wor waitin—­all except Kana, he felt a sooart o’ modest abaat it an’ had to be fotched aght.

Jacob wor th’ cheerman, an’ they maanted him on a peggytub turned upside daan; but he wor a sooart o’ fast what to say, soa he ax’d Simeon.  ‘Why,’ he sed, tha mun praise th’ statty, an’ say it’s a life-like portrait, an’ then tha mun tell all th’ gooid things tha knows abaat Kana.’

’Why, but aw dooant know nowt varry gooid abaat him, nobbut he can cure a bit o’ bacon dacently.’

’Niver heed, tha mun say all tha thinks he owt to ha done, it’ll do just as weel.’

Kana wor wonderin all th’ time what he’d have to say, soa he called Jonas o’ one side an’ axed him.

’Oh, thy pairt’s easy enuff.  Tha mun thank ’em all, an’ say it’s th’ praadest day o’ thi life; but dooant say owt abaat thi own ten shillin, coss it willn’t do for iverybody to know that; an’ then as tha’s nowt to booast on thisen, put in a word or two abaat thi father.  Owt tha says obaat thi father is sure to goa daan.’