water, an' went away. Dick luk'd at his wife, an'
takkin' howd ov her hand, said, "Aw'm glad 'at tha hasn't to goa seekin'
hot water, an' aw hooap tha niver may have."

"Aw hooap nut," shoo said, an' sat daan evidently varry ill set ta see
her stockins. Nah, what a little con make fowk happy or miserable. Dick
wor as content as a king, becoss all th' haas wor tidy. He saw at somdy
had been tryin' to mak' him comfortable; an shoo wor as delighted as if
shoo'd getten a fortin left, becoss what shoo'd done had suited him.

When th' childer had getten all put ta bed, Dick said, "Lass, aw've been
thinkin' 'at aw dooant care soa mich abaght gooin to this teadrinkin'
for aw've a noation 'at we connot goa ta th' tea withaat stoppin' an'
spendin' a lot o' brass at after, an' aw've heeard thee say as thar't
fast for some flannel. Nah, if we stop at hooam an' spend th' brass o'
what it is tha wants, it'll do us moor gooid nor th' ale, what says ta?"

"Just thee please thisen, Dick. Aw had thowt o' gooin, but as tha says
it's sure to cost summat, an' awr Billy wants some new clogs, for yond
tak watter varry ill, an' aw dooant know what we could do better wi' th'
brass, an' aw think we con have as comfortable a teah at hooam."

"Aw'm sure, an' moor soa, an' as tha's decided nut to goa, aw'll tell
thi ov a marlock some o'th' chaps has been playin' but tha munnat split,
for it hasn't to get aght woll after th' pairty. Tha knows Hungary at
works wi' us?"

"Does ta meean him 'at once ait a pailful o' draff?"

"Th' same chap! An' he declared 'at if he gate aside o'th steaks at this
doo, he'd polish th' lot (an' aw believe he can ait owt less nor a
bullock), soa some o'th chaps made it up 'at he should have a dish to
his own cheek; but they'd ta be donkey steaks--for owd Labon ('at hawks
cockles an' mussels) had let his donkey catch cold or summat, at ony
rate it dee'd, an' soa they thowt if they could get some steaks off that
they'd just come in, but they knew 'at owd Labon had rayther part wi'
his heead nor let onybody mell o'th donkey, for he thowt as mich on it
as if it wor a Christian. But they determined to scheme some way to get
it, soa Joe Longfooit offered to go into th' yard where it wor, an' cut
off one hinder leg an' tak it hooam ta cook, if Sam Sniggle 'ud watch
aght to see 'at noabody coom. Labon kept his donkey, tha knows, in a
place at th' top o'th long stepses, an' used ta goa raand th' back rooad
wi' it, soa one di