ect
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,--

'Into this well soa deep,
We put thee daan to sleep,
Farewell owd pump.
Tho' some may thee despise,
We know tha'rt sure to rise
Up wi' a jump.
'Tha's sarved thi purpose weel,
An' all thi neighbors feel
Sad at thi fate.
But as tha's had thi day,
This is all we've to say,
Ger aght o'th' gate.'

After this one on 'em struck up a temperance hymn, an' bi th' time
they'd getten through an' th' owd pump wor sent to its restin place two
o'th' wimmen wor ready wi' a gallon o' rum an' ale mixed, an' they
totted it aght i' pint pots. This didn't go far amang th' lot, soa they
fotched another an another wol ther brass wor done, an' then separated
wi' heavy hearts an' rayther leet heeads an' went to bed, feelin glad to
know 'at they'd done all they could towards payin a fittin tribute to an
owd friend.

CHAPTER II.

Next day wor a gloomy day i'th' Hoil-i'th'-Fowld; whether it wor grief
for th' loss o'th' pump, or th' effects o'th' rum an' ale, aw connot
say, but all th' chaps stopt at hooam, an' it wor ommost dinner time
when they mustered i'th' middle o'th' yard, an' owd Jacob, who'd been
puffin at a empty pipe for a long time, luk'd up an' spake.

'Lads,' he sed, 'it seems to me 'at this yard will niver luk like itsen
agean, unless we have summat standin up i'th' middle i'th' place ov th'
owd pump; an' aw've been tryin to think what it had better be, but aw
can't mak up mi mind abaat it. What do yo think?'

'Suppooas we put a tombstun ovver th' pump,' sed Elkanah.

'Tha wants th' job o' writin th' hepitaf, does ta?' sed Jonas.

'Well, aw dooant think that ud do, for a tombstun is nobbut a varry
gloomy sooart ov a thing at th' best hand. Nah, what do you say if we
have a statty? Aw think a statty ud look noble an' inspirin like.'

'Eea, aw think soa too,' sed Simeon, 'but who mun we have a statty on?
Mun it be th' landlord?'

'Landlord be blow'd! What mun we have a statty o' him for? We see enuff
o' him ivery month when he comes for his rent.'

'Well, who mun it be?'

'Aw dooant know 'at it matters mich who it is, for they put up stattys
to onybod