"There be only Hosea Bennett an' George Riley to coom now, an' the
toll'll be complete."
"Where are they now?" I asked.
"George be in India, or leastways 'e was, an' Hosea's at Cologny.
They'm both expected back by Saturday fortnit, an' th' question which
on 'em really owns th' Yarkshire tarrier'll have to be settled once
an' for all. Yon election hinged on it."
"I'm afraid I've forgotten the details, William," I confessed lamely.
"You'll surely remember th' little Yarkshire tarrier as strayed into
th' village in the summer o' '14," said William. "Hosea claimed it as
his'n by right of hollering it first, but George rackened him givin'
it a bit o' bacon-rind from 'is lunch med 'im th' rightful owner. It
stayed a few days wi' Hosea, then George 'ticed it away, an' generally
it hung to the one as happened to have th' biggest bone. Feeling ran
high atween them till, after the harvest 'ad bin got in, Mr. Gedge, at
The Chequers, axed George what about j'ining up.
"'What, an' give Hosea a free run wi' th' tarrier?' said George. 'Not
blessed likely.'
"Hosea for his part said 'e weren't going to budge while th' village
were infested wi' dog-stealers; so Mr. Gedge 'e says, 'Hand th' dog to
me. I'll howd it wi'out fear nor favour, an' when you both cooms back
we'll have it properly arbitrated on.'
"So Hosea j'ined the Infantry an' George went into th' Yeomanry. There
was some friction when George first coom on leave an' Mr. Gedge let
'im have th' tarrier for a day's ratting. Th' Bennett family said it
were breaking the agreement, but Mr. Gedge said it were a patriotic
duty to give th' lads a bit of amusement when they came on leave, an'
'e 'd undertake the Rileys 'ud make no objection when Hosea coom home.
But it made a lot 'o coolness atween th' families, an' when Hosea were
wounded in '15 the Bennettses as good as said th' Rileys weren't no
better nor pro-Germans in not giving up their claim to th' tarrier.
Public opinion were with Hosea at that time, but it veered round to
George when 'e won th' Military Medal in '16.
"However, George got orders to go East in '17, an' Hosea had pretty
frequent leaves and were allus parading th' dog outside the Rileys'
cottage. About the end o' '18 owd Ephraim Riley got tired of it and
went to see Mr. Gedge on th' subject.
"'Fair's fair,' he says, 'an' Hosea ain't no right to be worming 'is
way into that dog's affections while George can't get home.'
"'There's summat in that,' said Mr. Gedge; an' next time Hosea cooms
home 'e finds the dog in pound, so to speak.
"'Very good,' says he; 'I don't coom home again till George is here.'
"In th' spring of '19, 'bout the time as the tarrier--which was
getting owd and cantankerous--bit Wilfred Browitt in th' leg, we heerd
that George weren't likely to be back for a longish time, an' Hosea
wrote to say in that case he'd take on in th' Army for another year.
Then we had mower excitement, for it was said that Winch, a new-comer,
had put up for th' Council, an' it 'ud mean an election. Fowks were so
used to Farmer Pyke an' Mr. Gedge and Mr. Cluttrel setting that they
rackened they didn't need to be voted on, but would go in automatic.
However, there were a meetin' in th' parish-room, an' when Chairman
axed if anyone 'ad any questions Wilfred Browitt got up an' said:
"'Who owns tarrier, Hosea Bennett or George Riley?'
"It were well known that Wilfred were a mean-sperrited crittur as only
wanted to know from which one 'e 'd be likely to get compensation for
th' bite on his leg. So Mr. Gedge 'e rose an' answered:--
"'It's well known Mr. Pyke nor Mr. Cluttrel nor self can't say
anything on the matter, as it is sub-judish till th' lads coom home.'
"'What do you say, Mr. Winch?' persisted Wilfred.
"'I declare for George Riley,' said Winch boldly, 'him being the first
to give it sustenance.'
"There were a great sensation at that, an' it showed the cunningness
o' Winch. He knew the Rileys were intermarried wi' half th' village
and all George's relations 'ud be bound to vote for 'im after he'd
declared for them. And so it proved, for, though th' Bennettses
rallied everyone they could for th' Coalitioners, they weren't strong
enough, an Winch got in in place o' Mr. Cluttrel."
"Still," I remarked, "the question of ownership isn't settled."
"No, that'll be settled Saturday fortnit. It'll be a rare set-back for
Winch if the verdict goes to Hosea."
"But in any case the terrier is sure of a good home," I said.
"Well, as to that," replied William, "it were the principle o' the
thing that were at stake. When th' tarrier bit Wilfred Browitt in '19
he chased it out of th' village wi' his stick, an' nobody ain't seen
it since."
* * * * *
[Illustration: _Host_ (_to guest, who is helping him to make a
pergola_). "DON'T LEAN ON IT, YOU SILLY ASS! YOU'LL HAVE IT DOWN."]
* * * * *
Our Modest Advertisers.
"TO BE LET.--Charming Little Gentleman's Pleasure
Farm."--_Field._
* * * * *
"A Northampton Corporation report states that contractor's
workmen have applied for permission to work longer hours."
_Daily Chronicle._
We understand that the Labour Party will at once order the Ministry of
Health to take steps to isolate these cases, and that there is little
danger of a spread of the epidemic.
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