Our young parson said to me t'other daa, "John," sez he, "din't yeou
nivver hev a darter?" "Sar," sez I, "I had one once, but she ha' been
dead close on thatty years." And then I towd him about my poor mor.
{52b}
"I lost my fust wife thatty-three years ago. She left me with six bors
and Susan. She was the owdest of them all, tarned sixteen when her
mother died. She was a fine jolly gal, with lots of sperit. I coon't be
alluz at home, and tho' I'd nivver a wadd {52c} to saa aginst Susan, yet
I thowt I wanted some one to look arter her and the bors. Gals want a
mother more than bors. So arter a year I married my second wife, and a
rale good wife she ha' bin to me. But Susan coon't git on with her.
She'd dew {52d} what she was towd, but 'twarn't done pleasant, and when
she spook she spook _so_ short. My wife was werry patient with her; but
dew all she could, she nivver could git on with Susan.
"I'd a married sister in London, whue cum down to see us at Whissuntide.
She see how things fared, and she saa to me, 'John,' sez she, 'dew yeou
let Susan go back with me, and I'll git her a good place and see arter
her.' So 'twas sattled. Susan was all for goin', and when she went she
kiss't me and all the bors, but she nivver sed nawthin' to my wife, 'cept
just 'Good-bye.' She fared to git a nice quite {53} place; but then my
sister left London, and Susan's missus died, and so she had to git a
place where she could. So she got a place where they took in lodgers,
and Susan and her missus did all the cookin' and waitin' between 'em.
Susan sed arterwards that 'twarn't what she had to dew, but the runnin'
up-stairs; that's what killt her. There was one owd gentleman, who lived
at the top of the house. He'd ring his bell, and if she din't go
di-reckly, he'd ring and ring agen, fit to bring the house down. One daa
he rung three times, but Susan was set fast, and coon't go; and when she
did, he spook so sharp, that it wholly upset her, and she dropt down o'
the floor all in a faint. He hollered out at the top o' the stairs; and
sum o' the fooks cum runnin' up to see what was the matter. Arter a bit
she cum round, and they got her to bed; but she was so bad that they had
to send for the doctor. The owd gentleman was so wexed, he sed he'd paa
for the doctor as long as he could; but when the doctor sed she was
breedin' a faver, nawthing would satisfy her missus but to send her to
the horspital, while she could go.
"So she went into the horspital, and laa five weeks and din't know
nobody. Last she begun to mend, and she sed that the fooks there were
werry kind. She had a bed to herself in a big room with nigh twenty
others. Ivry daa the doctor cum round, and spook to 'em all in tarn. He
was an owdish gentleman, and sum young uns cum round with him. One
mornin' he saa to Susan, 'Well, my dear,' sez he, 'how do yeou feel to-
day?' She saa, 'Kind o' middlin', sir.' She towd me that one o' the
young gentlemen sort o' laffed when he h'ard her, and stopped behind and
saa to her, 'Do yeou cum out o' Suffolk?' She saa, 'Yes; what, do yeou
know me?' She was _so_ pleased! He axed her where she cum from, and
when she towd him, he saa, 'I know the clargyman of the parish.' He'd a
rose in his button-hole, and he took it out and gov it her, and he saa,
'Yeou'll like to hev it, for that cum up from Suffolk this mornin'.' Poor
mor, she was _so_ pleased! Well, arter a bit she got better, and the
doctor saa, 'My dear, yeou must go and git nussed at home. That'll dew
more for yeou than all the doctors' stuff here.'
"She han't no money left to paa for her jarney. But the young gentleman
made a gatherin' for her, and when the nuss went with her to the station,
he holp her into the cab, and gov her the money. Whue he was she din't
know, and I don't now, but I alluz saa, 'God bless him for it.'
"One mornin' the owd parson--he was yar father--sent for me, and he saa,
'John,' sez he, 'I ha' had a letter to say that Susan ha' been in the
horspital, but she is better now, and is cummin' home to-morrow. So yeou
must meet her at Halser, {55} and yeou may hiv my cart.' Susan coon't
write, so we'd nivver h'ard, sin' her aunt went away. Yeou may s'pose
how I felt! Well, I went and met her. O lawk, a lawk! how bad she did
look! I got her home about five, and my wife had got a good fire, and
ivrything nice for her, but, poor mor! she was wholly beat. She coon't
eat nawthin'. Arter a bit, she tuk off her bonnet, and then I see she
han't no hair, 'cept a werry little. That wholly beat me, she used to
hev such nice hair. Well, we got her to bed, and for a whole week she
coon't howd up at all. Then she fare to git better, and cum down-stairs,
and sot by the fire, and begun to pick a little. And so she went on,
when the summer cum, sometimes better and sometimes wuss. But she spook
werry little, and din't seem to git on no better with my wife. Yar
father used to cum and see her and read to her. He was werry fond of
her, for he had knowed her ivver sin' she was born. But she got waker
and waker, and at last she coon't howd up no longer, but took wholly to
her bed. How my wife did wait upon her! She'd try and 'tice her to ate
suffen, {56a} when yar father sent her a bit o' pudden. I once saa to
him, 'What do yeou think o' the poor mor?' 'John,' sez he, 'she's werry
bad.' 'But,' sez I, 'dew she know it?' 'Yes,' sez he, 'she dew; but she
een't one to saa much.' But I alluz noticed, she seem werry glad to see
yar father.
"One day I'd cum home arly; I'd made one jarney. {56b} So I went up to
see Susan. There I see my wife laad outside the bed close to Susan;
Susan was kind o' strokin' her face, and I h'ard her saa, 'Kiss me,
mother dear; yeou're a good mother to me.' They din't see me, so I crep'
down-stairs, but it made me werry comforble.
"Susan's bed laa close to the wall, so that she could alluz make us know
at night if she wanted anything by jest knockin'. One night we h'ard her
sing a hymn. She used to sing at charch when she was a little gal, but I
nivver h'ard her sing so sweetsome as she did then. Arter she'd
finished, she knockt sharp, and we went di-reckly. There she laa--I can
see her now--as white as the sheets she laa in. 'Father,' sez she, 'am I
dyin'?' I coon't spake, but my wife sed, 'Yeou're a-dyin', dear.' 'Well,
then,' sez she, ''tis bewtiful.' And she lookt hard at me, hard at both
of us; and then lookt up smilin', as if she see Some One.
"She was the only darter I ivver had."