JAN STEWER'S DEVONSHIRE BOOK

[FIRST and SECOND EDITIONs OF "JAN STEWER'S DEMSHURE BUKE"]


How Jan Got His “Baccy.”

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HOW JAN GOT HIS “BACCY.”


Turney Gurney use orwiz tu zay—

“Eef yu be gwain any plaace, never take a wumman long way ’e eef yu can ’elp o’t; an’ eef yu carn ’elp o’t, bide ’ome.”

An’ ’pon my wurd I du bleeve tes true, vur I sim eef yu goes tu a town, zay Exter vur instance, yu mid aul zo wull ’ave tu drave ’long a dree-will-butt vulled way stones as take a wumman ’long way ’e. Yu wid get vore aul so vast.

I wiz gwain tu tull ’e a liddle bit o’ a skitch, wat ’appened ta me wance, but vur gudeness zake doant yu tull my Ann o’t, vor er’s moas’ tunable titchy ’bout et, shore ’nuv.

Wull, twiz like thees yer. Twiz a gude many yer agone, my Ann an’ me, us med up our minds us wid go vor a day’s ollerdy tu Ulfercoom; yu knaws I dessay, Whur they ’aves the zay, an’ they gurt ’igh mountins, an’ tha. vokes—gude laurd I never zeed no sitch thing een me live as tha vokes thur waz thair; an’ aul simmin they adden got nort tu du, ’cept lukee tu wan tuther an’ ate caakes. My ayes! wat caakes they du ate thair tu Ulfercoom tu be zure!

Wull, I be dalled, eef et didden take us aul zo long tu walk vore droo wan strate, as twid me tu walk tu Exter * yervrom be mezel. Did, begad.

* Localise for reading.

Us wid go vore wan yard, an’ tho us wid kom tu wan o’ they shops whur they ’aves zilks an' zatins an’ ztockins an’ aul sitch ole val-de-dals een tha winder, an’ then twid be—

“Jan, kom yer, I wants tu zhaw ’e zummat.”

Wull, I wid go vore cuse, an’ luke een winder.

“Wha’s want?” I zes.

“Jiss do’e luke ta thiky urd pettico-at,” ur’d zay, “an’ ony vower-an’-lem. Doan’ yu carl tes a putty wan vir tha money?”

An’ thur wid I be, ztude like a vule, lukin’ tu a ole pettioc-at, an’ aul tha vokes laughin’ tu me.

“Dal tha ole pettico-at,” I zes; “I doan’ want no pettico-ats, du I?”

Tho ’er wid get vinnid, an’ widden spake vir a bit, an’ zo us wid get vore purty middlin’.

Tho, umby aul tu wance twid be—

“Jan, du ’e stap a minut, not go tarin’ zo ; thur’s tha vurry thing I bin wantin’ thees zix munths.”

An’ thair us waz agean.

Wull, I wanted tu buy a bit o’ baccy mezel, vor I likes me pipe now an’ agean like; but I knaw’d vurry wull wat twid be eef I zed ort ’bout gwain een a baccy zhop. Twid be, “thur I waz agean jiss like aul tha mane, whane a body wiz wantin’ tu get vore tu tha bich zo vast as cude, I mus’ want tu go pokin’ about arf tha day een a baccy shop wastin’ me money pin a lot o’ stinkin’ ole rummidge.” That's wat twid be, I knaw'd twid, zo I never zed nort.

But, umby, I zid a baccy shop nex’ door tu a zhop whur thur wiz ’ats an’ bonnets zhawin’ een tha winder. Zo I walks ’long aisy like tull us kom vore tu tha bonnet shop, an’ drekly I zeed that Ann ’ad vairly ketched zite o’t, een I flipped een baccy zhop.

Wull, whane I got vore eenzide I wiz propper vrightened, vor tha zhop wiz clane vulled up way chaps. I didden like vor tu go out agean wayout buyin’ nort, an’ eet I wiz mortle veared ’er wid kom right een an’ kommence tullin’; vor ’er wid s’knaw.

Be as twull, ’er didden, an’ tu last I got zar’d, arter I’d waited up quarter-o’hour. I thort zure I shid ketch et ’ot an’ strong thiky taime, but I didden; an’ wat du ’e think? Ann ’er wiz stude agzakly een zame plaace as ’er waz whane I went een, an’ er wiz tullin’ away tu me, or ’er thort ’er waz, ’bout wat a bewtivul bonnet thik waz; an’ ’ow eef ’er wiz zum wimmen ’er wid go ztrait een an’ buy un; an’ ’er never knaw’d, an’ ’er doan’t knaw tu thees day, but wat I wiz stude their aul taime.

But yer! Doan’ ’e tull ’er I tole ’e.




JAN STEWER'S DEVONSHIRE BOOK

[THIRD EDITION OF "JAN STEWER'S DEMSHURE BUKE"]


There is no equivalent in the third edition to "How Jan Got His 'Baccy.'”