aw oppen'd th' door
an ran it aght, an as aw foller'd it th' wimmen rushed past me in a body
an all cried aght at once, 'What's he been dooin to thee, Dorothy? Shame
on him!' Aw went into mi awn haase, an left Dorothy to mak what
explanation shoo thowt best, for aw felt sewer aw should mak matters war
if aw stopt. Aw dooant know what shoo sed, but they sooin all coom in
laffiin an tawkin, tho' nah an then throwin' aght a sly hint at Dorothy
an me, but aw wor too thrang to tak mich noatice, an' shoo'd moor sense.
As they wor all wed fowk but her an me, it wor agreed 'at shoo should
sarve aght th' teah, an' awd to sarve th' mait an stuff. They made a
gooid deal o' fun, an th' braan creeam helpt th' teah daan famously, th'
tooast seem'd ommost to melt away, an th' stewed hens didn't last long,
but th' cock didn't seem to be in as mich favor. Noabdy wanted helpin'
twice, an as awd taen a deeal a' pains to cook it aw felt rayther
disappointed. 'Nan get on an mak a gooid drinkin',' aw says; 'does
onnybody say a bit moor o' this cock?' But it wor all noa use, aw axd
'em an axd 'em wol aw wor fair stalled, an th moor aw tried to persuade'
em an th' moor they laft.

'Just thee try a bit thisen,' sed one, 'an then tha'll see hah it is we
want noa moor: Soa aw tried a bit, an awl be blest if it wornt like
gutty percha. Awd some varry gooid teeth, but they could do nowt wi it.
Aw wor varry soary abaat it, but it couldn't be helpt, an they all sed
they'd nivver had a better drinkin' i' ther life, soa one or two helpt
me to side th' table an straighten up a bit, for ther husbands wor all
ta coom an hey a smook an a drop o' summat short after they'd eoom throo
ther wark.

'What mun aw do wi what's left o' this rooast cock?' aw sed.

'Give it to Dorothy's tom-cat!' sed Sam's dowter.

'If it gets its teeth fast it'll pull its heead off!' sed another.

'An mich matters if it did,' sed owd Sarah; 'for it's a plague i' this
fold, for yo can keep nowt aght ov it's rooad.'

'Aw think th' best plan ud be,' sed Sam, as he popp'd in his heead, 'for
David an Dorothy to mak it up between' em, an then we'll all join an
give' em a weddin' dinner, for awm sewer ther booath looansome, an as
David's hed noa luck wi his poultry, an Dorothy's cat's allus getten her
i' trouble, aw think nah as yo've swallered th' poultry shoo should hang
th' cat, an then they could mak a fair start ith world, an aw believe
ther isn't a nayhor 'at willn't gladly gi