y ended
up wi' sayin 'at it wor hardly reight to blame 'em for bein short o' wit
when they'd had no orderation on it. But tho' he wor varry liberal wi'
his advice, ther wor nubdy could charge him wi' bein too liberal wi' his
brass, for he'd pairt wi' nowt if he could help it; yet he'd one
waikness in his disposition, an' that wor 'at he couldn't say 'Noa' if
onybody offered to treat him. Fowk wodn't ha thowt mich abaat that if it
hadn't been for him allus draggin in his friend Michael for a share, an'
it wor weel known 'at Michael had nivver existed except in his own
imagination. If ivver he gate ax'd to a supper or a bit ova feed o' ony
sooart, he used to stuff hissen wol he wor foorced to lawse his
wayscoit, an' then if ther wor owt left, he'd say: 'If yo'll excuse me,
ther's a bit thear 'at aw should like to tak for Michael,' an' he used
to fill his pockets wi' th' best o' th' stuff, an' mony a rare blow aght
he gate aght o' what wor supposed to be Michael's share. He used to goa
to Bradforth market two or three times in a wick, an' he allus kept his
een skinned to luk aght for a bargain; an' he didn't care what it wor,
owt throo a cabbage to a cartwheel, if he could turn a penny into
three-awpence. But he didn't allus mak a gooid spec, for strange to say
ther wor other fowk 'at wor quite as wise an' even sharper nor hissen.
One day he bowt a white bull cauf, an' he wor sewer he'd getten it as
cheap as muck, an' happen he had, but haivver cheap yo buy sich a thing,
it's varry likely to cause yo some bother unless yo've somewhear to put
it. It wor a varry weet day, an' throo Bradford to Keighley is a long
walk, but ther wor nowt else for it unless he tuk it with him on th'
train, an' that ud be extra expense, soa he teed a rooap raand its neck
an' they started off. It's an' owd sayin' 'at youth will have its
fling,' an' this cauf wor detarmined to goa in for its share. Th' rooads
worn't i' th' best order, yet they mud ha' managed to wade throo but for
th' cauf seemin' to have a strong desire to find aght if Owd Dawdles
could swim, an' whenivver it coom to a pond or a puddle it gave him a
chonce to try, but like all young caufs it hadn't mich patience, an' th'
way it jurk'd him in an' aght worn't varry pleasant for one on 'em. When
they'd gooan a mile or two Dawdles wor inclined to think it would ha
been cheaper to ha taen it bi rail, to say nowt abaat th' extra comfort.
At ony rate it gave him noa troble to drive it, fo