ntention to mak a bit
ov a doo an' invite 'em all, but as they'd had sich a supper that neet,
he knew they wodn't enjoy another off th' same sooart o' mait, soa he
shouldn't ax 'em. They all sed they'd had enuff for a week, but they
thanked him all th' same, an' after singing 'For he's a jolly gooid
fellow,' they went hooam.--Next day Abraham wor lukkin aght for his
sparrib, but it didn't come, an' day after day he wor disappointed, an
as th' chaps laft ivery time he mentioned it, a thowt began to creep
into his noddle, 'at he'd been done.--He niver grumbled, but he's takken
care to have his parcels 'livered at hooam sin then.

A Run ovver th' Year.

"A gooid beginin maks a gooid endin," fowk say, soa let's mak a gooid
beginnin o'th year. But aw dooant altogether agree wi' thease old
sayins, for aw've known monny a gooid beginnin 'at's come to a fearful
bad endin, an' my advice to ony body 'at's startin owt is, niver crow
till th' finish. Aw once heeard tell ov a young woman at wor a reglar
glaid; one o' them sooart 'at nubdy could do owt wi'; tawk abaat taming
a shrew! why, net all th' shrews in Shrewsbury wor a match for her. But
a chap 'at lived net far off, thowt shoo wor a varry bonny lass, an' he
felt sure he could manage her, soa he went an' made love in his best
fashion, an' ivery time shoo call'd him a nasty offald scamp, he sed he
lov'd hur moor an' moor; soa at last shoo cooil'd daan, an' all things
were made sweet, an' befoor long they gate wed. Ov coorse they'd a few
friends to ther drinkin, an' a bit ov a donce at after, an' then a drop
o' whisky an' hot water, an' when th' husband had getten a glass or two
into him, he began to tell th' cumpany ha he'd tamed hur. 'Why,' he sed,
'aw can do owt aw like wi' her nah, shoo's as gentle as a lamb.' 'If
that's thy noation,' shoo says, 'th' sooiner tha gets shut on it an' th'
better!' Soa shoo made noa moor to do, but gave him a crack ovver th'
nooas wi' her naive, an' in abaat a minit it wor swell'd as big as a
cauf blether. He made a gurt din an' quavered abaat a bit, but it wor
noa use for shoo wor th' maister on him, an' ivver after that he let her
do as shoo liked, for he sed 'nowt suited him as mich as to see her suit
hersen.' But ther wor fowk 'at used to wink an say, 'poor beggar!'

Th' next comes Valentine's day, an' 'On Valentine's day will a gooid
gooise lay,' is a varry old sayin, an' aw dar say a varry gooid en; an'
if all th' geese wod nobb