ENGLISH RURAL LIFE.

Western Star, Issue 430, 26 March 1881, Page 2 (Supplement)

ENGLISH RURAL LIFE.

A BATCH OF INTERESTING ANECDOTES BY AN ENGLISH CLERGYMAN. 1

In these villages Methodist “revivals ’’ are common. A young farm servant had been “ brought in ” in one of themj arid in the heat of his enthusiasm he was heard at times praying aloud in the barn. On one such occasion a man stopped to listen. With vehemence the lad was saying, “ Oh, Lord, sent the devil aat of aar village wi’ two hats. ” “What does the lad mean?” said the listener to himself.

The meaning at length became plain. It was the custom of farm servants, when they left - their places to return after a holiday, not to take with them more than the bat they wore ; but when they left for good, the sign thereof was an extra hat in the hand. • So the zeal of this young convert led him to ask that his Satanic Majesty might be sent away from among them, not to return—that is, that he might go “ wi’ twa hats.” An instance of an inventive genius in an illiterate farmer’s boy is too good to be forgotten. A small farmer hired a youthto assist him in the work of his farm as an indoor servant. The first piece of work he was set to do was to thrash out a pigce of corn. As the farmer was passing the barn in which the youth was at work, he heard the flail lazily keeping time to a tune the lad was singing. Stopping to - listen he ascertained that the words were, “ Bread and cheese, take thy eaSe. ”

Going to the house, the farmer said to his wife, “ This is a queer sort of a lad we have gotten. He seems to think that the speed at which he ought to work should be measured by the sort of food he gets.” And then, relating what he had heard, he suggested, “ Suppose we give him something different for dinner to-morrow, and see how that actS[’ ! This being agreed to, he had apple-pie added to his bread and cheese. This brought down the flail somewhat more rapidly, for it was going to the speed wherewith the Had s.'ing “ Apple-pie accordingly. ” / .Bob’s doing a bit better to-day, lass,” said the farmer to his wife; “let us mend,‘his dinner again to-morrow, and see what that will bring forth.” } So, when the next dinner-time came-rotind,

he had a good plate of beef and pudding set before him, which went down right grandly and brought the flail into splendid action to the words, “ Beef and puddin’, I’ll gi’e thee a drubbin’,” and to g Jolly good tune. ‘ “ I see plainly,” : said:?the wish ta get good work ojatiofrißob,; .we must, de&ji him well. So'Bob had his biU of' fajo improved;: wjth>< out having recourse to a strike In a village in a district crowded with inhabitants in the same latitude, but in a different longtitude from those hitherto spoken of, and wherein the introduction of manufactures has produced a change in the habits of the people, a friend of the writer once spent a Sunday. He dined- at a farmhouse bn: the hillside, where tbe good things bf this life wbte both abundant and good. The afterdihner., conversation between him and the heads of the household was ihterrapted by the ingress of a young woman,’ vtob began to rubimage a cheat of drawers in an impatient style; Afterh while, seeing that she did not Auditthe object of: her. search; ; the-mother asked aloud : 1

f‘ What at ta lateing ! ” [Seeking.] J‘l’s lateing.,me, shift,” was. the, girl’s reply, snappishly. ’ Ugh’! thaa needn’t Jato it ony lancer,’’ said the mother with perfeefc composure ; “ lor seep’ nowt ‘else,. a\v tuck tb’ lap ohd to holl t’puddin’in.’’; , ’ , ’ j“ I could not reftoip ,ftom, laughing outright,” said my informant, “ and felt-glad ,thft,the bf gating, the pudding had already ’ been au;,acoomphßhedi.faat,”—C«a»z---bers’ Journal. ,