Tales of Northumbria Part 12

Geordie, on his part, walked away swiftly homewards, fearing lest his exultation might betray itself too openly. 'Wow!' he thought to himself, 'but I's fair a-feard o' mysel'. I's growin' intiv a proper Jesu-yte!'

The morning of the show-day came, and Geordie, having finished packing his exhibits with extraordinary care, had just returned with the small cart the grocer had lent him to convey his treasures to the show-field, about a mile and a half distant, when up came Maggie, Scotty's wife, who, notwithstanding the little difference between their respective men, had always kept up her friends.h.i.+p with Geordie's wife. Her arms bore a large green case, tied round with a many-knotted cord. This she hastily set down beside the cart, then turned breathlessly to Geordie, who, with his son, was just about to drive off.

'Eh noo, canny man,' she cried, as she wiped her hot face with the tail of her gown, 'do us a favour. Will thoo carry my man's pansy-case up to the show wi' yors? Wor Jimmy was to have taken it up first thing this mornin', but he went aff for his school treat an' left it--an' my man's awa playin' hissel' at quoits--an' he'll aboot kill Jimmy when he gans up to the show an' finds his pansies isn't there.'

Geordie willingly acceded, and the green case was carefully deposited alongside of his own at the bottom of the cart.

His nine-year-old son squatted on the seat opposite, his legs up to his chin, so as to be out of the way as much as possible in the crowded cart. The pony started off gallantly enough, and all went well till within about two or three hundred yards of the field. At that point, however, the pony suddenly s.h.i.+ed at some stray paper on the road, and Tommy fell with a crash upon the green case below.

'Eh, Tommy, lad!' cried his father in dismay; 'what hast thoo done?

Wow! but thoo's gan an' smashed Scotty's case right thro' an' thro'!'

His succeeding feeling was one of joy; for, the accident having irreparably damaged a third at least of his rival's pansies, it was evident that Scotty was now 'catched,' and Geordie, with an inward acknowledgment to Providence, saw, as in a vision, Scotty sitting devoutly 'under' himself in chapel.

A few moments later, however, doubt and dismay entered his soul. What if Scotty should say Tommy had done it 'o' purpose'--at his instigation? Further reflection convinced him that this was exactly what Scotty would say, and doubtless there would be some folk unkind enough to back him up in it.

Scotty would likelies claim the gun. Well, he'd not mind parting with that, but he could not give up the prospect of saving Scotty's soul alive without a groan.

'Eh, Tommy, lad! Eh, Tommy! But thoo divvn't knaa what thoo's done; thoo's put us in a fine quandary,' he murmured, gazing sadly now at Tommy, who was rubbing his knee ruefully, and again at the splintered case. The problem was a 'puzzlor;' even a Jesu-yte might have found solution difficult; for Scotty, he knew, would not believe him if he told the simple story of the accident, and winning the prize would be useless in the face of Scotty's insinuations of foul play.

The only way out of the difficulty, he determined sadly, was to exhibit his own pansies under Scotty's name, and withdraw from the contest himself. The contents of the two cases were sufficiently alike for his purpose, though his own were superior in size and depth of colour. It was a 'sair trial,' for his pansies were bound to win; but his character as an honest, religious man was at stake, and Scotty's triumph would be easier to endure than his sneers, if defeated, at a 'chap who caa's hissel' releegious, an' swindles ye like a Jew pedlar.'

With a groan he undid the label, and tied it on to his own beloved specimens, casting aside, as a temptation of the evil one, a disturbing suggestion that he was guilty of deception in pa.s.sing off his own as Scotty's pansies.

The judges had been round, and Scotty's pansies easily gained the place of pride; pansies so perfectly developed, so dark and deep in colour, had never been shown before.

A crowd of admirers stood round. Scotty came lurching up, having evidently held a preliminary carouse in certain expectation of the champions.h.i.+p, and, with a careless glance at his exhibits and the red card attached, cried triumphantly:

'Ay! an' whaur's that Geordie body noo, wi' his brags an' a'? Wey, I'm tauld he daurna even exhibit his ain puir specimens by the side o'

mine! Look at thae pansies, an' think o' him wi' his yaller sheep's tormuts tryin' to vie wi' me that's the auld established pansy champion! Ay, I'm that ower an' ower again; an' what's mair, I've win his gun. Wey, I'll gang an' fetch her awa at aince!'

So boasting, the proud champion reeled off in triumph, inadvertently knocking up against a silent looker-on, who was standing in melancholy guise against a tent-pole some little distance away.

One morning, a day or so after the flower-show, it chanced that Tommy was late for school, and, rounding a corner hurriedly, ran up against a big boy, who was sporting a pansy in his b.u.t.tonhole. The big boy, who was Scotty's son, immediately proceeded to cuff him for his carelessness, and Tommy retorted by "calling"[18] his opponent and his family connections with a ready profuseness.

'Wey, even that pansy thoo's sportin' divvn't belong thoo, nor thy feythor nowther, it's my dad's growin'; he showed his ain pansies as Scotty's, 'cos Scotty's happened an accident i' the cart. Feythor took them up for yor mither, 'cos thoo had forgottened them, an' to save thoo a strappin'; an' feythor's pansy champion, and Scotty's nowt but a beer-barril!'

'Liar!' responded the other boy, with a punch of his fist.

'Ax yor mither, then,' shouted Tommy, as he ducked and broke away from his captor's clutch.

A night or two after this encounter Geordie was surprised by a visit from Scotty.

'Whatten a tale's this ye're spreadin' aboot o' yor showin' yoor pansies as mine, I'd like to ken?' demanded the intruder wrathfully.

Geordie looked up quietly from his book, and: 'I've spread no tales aboot thoo or thy pansies,' he replied.

'Weel, it's either thoo or that wee, impittent son o' yoors, Tommy.

Noo, I've been axin' my missus aboot it, an' she says she did gie ye my pansies to tak' up to the show wi' yoors; an' what I want to be at is what i' the deil's name ye did to them.'

Geordie, in reply, exactly related what had occurred.

'Then, wey didn't ye tell us aboot it?' demanded Scotty, still dissatisfied.

'Because thoo has a tarr'ble sharp tongue i' thy mouth, an' I divvn't want to be scandalized aboot the village as one who would sharp another for the sake o' winnin' a floo'er prize.'

'Hum!' e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Scotty, 'it's an extraordinar' thing this! But hoo can ye explain aboot the pansies, then? I'm pansy champion, an'

therefore thae pansies that win the prize mun ha' been mine, yet here ye are sayin' that they were yoors.'

Geordie got up from his seat, and, without immediately replying, went into the room at the back, and came forth again bearing in his arms a shattered green case.

'Dis thoo recognise this?' he asked quietly, as he set it down on the table in front of his visitor.

'Ay,' replied Scotty, after a minute inspection; 'it's mine dootless.

But what then?'

'Wey, then, thoo has my case, an' my pansies inside ov it; an' here's yors still left i' their holes, just as they were on show-day.'

Scotty bent over the broken lid incredulously, lifted a faded specimen out, and regarded it contemptuously.

'Na, na,' he a.s.serted shortly, 'that's no my pansies; mine were champions, an' these is weeny things. Na, na, there's been a bit queer play about this. Maybe Tommy changed them frae the one case to the ither.'

'Tommy did nowt o' the sort,' retaliated Geordie quickly. 'Aal that was done was to untie the label an' clagg (stick) it on to my case instead o' yors.'

'Weel, it's a dommed queer thing aaltegither,' replied Scotty, pus.h.i.+ng his cap from his brow, 'and beyont me; for I'm champion, n.o.body can deny that, an' a proper professor at floo'er growin', an' ye're but an ammytoor, d'ye see? An' it's just surprising to me that ye could e'er imagine ye could compete wi' me. But I divvn't wish to be ower hard on ye, an' I'll e'en gie ye the benefit o' the doot, as the saying is; sae I'll just send ye back yoor gun--that is,' he continued slowly, eyeing Geordie wistfully, 'if ye're wishfu' to ha' her back.'

'Thoo can keep her,' replied Geordie, 'for it's nae use to me nowadays; but I would like--I would be tarr'ble pleased if thoo would come----' Here he halted abruptly, on a sudden fear lest Scotty's suspicions of some underhand play in regard to the pansies might be again roused if he too openly requested him to come to chapel.

The other hesitated a little. 'Weel,' he said finally, 'it's a canny wee gun, an' I would gey like to keep her. An' as for chapel gangin'--for I suppose that's what ye're after--if ye divvn't blab aboot us, wey, I'll just tak' a look in noo an' again.'

'That's right, noo,' responded Geordie gratefully, and his deep-set eyes glowed with a warmer light. 'Shake hands on't.'

Scotty shook hands without demur and swiftly departed, fearful lest Geordie might regret the arrangement.

Geordie leant back in his chair and heaved a sigh of relief as he offered up a silent thanksgiving to Providence for having softened Scotty's heart.

'It's aal right noo,' he murmured. 'Wi' the help I've had from above I've catched him at the finish, an' chapel will do the rest.'

Thus for some time he reflected devoutly. Then of a sudden a smile broke upon his lips and he clapped his hand vigorously upon his thigh.

'By!' he exclaimed aloud, 'but I's a proper Jesu-yte efter aal!'

FOOTNOTE:

[18] Abusing.