Part 14 (1/2)

That's a rare thing If you bakes the roots o' that in the oven, an'

then grinds it up to a powder, you no need to _call_ yer horses to ye, after you've give 'em that They'll foller ye for it Dandelion roots the same Make 'em as fat! And their coats come up mottled, jest as if you'd knocked 'em all over with a 'aive it to 'em, many's a ties, purpose to get things for ood for 'em

So there is for we too, if we only knohich they was We shouldn't want much _doctor_ if we knowed about herbs

”Old Waterson, he used to eat dandelion leaves saood, too Old Steve Blackman was another He used to know all about the herbs If you went into his kitchen, you'd see it hung all round with little bundles of 'em, to dry _He_ was the only one as could cure old Rokey Wells o' the yeller janders Gunner had tried 'n--all the doctors had tried 'n, and give 'n up He'd bin up there at the infirhteen months or more, till old Steve see 'n one day and took to 'n And he ain

”That 'ere Holt--Tom Holt, _you_ knohat used to be keeper at Culverley--_he_ got the yeller janders now He's pensioned off--twelve shi+llin's a week, and his cot and firin' Lives in Cashford Bridge house--you knows that old fare

He lives there now If old Steve's son got his father's book now, he'll be able to cure 'n He used to keep a book where he put all the receipts, so 't is to be hoped his son have kep' it They says Holt 've got the yeller janders wonderful strong, but if”

_May 24_--In Bettesworth's opinion, an i about and finding work The old man was at the Whit Monday fete with a ruff voice with appreciation

Vickery--sixty or seventy years old--cae out Guildford way--”that was his native,” says Bettesworth--but was adopted by an aunt in this parish, who left hi to us, was deeply so to Bettesworth And Vickery, it appears, has worked all his life in one situation, at Culverley Park He began as a boyto the ht was installed, he took over thefire-wood, and so forth And, says Bettesworth, ”They'd ha' to set fire to Culverley to get rid of 'n He never worked nowhere else That's how they be down there Old Smith's another of 'eo Never had but two places, and bin at Culverley forty year

Why, if they was turned out they wouldn't kno to go about Sa fellers turned off

They hadn't looked out for theirselves; their fathers had always got the work for 'eo no ”

XXIV[3]

_June 1, 1904_--A cool thundery rain this first of June drove Bettesworth to shelter As usual at such ti wood for kindling fires

At theup an old wooden bucket which had lately been condemned as useless ”Th' old bucket's done for,” he said conteood deal o'

brewin'; but there en't ood oin' round brewin' for people Brown's in Church Street used to be a rare place for 'e yard there; an' then they had soood tackle, and plenty o' room for firin' Pearsons, Coopers”--he named several ont to e people brew?” But Bettesworth shook his head ”I never knowed none rew hops?” I asked

”Oh yes,” Bettesworth assented, ”every garden had a few hills o'

hops But 't wa'n't very often they brewed any en'ly 'twas this here sugar beer Or else I've brewed over here at my old mother-in-law's, 'cause they had the tackle, ye see; and so I have gone over there when I've killed a pig, to salt 'n”

A suggestion that he would hardly kno to bre caused him to sed next that nearly all people, I supposed, used at one time to brew their own beer To which Bettesworth:

”And so they did bake their own bread They'd buy so how he had hirown corn, to ask if that was not rather the custoh as al and h to last us through the winter, and then with so salted down, I'd say, 'There, we no call to _starve_, let the winter be _what_ it will' Well, taters, ye see, didn't cost nothin'; and then ays had a pig You couldn't pass a cottage at that tisty And there was milk, and butter, and bread”

”But not h But I dunno--they used to look as strong an' jolly as they do now But 'twas poor money The first farm-house I went to I never had but thirty shi+llin's and ?”

”Twal'month And I had to pay my washi+n' an' buy my own clothes out o'

that”

The point was interesting Did he buy his clothes at a shop, ready made?