The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1878-12-05
A Lancashire Cottage.

The scene of Mrs. Burnett's new nov
ell of Haworth's" (Scribner for No
vember) is laid in Lancashire. The
hero, Murdoch, goes to visit his young
friend, Janey Briarley, which gives the
author an opportunity to show the in
terror of a Lancashire cottage.
He found the little kitchen shining
with the Saturdays "cleaning up"
The tagged floor as glaringly spotless
as pipe-clay and sandstone could make
it, the brass oven-handles and tin pans
in condition to put an intruder out of
countenance, the fire replenished, and
Janey sitting on a stool on the hearth,
enveloped in an apron of her mothers,
and reading laboriously aloud.
"Eh! dear mel" she exclaimed
"It's yo'-an' l am ma fit to be seen. l
wur sittin' down to rest bit. I've do
in tn cleanin' aw day, an / wur real
done fur"
"Never mind that said Murdoch.
"That's all right enough"
He cast about him for safe position
to take-one in which he could stretch
his legs and avoid damagin the embar-
RAISING purity of the floor. Finally he
settled upon a small print-covered sofa
and balanced himself carefully upon its
extreme edge and the backs of his heels,
Notwithstanding Janey's civil protesta-
tions.
"Dunnot yo' moind tn foor," she
said. "Yo' needn't. Set yo' down
comfortable.
"Oh, I'm all right" answered Muir
doch, with calm good cheer. "This is
comfortable enough. What's that you
were readingp'
Janey settled down upon her stool
with sigh at once significant of relief
and readiness to indulge in friendly
confidence.
''It's book getten fro tn Broxton
Chapel Sunday Skoo'. It's tn Mem
ne -m-o-i-r-s-
memoirs" responded Murdoch.
''Memoyers of Mary Ann Gibbs"
Unfortunately her visitor was not
throughly posted on the subject of the
Broxton Chapel literature. He cast
about him mentally, but with small
success.
81 don't seem to have heard of it be-
fore," was the conclusion he arrived
at.
"Hannot yo'? Well, it's a noice
book, an theer's lots more loike it ir
tn skoo' libery-aw about Sunday
Skoo' scholars as has consumption an
tn loike an reads tn boible to foalE
an dees. They aw on 'em dee"
,"Oh," doubtfully, but still with re-
spect. tIt's not very cheerful, is itp'
Janey shook her head with an ex
preston of mature resignation.
"Eh no! they're none on'em Cheerful
but they're noice to read. This here
un now-she had tn asthma an sum
mat wrong wi'her legs, an she knowec
aw tn boible through aside o. the
hymn-book, an she'd sing aw tn toine
when she could breathe fur tn asthma
an tell foak as if they did ma 60 an dc
likewise they'd 60 to burnin' hell whea1
th' fire is ma quenched an tn worm:
dyeth not.''
"It can't have been very pleasant fol
the friends" was her companions com
ment. But there was nothing jocose
about his manner. He was balancing
himself seriously on the edge of the hare
little sofa and regarding her with spec
ulative interest.
Where's your mother?' he asked
| next.
"Hoo's gone to tn chapel" was th'
answer. "There's a mothers meetin
in tn vestry, an hoo's gone theer an
takken tn babby WI her. Th' rest o
tn childer is playin' out at tn front
He glanced out of the door.
Those-those are not ali yours?" h
said, thunderstruck.
"Aye, they are-they. Eh!" draw
ing a long breath, ''but is ma there a 10
on 'em? Theer's eleven an I've nusse
'em nigh livery one."