The Miner’s Girl Read Free Page B

belonged to Merry’s father. Lance had been so proud of the stool he had made when he first started at the pit. But she couldn’t think about Lance now, not now. She had the living to think of.
    ‘Eeh, Peggy, I don’t know what to say,’ said Eliza. ‘I’ve got fond of the little lass an’ all.’
    ‘You have to think of your own,’ said Peggy. She roused herself, forced herself to be pleasant. ‘There’s one thing for sure, we’re not going to the workhouse, not while I have breath in my body. I’ll find work, never you think I won’t. And at least we have a roof over our heads, me and the babby. I was just thinking, any road – I could take in washing couldn’t I? With all the empty houses there’s plenty of space to dry it here. No, no, I reckon I’ll go round the houses, see what I can pick up.’
    As soon as Eliza had gone Peggy slung the baby in her shawl and went down to the other end of the rows where Jim Hawthorne had a nanny goat. It was tethered along the track and she’d seen it often – why hadn’t she thought of it before?
    ‘You just caught me, missus,’ Jim said. He was loading a handcart with his furniture, his young sons strugglingto help. His wife sat at the door, looking bewildered, her baby in her arms. Poor Bessie Hawthorne had been a bit strange since the disaster when all of her five brothers had been killed.
    ‘Where are we going, Jim?’ she kept repeating, and when he patiently told her, ‘but why, Jim?’
    Peggy’s heart dropped to her scuffed black boots. ‘I was hoping for goat’s milk for the bairn,’ she said. ‘But if you’re going—’
    ‘I tell you what missus,’ said Jim. ‘You can have the old nanny goat. I doubt she’ll have another kid and I can’t trek her halfway across the county. She’s nearly past it, man.’
    ‘I can’t pay for her,’ said Peggy. ‘I’m sorry, lad.’
    ‘No, you tak’ her, it’s all right. At least I have the family left to me. You need the milk any road. I’m off over to the east of the county, and like I said, old Nannie wouldn’t stand the journey. You’ll soon get the hang of milking her. Howay now, I’ll show you.’ He took a pan from a box on the handcart and strolled over to the goat, Peggy following him with Merry.
    ‘See now, she’s as gentle as a baby hersel’. Just grab her dugs firmly and squeeze gently like this, you’ll manage.’
    Peggy laid the baby down on the grass and did as she was told. It took a few tries but in the end she had a satisfying half-full pan of warm, frothy milk. At the sametime she had milk spattered all over her blouse and down her skirt but that was matterless, clothes would wash.
    ‘I’ll fetch her along to your end for you,’ said Jim. ‘I can spare a few minutes.’
    ‘Eeh, thanks, Jim, I’ll never forget you,’ said Peggy.
    ‘Getaway, it was nowt,’ he declared and strode off with a wave of the hand.
    Peggy looked about her. Already half the folk had gone, she thought sadly. Whoever would have thought it – a few short weeks ago? She went in and changed the baby’s nappy and laid her in the drawer. The milk she took through to the pantry at the back of the house where it was cool. Outside she could hear the goat bleating so she went out and drew water in a bucket from the pump standing on the end of the rows. The agent had had the pump put in when the union had petitioned for one. After all it was a wet pit and the water, after percolating through the rocky ground, was pure and sweet as spring water.
    Outside it was very quiet. A few more families had moved off and some of the windows already looked dark and desolate without their dolly-dyed net curtains, the doorsteps not yellow-stoned for more than a week.
    ‘I doubt I’ll be on me own,’ she said softly to herself. But where could she go? She put the bucket of water down where Nannie could reach it and watched as the animal drank. It was no good thinking like that, shethought. Any road, she wasn’t