human
Good morning, Mr. Johnson, he said to the builder, whom he found reading a newspaper in the large hall, and smiling broadly.
gpt
You’ve got all ready for to-night, I see. How many will the place hold?
human
Two hundred and fifty, or thereabouts,
gpt
That’s about the whole able-bodied population of Pudlington, isn’t it?
human
Why no, sir, not with the women folk. They’ve got votes now-a-days, and there be more women voters than men, seemingly. Have ’ee seen the _Echo_, sir?
gpt
Your local rag? Anything in it?
human
A rare bit o’ news that you won’t see every week. Look ’ee here.
gpt
Our worthy mayor was involved in an awkward predicament last night. In pursuance of an appointment with Mr. Wilkins, of the British Motor Garage, he arrived at the workshop between eight and nine o’clock, and was awaiting the proprietor, when he was suddenly seized and thrown down by a young man in the uniform of a second lieutenant, who had come up in company with Mr. Wilkins’s assistant, and, not familiar with the mayor’s lineaments, had mistaken him for a burglar. The police were telephoned for, and Constable Brown, on reaching the scene, found himself in an unenviable position, between cross-charges of burglary and common assault. The tension was relieved by the arrival of Mr. Wilkins, who saw at once that a pardonable mistake had been made by his assistant and the young officer, and by the exercise of his accustomed tact succeeded in bringing both parties to an amicable understanding. We have unfortunately to record that in the regrettable fracas our mayor sustained an ocular abrasion, the consequences of which, while temporarily disfiguring, will, we trust, be otherwise negligible. As a comparative newcomer Mr. Noakes may not be aware that he is in good company. Those familiar with the chronicles of our ancient borough will remember the historic bout between Ted Sloggins and Jemmy Wild, the prizefighter once Mayor of Pudlington, when the latter was knocked out in the tenth round with two broken ribs and a black eye.
human
That’s a nasty one!
gpt
That last bit, sir? True, I feel it so—very nasty indeed. That feller have got his knife into the mayor, in a sly sort of way.
human
Mr. Noakes isn’t very popular, then? The local paper would hardly give a dig at a popular mayor.
gpt
Well, sir, to tell ’ee the truth, there’s two parties, one for and one against. Mr. Noakes is almost a newcomer, and some folks don’t take kindly to his pushing ways. I don’t myself, I own it. He’s near driven me off my head over this meeting, and though I’d do anything in the way of business, I don’t hold with his views. He was one of they ’Stop the War’ kidney, and though goodness knows I’d ’a stopped the war, having a son over in France, I wouldn’t stop it a moment afore we’d done what we set out to do, and thankful I am our lads have done it. That there young officer last night —he smiled—
human
The curtain’s dropped over that, Mr. Johnson, said Eves.
gpt
By the way, you were going to try Mr. Templeton’s new fire extinguisher. Have you rigged up the apparatus?
human
Ay, sure, ’tis all ready. Come up along, and I’ll show ’ee. I’ll try it next week, just afore I plaster the ceiling.