Argosy (UK), January 1955 — page 103: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

tol TWELVE BELLS ** I weren’t dreaming,’’ said George hoarsely, *‘*they rang in the night, just afore three’’ by MARGARET BONHAM T was one morning in November that George made his find. He was sent to fetch some pig potatoes from a farm in the next village, old Elcombe’s place. ‘The day was sharp and smoky, leaves drifted from the branches; there was a silvery bloom of damp on the thatched roofs. He took the farmer’s open lorry and careered down the lane, whistling, passing his own cottage with a fanfare on the horn. His wife, embowered in frost-bitten dahlias, was hanging out the washing; she waved abstractedly. In Elcombe’s tithe barn the potatoes were already sacked. It was dry and dusty; the medieval rafters, thick with cobwebs, retreated ecclesiastically into the gloom above. George backed the lorry in, and he and one of the men started loading it. Elcombe, a saturnine old man, padded bow-legged round them and counted suspiciously. As George took hold of the last sack but one, against the wall, he stumbled over something metallic. He bent down and picked it up. It was a bell. George was a ringer and an enthusiast, and he recognized it at once, in spite of its condition, as one of a set of hand-bells. It was tongueless, handle-less, and covered with mud and cow- dung, but proclaimed the elegance of its shape even through a quarter-inch of dirt. He let go of the sack’s ear and held the bell in both hands, turning it to the light. Up came Elcombe, padding toadlike to his elbow, to see if anything was being stolen. “It’s a bell,” said George. ‘““So ’tis. I mind the kids used to play with ’em, years back, twas.” “Them? ”’ ‘“‘ Dozen or so, different sizes; I reckon ’twas a set. I reckon they’m mostly lost now.” ‘“‘ 'Two-three in the harness-room, there was,”’ said Elcombe’s man. “I saw ’em a time back.” “You find ’em,” Elcombe said to George, “‘ you can have ’em. comicloooks.com