Laura's Secret (Ch 1)
Laura's
Secret
by Elsie MacMIllan Young
and Humphrey Muller
Chapter One
Laura Jeffrey stood nervously on the platform at Newcastle central
station.
At thirteen she was a pretty girl, slight, dark, energetic, with an oval face and bright, enquiring green eyes -- but she lacked confidence. She was dressed in a cut-down-to-size black wool coat and a black serge skirt with a grey, well-worn blouse.
Her mother had pinned a label on her coat. On it was written her home address and details of where she was going.
She had left her colliery home in Ashington in the county of Northumberland that morning. Her mother and one of her sisters Sarah had brought her to the local station and told her that when she arrived at Newcastle she was to ask where she could find the train to London.
Laura carried a canvas bag and her meagre bits and pieces were not heavy. Her mother had given her some ‘bait’ -- a pit word for sandwiches. She spoke in her Northern tongue: "This will keep yer goin’, lass, until ye get fed the night! Noo -- oor Nancy will not be very friendly with yer, mind. She’s the hoosekeeper in the big hoose -- but she will keep an eye on yer. It's ’cause of hor yer got takin’ on, ya na! An if yer good an’ work hard, yer might get on well and move on up the stairs someday!"
Sarah laughed. "Oh, go on mother, she hasn't even got there yet!"
The train huffed and clanked into the station. Her mother spoke to Fred the station master who left her and went to speak to the guard at the rear of the train.
"I say, Henry, will yer see to the bit lassie when she gets to Newcastle, like? See she gets af?"
"She will hev to get af anyways! It's as far as we gan, ya na!"
"Clever clogs, aren't ye, son?" scowled Fred. "What I was ganin to say was, will yer point her in the right direction for the London train? An help the bit lassie. The poor wee soul’s scairt to death, like."
"Course I will, Fred. I was only hevin yer on, like!" He turned to Laura. "Would yer like ta cum up in the guards van wi’ me, pet?"
Laura nodded shyly. "Yes please."
"Howay then, say ta ta to yer folks! We’ll be away in a minute."
Laura tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she took leave of her mother and sister.
"Noo try and write, oor Laura, and let's na what’s happenin’ t’yer.’ She saw the tears in her daughter’s eyes and tried to conceal the tears that started to her own eyes. ‘Dinna be daft! Ye hev to work sumtime, an this is your time, hinny."
With that she turned and the pair left the station, climbing the incline onto the bridge. They both waved to Laura who looked small and forlorn, an abandoned human package with the label stuck on it. But before long Laura was told to take her seat. The couplings rattled along the length of coaches and the train began to move, slowly, purposefully, gathering speed as it began its journey towards Newcastle.
Never in her life had Laura been to the ‘toon.’ Oh, she had listened to tales and stories of Newcastle that would make a body's hair curl, mostly bad things, but she wasn't prepared for the busy station -- ladies in large hats pulling their offsprings towards the exit; men in work clothes laughing and joking, a man selling papers, a lady selling flowers. There were people in a place eating and drinking, and there were women who had their faces painted. She guessed they were ‘bad’ women -- she had heard her sisters talk about such women -- though she wasn't sure why they were bad.
There were men in uniform pulling bogies back and forward, packed high with leather cases and boxes. One lady, carrying a hat box and handbag, followed her porter and his bogie. Laura was fascinated as she had seen the skin covering the handbag on a crocodile in a book. On the lady’s cases were lables -- S.S.India, Southhampton. Laura was glad it was only a couple of hours to York. She had no idea where Southampton was and didn’t fancy India.
The guard, Henry, told her to go on past the big clock, over the bridge and onto the London platform.
"Bye lass, and good luck t’yer. Yer’ll be fine!"
Laura walked slowly. The big clock said eleven and she knew her train left at midday. So she took her time and soaked up all the sights, all the comings and goings on that wonderful station.
On the platform was a lady with two children. She studied Laura curiously.
"Are you travelling on your own, dear?"
"Yes, Missus."
"How far are you going, then?"
"I am going to York, and I will be met there -- by one of the staff."
"Staff?" The lady gave her a broad smile. "Oh I see! You’re going into service, are you dear?"
"Yes Missus. I'm goin’ to be a kitchen maid in Millfield Hall."
"Well I wish you lots of luck, pet. We’re going as far as York ourselves, so you can join us on the train. Would you like that? What’s your name?"
"Laura Jeffrey." Her cheeks dimpled in a shy smile. "I’d like to sit beside you."
Before long the train, sweating and steaming, ground to a halt next to the platform. It had come all the way from Edinburgh, the lady told her.
Laura was amazed at the amount of people who descended upon the train. She could hear all sorts of accents: even the ‘toon’ folk sounded different to her folk. She recalled her dad’s words from the previous evening that travel was "the best education you can get yourself."
Laura settled into her seat and the carriage was soon filled with her travelling companions, amongst them a Vicar who kept running his finger around the inside of his dog collar and a mother with her son. The mother very nearly broke her neck to read the label on Laura’s coat and eventually abandoned the task.
The train arrived promptly in York. The station was almost as large as the one at Newcastle. She stood on the platform, glued to the spot. ‘I'm not goin’ ta move until somebody comes for me,’ she thought. Her Mother had told her she could wait at the exit for her transport.
Laura was scared to bits. The dialects here were even more confusing.
‘That's some twang they hev doon here,’ she thought.
Back to Laura's Secret details
