A laugh a day keeps the doctor awayCobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury)
General
A laugh a day keeps the doctor away
Cobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury)
American wit and humor; Anecdotes
He emerged from the pier laden with his hatbox, his umbrella, his
make-up tin, his grips—two in number—his steamer rug, his tea caddy,
his overcoat, his framed picture of the Death of Nelson, and other
prized personal belongings, and climbed aboard a car.
Just as he got fairly upon the platform the car started and he fell
through the open door into the aisle, scattering his goods and chattels
in every direction. As he got upon his knees he remarked in a tone of
conviction:
“There now! I knew I shouldn’t like the blarsted country!”
§ 143 Only Three Had Remained
From where he lived high up on a ridge of the mountains along the
boundary between Kentucky and West Virginia, an elderly hillsman came
down to the general store at the cross roads for provender. There he met
a lowland acquaintance who asked him whether there was any news up in
the knobs.
“Well, son,” said the mountaineer, “I don’t know as there’s any
neighborhood gossip stirrin’ without you’d keer to hear about my affair
with them dad-fetched Hensley boys.”
The visitor professed a desire to know the details.
“Well,” said the old gentleman, “off and on, here lately, I’ve been
havin’ a right smart trouble with them Hensleys. The whole passel of ’em
live right up the creek a little piece above my place, and they tuck a
sort of a grudge ag’inst me. Every night when I went out to feed the
stock they’d be hid in the brush-fence at the lower end of my hoss-lot
and they’d shoot at me with them high-powered rifles of their’n. It
pestered me no little!
“Finally I got plum’ outdone over it. Of late years I’ve tried to live
at peace with one and all; but there’s a limit to any man’s patience.
Besides, I’m gittin’ along in years and I can’t see to aim the way I
could oncet, on account of my eyesight; but I jest made up my mind the
other night that I wouldn’t stand it no more.
“So that night when I went out to feed I taken my old gun along with me.
Shore enough, they was ambushed in the same place, and they cut down on
me jest as soon as I came into sight.
“So I up with my gun and I sort of sprayed them bushes with bullets.
That seemed to quiet ’em down, and I went on with my feedin’; but after
I’d got through I felt sort of curious and I walked down to that there
brush fence and taken a look over on the fur side of it. And, son, all
of them Hensleys was gone but three!”
§ 144 She Who Sought for Peace
Young Mrs. Smith was in need of a domestic for general house-work. She
inserted a notice in the local paper. In answer to the advertisement a
rather slatternly-looking colored girl applied for the job.
“Where did you work last?” asked Mrs. Smith.
“I wukked fur de Jones fambly right down de street yere a piece,” said
the candidate.
“Do you mean the Herbert Joneses who live in the white house on the
corner?” inquired Mrs. Smith.
“Yassum, they’s the ones.”
“When did you leave their employment?”
“Las’ Sad’day night.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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