Some bashful hesitation, just like spellin' punctooation--might have worked an aggravation on to Sutter's mournful mind, For the witnesses all vary ez to wot was said and nary a galoot will toot his horn except the way he is inclined. But they all allow that Sutter had begun a kind of mutter, when uprose Mr. Cutter with a sickening kind of ease, And proceeded then to wade in to the subject then prevadin': "Is Profanity degradin'?" in words like unto these: "Onlike the previous speaker, Mr. Sutter of Yreka, he was but a humble seeker--and not like him--a cuss"-- It was here that Mr. Sutter softly reached for Mr. Cutter, when the latter with a stutter said: "ac-customed to discuss." Then Sutter he rose grimly, and sorter smilin' dimly bowed onto the Chairman primly--(just like Cutter ez could be!) Drawled "he guessed he must fall--back--as--Mr. Cutter owned the pack--as--he just had played the--Jack--as--" (here Cutter's gun went crack! as Mr. Sutter gasped and ended) "every man can see!" But William Henry Pryor--just in range of Sutter's fire--here evinced a wild desire to do somebody harm, And in the general scrimmage no one thought if Sutter's "image" was a misplaced punctooation--like the hole in Pryor's arm. For we all waltzed in together, never carin' to ask whether it was Sutter or was Cutter we woz tryin' to abate. But we couldn't help perceivin', when we took to inkstand heavin', that the process was relievin' to the sharpness of debate, So we've come home free and merry from the peaceful cemetery, and I make no commentary on these simple childish games; Things is various and human--and the man ain't born of woman who is free to intermeddle with his pal's intents and aims. THE THOUGHT-READER OF ANGELS REPORTED BY TRUTHFUL JAMES We hev tumbled ez dust Or ez worms of the yearth; Wot we looked for hez bust! We are objects of mirth! They have played us--old Pards of the river!--they hev played us for all we was worth! Was it euchre or draw Cut us off in our bloom? Was it faro, whose law Is uncertain ez doom? Or an innocent "Jack pot" that--opened--was to us ez the jaws of the tomb? It was nary! It kem With some sharps from the States. Ez folks sez, "All things kem To the fellers ez waits;" And we'd waited six months for that suthin'--had me and Bill Nye--in such straits! And it kem. It was small; It was dream-like and weak; It wore store clothes--that's all That we knew, so to speak; But it called itself "Billson, Thought-Reader"--which ain't half a name for its cheek!