High Life in New York: A series of letters to Mr. Zephariah Slick, Justice of the Peace, and Deacon of the church over to Weathersfield in the state of ConnecticutStephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
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High Life in New York: A series of letters to Mr. Zephariah Slick, Justice of the Peace, and Deacon of the church over to Weathersfield in the state of Connecticut
Stephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
New York (N.Y.) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Miss Slick she spread herself out on the settee agin beside Lord
Morpeth, and give him another dose of soft sodder, till I raly felt
sorry for the poor critter. She held up her two chunked hands, and
rolled up her eyes like all natur, when he told her which side of
Broadway he come up; but Lord Morpeth said the west side was the most
crowded, and so he took t'other.
"On'y jest to think, Jemima," sez Miss Slick, "Lord Morpeth come up on
the east side of Broadway, dear me!"
Jemima she lifted up her head, and looked a whole biling of lasses candy
at Lord Morpeth, and said she shouldn't wonder if it would be all the
fashion to walk that side after that.
Lord Morpeth bowed agin, and looked as meek as new milk, and kinder
acted as if he'd jest as lives talk about something else, but my pussy
cousin stuck to him like a dog to a briar.
"Now my Lord," sez she, a laying her hand on to his'n, rings and all,
"now, arter reading my darter's poetry, jest give me your opinion; we
shouldn't think of ever letting her print anything, on'y we've heard
that it's getting to be the fashion for English Lords and ladies to be
sort of literary, and Jemima is so full of poetry and writes so sweet
and soft--don't you think so, my Lord?"
"Very soft," says Lord Morpeth, as sober as a deacon, but yet giving a
sort of a sly squint at Jemima, where she sot a puckering up her mouth
and half shutting her eyes, and a shaking for'ard her yaller curls, till
they eenamost touched her lap, and a trying to look like a love-sick
robin on an apple-tree limb.
"Oh, you can't form no idee, you can't, indeed," sez Miss Slick,
"without you hear Jemima read them herself, but she's so modest, so
sensitive--but mebby she'll be persuaded by your lordship."
Lord Morpeth give another squint at the stuck up little varmint, and
sed, "he was afeared to urge the young lady agin her feelings."
"Oh, but she'll do it to oblige you, I'm sartin she will," sez Miss
Slick agin; "and here's our literary cousin, he will persuade her, I am
sure;" and with that she cum across the room and put her hand on my coat
sleeve, and sez she, "Now do, cousin."
"Oh, you go to grass," sez I; "If Jemima there is a mind to make a coot
of herself, she can do it without my boosting her along." Lord Morpeth
kinder give a start, and looked at me like all natur, but yet he didn't
look mad.
"Why, Cousin Slick!" sez my pussey she cousin, a dropping her hand as if
it had gripped a hot potatoe.
"Oh dear!" sez Jemima.
Jase he let his watch-key drop, and turned as red as a tomato. "What on
arth do you mean by that, Mr. Jonathan Slick?" sez he.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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