The Grass Widder is marrid without enny husband. She keeps house
at a hotel, and kalls the servants bi familiar names. She sez that
her husband is a kurnel in the armee. Her thesis is unkongenial
tempraments, she kan repeat Don Juan, and hides Boccassio's tales under
her pillow. If she wud ride out she orders a coach, and a gentleman; if
she is ritch, she is arrogant, if she is poor, she is brasen. She kalls
virtue prudery, and sez she wouldn't swop chastity with Dianner. If her
kurnel is fortunate enuff tew git shot in battle, yu ma meet her and
hiz Lutenant at Nuport nex summer, marrid--for the season.
The Star Spangled Widder iz yung, ornamental, and--a fule. She marrid
her husband bekauze hiz name waz Alphonzo, and she mourns for him in
at least 50 feet ov krape. Her fingers are as jewelled as the hilt ov
a Spanish dagger. She was eddikated at a fust klass seminare, with a 9
months' vakashun in it evry year, and talks awl the languages, excep
english, bravely. She gases on you from beneath her limber eyelashes,
as pensiv as a wel fed kitten. Yu ma think she wants tew marry, but she
thinks she onla wants a friend. If she shud snare some old feller, with
a full puss, she wil make him a good toddy stik for his beverage. She
has more chastity than sens, and more vartue than affeckshun.
Upon refleckshun i am disposed tew sa that there iz no condishun that
a woman iz kalled upon tew fill so delikate, and so diffikult, as the
widder; a condishun in which the lovlaness ov their naturs kan be made
tew challenge our respek and admirashun, az alzo, a condishun in which
their frailties may exsite our abhorrense, and their weakness, our
disguss--Amen!
XLIX.
THINGS THAT I DON'T HANKER AFTER TO SEE.
A man out at the elbows, and his wife out tew a woman's rites
convenshun.
A yung lady ov more circumference than the diameter ov her father's
real estate.
A boy under 15 with over 15 bad habits.
A long bill at the tailor's, that belongs tew a short Bill at the St.
Nicholas.
A man who haz more hair under his nose than knows under his hair.
A virgin who haz beat 40, afrade ov a rane _bo_.
A pollytision leading in prayer.
A man whoze houze wants painting a different culler from hiz noze.
Charitee that evra boddy knowz ov.
A house so divided agin itself, that it dont kno which wa tew fall.
"Augers that won't bore," unless tha kan hav the privilege ov
splitting.
[Illustration: Josh Billings goes in bathing at Long Branch.--_See page
133._]
L.
ON COURTING.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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