Little Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor, Volume II — John Shaqi
Little Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor, Volume II
General
Little Masterpieces of American Wit and Humor, Volume II
American wit and humor
Is it ate wid him? Arrah, an' would I be sittin' wid a haythen, and he
a-atin' wid drum-sticks--yes, an' atin' dogs an' cats unknownst to me,
I warrant you, which is the custom of them Chinesers, till the thought
made me that sick I could die. An' didn't the crayture proffer to help
me a wake ago come Toosday, an' me a foldin' down me clane clothes
for the ironin', an' fill his haythen mouth wid wather, an' afore I
could hinder squrrit it through his teeth stret over the best linen
table-cloth and fold it up tight, as innercent now as a baby, the dirty
baste! But the worrest of all was the copyin' he'd be doin', till ye'd
be distracted. It's yerself knows the tinder feet that's on me since
ever I've bin in this country. Well, owin' to that, I fell into the way
o' slippin' me shoes off when I'd be settin' down to pale the praties
or the likes o' that, and, do ye mind, that haythin would do the same
thing after me whiniver the missus set him parin' apples or tomaterses.
The saints in heaven couldn't have made him belave he cud kape the
shoes on him when he'd be payling anything.
Did I lave fur that? Faix an' didn't he get me into trouble wid my
missus, the haythin? You're aware yerself how the boondles comin' from
the grocery often contains more'n'll go into anything dacently. So, for
that matter, I'd now and then take out a sup o' sugar, or flour, or
tay, an' wrap it in paper and put it in me bit of a box tucked under
the ironin' blankit the how it cuddent be bodderin' any one. Well, what
should it be, but this blessed Sathurday morn the missus was a-spakin'
pleasant and respec'ful wid me in me kitchen, when the grocer boy
comes in an' stands fornenst her wid his boondles, an' she motions
like to Fing Wing (which I never would call him by that name nor any
other but just haythin); she motions to him, she does, for to take the
boondles an' empty out the sugar an' what not where they belongs. If
you'll belave me, Ann Ryan, what did that blatherin' Chineser do but
take out a sup o' sugar, an' a handful o' tay, an' a bit o' chaze,
right afore the missus, wrap them into bits o' paper, an' I spacheless
wid shurprise, an' he the next minute up wid the ironin' blankit and
pullin' out me box wid a show o' bein' sly to put them in. Och, the
Lord forgive me, but I clutched it, and the missus sayin', "O Kitty!"
in a way that 'ud curdle your blood. "He's a haythin nager," says I.
"I've found you out," says she. "I'll arrist him," says I. "It's you
ought to be arristed," says she. "You won't," says I. "I will," says
she; and so it went, till she give me such sass as I cuddent take
from no lady, an' I give her warnin' an' left that instant, an' she
a-pointin' to the doore.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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