The Complete Works of Artemus Ward (HTML edition)Ward, Artemus
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The Complete Works of Artemus Ward (HTML edition)
Ward, Artemus
American wit and humor
I went up stairs to bed. I spose I'd bin snoozin half an hour when
I was woke up by a noise at the door. I sot up in bed, leanin on my
elbers and rubbin my eyes, and I saw the follerin picter: The Elder
stood in the doorway, with a taller candle in his hand. He hadn't no
wearin appeerel on except his night close, which flutterd in the breeze
like a Seseshun flag. He sed, "You're a man of sin!" then groaned and
went away.
I went to sleep agin, and drempt of runnin orf with the pretty little
Shakeresses mounted on my Californy Bar. I thawt the Bar insisted on
steerin strate for my dooryard in Baldinsville and that Betsy Jane cum
out and giv us a warm recepshun with a panfull of Bilin water. I was
woke up arly by the Elder. He said efreshments was reddy for me down
stairs. Then sayin I was a man of sin, he went groanin away.
As I was goin threw the entry to the room where the vittles was, I cum
across the Elder and the old female I'd met the night before, and what
d'ye spose they was up to? Huggin and kissin like young lovers in their
gushingist state. Sez I, "my Shaker friends, I reckon you'd better
suspend the rules and git married."
"You must excoos Brother Uriah," sed the female; "he's subjeck to fits
and hain't got no command over hisself when he's into 'em."
"Sartinly," sez I, "I've bin took that way myself frequent."
"You're a man of sin!" sed the Elder.
Arter breakfust my little Shaker frends cum in agin to clear away the
dishes.
"My pretty dears," sez I, "shall we YAY agin?"
"Nay," they sed, and I NAY'D.
The Shakers axed me to go to their meetin, as they was to hav sarvices
that mornin, so I put on a clean biled rag and went. The meetin house
was as neat as a pin. The floor was white as chalk and smooth as
glass. The Shakers was all on hand, in clean weskits and meal bags,
ranged on the floor like milingtery companies, the mails on one side of
the room and the females on tother. They commenst clappin their hands
and singin and dancin. They danced kinder slow at fust, but as they got
warmed up they shaved it down very brisk, I tell you. Elder Uriah,
in particler, exhiberted a right smart chance of spryness in his legs,
considerin his time of life, and as he cum a dubble shuffle near where
I sot, I rewarded him with a approvin smile and sed: "Hunky boy! Go it,
my gay and festiv cuss!"
"You're a man of sin!" he sed, continnerin his shuffle.
The Sperret, as they called it, then moved a short fat Shaker to say a
few remarks. He sed they was Shakers and all was ekal. They was the
purest and Seleckest peple on the yearth. Other peple was sinful as
they could be, but Shakers was all right. Shakers was all goin kerslap
to the Promist Land, and nobody want goin to stand at the gate to bar
'em out, if they did they'd git run over.
The Shakers then danced and sung agin, and arter they was threw, one of
'em axed me what I thawt of it.
Sez I, "What duz it siggerfy?"
"What?" sez he.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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