The Complete Works of Artemus Ward (HTML edition) — John Shaqi
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward (HTML edition)Ward, Artemus
General
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward (HTML edition)
Ward, Artemus
American wit and humor
I was konsiderbul riled at this. Sez I, "My gentle Sir, Ime a
nonresistanter as a ginral thing, & don't want to git up no rows with
nobuddy, but I kin nevertheles kave in enny man's hed that calls me
a obtoos," with whitch remarks I kommenst fur to pull orf my extry
garmints. "Cum on," sez I--"Time! hear's the Beniki Boy fur ye!" &
I darnced round like a poppit. He riz up in his seet & axed my
pardin--sed it was all a mistake--that I was a good man, etsettery,
& sow 4th, & we fixt it all up pleasant. I must say the man in black
close seamed to be as fine a man as ever lived in the wurld. He sed a
Octoroon was the 8th of a negrow. He likewise statid that the female
he was travlin with was formurly a slave in Mississippy; that she'd
purchist her freedim & now wantid to purchiss the freedim of her poor
old muther, who (the man in black close obsarved) was between 87 years
of age & had to do all the cookin & washin for 25 hired men, whitch it
was rapidly breakin down her konstitushun. He sed he knowed the minit he
gazed onto my klassic & beneverlunt fase that I'd donate librully & axed
me to go over & see her, which I accordingly did. I sot down beside her
and sed, "yure Sarvant, Marm! How do yer git along?"
She bust in 2 teers & sed, "O Sur, I'm so retchid--I'm a poor unfortunit
Octoroon."
"So I larn. Yure rather more Roon than Octo, I take it," sed I, fur I
never seed a puttier gal in the hull endoorin time of my life. She had
on a More Antic Barsk & a Poplin Nubier with Berage trimmins onto it,
while her ise & kurls was enuff to make a man jump into a mill pond
without biddin his relashuns good-by. I pittid the Octoroon from the
inmost recusses of my hart & hawled out 50 dollars kerslap, & told her
to buy her old muther as soon as posserbul. Sez she "kine sir mutch
thanks." She then lade her hed over onto my showlder & sed I was "old
rats." I was astonished to heer this obsarvation, which I knowd was
never used in refined society & I perlitely but emfattercly shovd her
hed away.
Sez I "Marm, I'm trooly sirprized."
Sez she, "git out. Yure the nicist old man Ive seen yit. Give
us anuther 50!" Had a seleck assortment of the most tremenjious
thunderbolts descended down onto me I couldn't hav bin more takin
aback. I jumpt up, but she ceased my coat tales & in a wild voise
cride, "No, Ile never desart you--let us fli together to a furrin
shoor!"
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