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 sed, Sir, that they was sealed!" He spoke in a traggerdy voice.
"Will they probly continner on in that stile to any grate extent, Sir?"
I axed.
"Sir," sed he, turnin as red as a biled beet, "don't you know that the
rules of our Church is that I, the Profit, may hev as meny wives as I
wants?"
"Jes so," I sed. "You are old pie, ain't you?"
"Them as is Sealed to me--that is to say, to be mine when I wants
um--air at present my sperretooul wives," sed Mister Yung.
"Long may thay wave!" sez I, seein I shood git into a scrape ef I didn't
look out.
In a privit conversashun with Brigham I learnt the follerin fax: It
takes him six weeks to kiss his wives. He don't do it only onct a
yere & sez it is wuss nor cleanin house. He don't pretend to know his
children, thare is so many of um, tho they all know him. He sez about
every child he meats call him Par, & he takes it for grantid it is so.
His wives air very expensiv. Thay allers want suthin & ef he don't
buy it for um thay set the house in a uproar. He sez he don't have a
minit's peace. His wives fite amung their selves so much that he has
bilt a fitin room for thare speshul benefit, & when too of 'em get
into a row he has em turnd loose into that place, whare the dispoot is
settled accordin to the rules of the London prize ring. Sum times thay
abooz hisself individooally. Thay hev pulled the most of his hair out
at the roots & he wares meny a horrible scar upon his body, inflicted
with mop-handles, broom-sticks, and sich. Occashunly they git mad &
scald him with bilin hot water. When he got eny waze cranky thay'd shut
him up in a dark closit, previsly whippin him arter the stile of muthers
when thare orfsprings git onruly. Sumptimes when he went in swimmin
thay'd go to the banks of the Lake & steal all his close, thereby
compellin him to sneek home by a sircootius rowt, drest in the
Skanderlus stile of the Greek Slaiv. "I find that the keers of a marrid
life way hevy onto me," sed the Profit, "& sumtimes I wish I'd remaned
singel." I left the Profit and startid for the tavern whare I put up
to. On my way I was overtuk by a lurge krowd of Mormons, which they
surroundid me & statid that they were goin into the Show free.
"Wall," sez I, "ef I find a individooal who is goin round lettin folks
into his show free, I'll let you know."
"We've had a Revelashun biddin us go into A. Wards's Show without payin
nothin!" thay showtid.
"Yes," hollered a lot of femaile Mormonesses, ceasin me by the cote
tales & swingin me round very rapid, "we're all goin in free! So sez
the Revelashun!"
"What's Old Revelashun got to do with my show?" sez I, gittin putty
rily. "Tell Mister Revelashun," sed I, drawin myself up to my full
hite and lookin round upon the ornery krowd with a prowd & defiant mean,
"tell Mister Revelashun to mind his own bizness, subject only to the
Konstitushun of the United States!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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