The Complete Works of Artemus Ward — Part 1: Essays, Sketches, and LettersWard, Artemus
General
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward — Part 1: Essays, Sketches, and Letters
Ward, Artemus
American wit and humor
First akt opens at North Elby, Old Brown's humsted. Thare's a
weddin at the house. Amely, Old Brown's darter, marrys sumbody,
and thay all whirl in the Messy darnce. Then Ossywattermy and his
3 sons leave fur Kansis. Old Mrs. Ossywattermy tells 'em thay air
goin on a long jurny & Blesses 'em to slow fiddlin. Thay go to
Kansis. What upon arth thay go to Kansis fur when thay was so nice
& comfortable down there to North Elby, is more'n I know. The suns
air next seen in Kansis at a tarvern. Mister Blane, a sinister
lookin man with his Belt full of knives & hoss pistils, axes one of
the Browns to take a drink. Brown refuzis, which is the fust
instance on record whar a Brown deklined sich a invite. Mister
Blane, who is a dark bearded feroshus lookin person, then axis him
whether he's fur or fernenst Slavery. Yung Brown sez he's agin it,
whareupon, Mister Blane, who is the most sinisterest lookin man I
ever saw, sez Har, har, har! (that bein his stile of larfin wildly)
& ups and sticks a knife into yung Brown. Anuther Brown rushes up
& sez, "you has killed me Ber-ruther!" Moosic by the Band & Seen
changes. The stuck yung Brown enters supported by his two
brothers. Bimeby he falls down, sez he sees his Mother, & dies.
Moosic by the Band. I lookt but couldn't see any mother. Next Seen
reveels Old Brown's cabin. He's readin a book. He sez freedum must
extend its Area & rubs his hands like he was pleesed abowt it. His
suns come in. One of 'em goes out & cums in ded, havin bin shot
while out by a Border Ruffin. The ded yung Brown sez he sees his
mother and tumbles down. The Border Ruffins then surround the
cabin & set it a fire. The Browns giv theirselves up for gone
coons, when the hired gal diskivers a trap door to the cabin & thay
go down threw it & cum up threw the bulkhed. Their merraklis
'scape reminds me of the 'scape of De Jones, the Coarsehair of the
Gulf--a tail with a yaller kiver, that I onct red. For sixteen
years he was confined in a loathsum dunjin, not tastin food durin
all that time. When a lucky thawt struck him! He opend the winder
and got out. To resoom--Old Brown rushes down to the footlites,
gits down on his nees & swares he'll hav revenge. The battle of
Ossawatermy takes place. Old Brown kills Mister Blane, the
sinister individooal aforesed. Mister Blane makes a able &
elerquent speech, sez he don't see his mother MUCH, and dies like
the son of a gentleman, rapt up in the Star Spangled banner.
Moosic by the Band. Four or five other Border ruffins air killed,
but thay don't say nothin abowt seein their mothers. From Kansis
to Harper's Ferry. Picter of a Arsenal is represented. Sojers cum
& fire at it. Old Brown cums out & permits hisself to be shot. He
is tride by two soops in milingtery close and sentenced to be hung
on the gallus. Tabloo--Old Brown on a platform, pintin upards, the
staige lited up with red fire. Goddis of Liberty also on platform,
pintin upards.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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