Directly thar cum in two young Shakeresses, as putty and slick lookin gals
as I ever met. It is troo they was drest in meal bags like the old one I'd
met previsly, and their shiny, silky har was hid from sight by long white
caps, sich as I spose female Josts wear; but their eyes sparkled like
diminds, their cheeks was like roses, and they was charmin enuff to make a
man throw stuns at his granmother if they axed him to. They comenst
clearin away the dishes, castin shy glances at me all the time. I got
excited. I forgot Betsy Jane in my rapter, and sez I, "my pretty dears,
how air you?"
"We air well," they solumnly sed.
"Whar's the old man?" sed I, in a soft voice.
"Of whom dost thow speak--Brother Uriah?"
"I mean the gay and festiv cuss who calls me a man of sin. Shouldn't
wonder if his name was Uriah."
"He has retired."
"Wall, my pretty dears," sez I, "let's have sum fun. Let's play puss in
the corner. What say?"
"Air you a Shaker, sir?" they axed.
"Wall, my pretty dears, I haven't arrayed my proud form in a long weskit
yit, but if they was all like you perhaps I'd jine 'em. As it is, I'm a
Shaker protemporary."
They was full of fun. I seed that at fust, only they was a leetle skeery.
I tawt 'em Puss in the corner and sich like plase, and we had a nice time,
keepin quiet of course so the old man shouldn't hear. When we broke up,
sez I, "my pretty dears, ear I go you hav no objections, hav you, to a
innersent kiss at partin?"
"Yay," they sed, and I _yay'd_.
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 sed refreshments 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 frends, 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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