Act 1 — SCENE II.
Reading edition
In ’bout uh week I heahd uh nock—’twuz Mars Dick at de do’;
I’d jes’ begun uh leetle bit ter walk ’cross de flo’;
De pussperation baved meh face, an’ I had so leetle bref,
Dat Mars Dick say, “Why, Ben, what’s de matter wid yo’sef?”
I say ter him, “Dat auntydote wuz wus’n dangerous,
De mule he gib uh pow’ful snort, an’ his blow wuz de fus’!
De bone-set’s clustah’d ’roun’ meh bones, de snake-root’s in meh brain,
Meh back is full ub mis’ry, an’ meh haid is full ub pain.”
MORAL.
Young Marster ain’ de kine ub man dat suits de Legislater,
He spressify his condidence too much ter meck uh ’bater;
Dat auntydote dey call it wud nebber tech meh thote
Ef I hadn’ pestered pollyticks an’ sole fuh weeds meh vote.
“SKYLARK.” Mars Matthew wuz ridin’ in de lead on Skylark, an’ his favorite hound, Jerry Myah, wuz tonguein’ ez sweet ez er Melojin, an’ leadin’ de pack.
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