FOOL-YOUNGENS
Reading edition
Me an' Bert an' Minnie-Belle Knows a joke, an' we won't tell! No, we don't—'cause we don't know Why we got to laughin' so; But we got to laughin' so, "We ist kep' a-laughin'. Wind wuz blowin' in the tree— An' wuz only ist us three Playin' there; an' ever' one Ketched each other, like we done, Squintin' up there at the sun Like we wuz a-laughin'. Nothin' funny anyway; But I laughed, an' so did they— An' we all three laughed, an' nen Squint' our eyes an' laugh' again: Ner we didn't ist p'ten'— We wuz shore-'nough laughin'.
"Squint' our eyes an' laugh' again"
"We ist laugh' an' laugh', tel Bert Say he can't quit an' it hurt. Nen I howl, an' Minnie-Belle She tear up the grass a spell An' ist stop her yeers an' yell Like she'd die a-laughin'. Never sich fool-youngens yit! Nothin' funny,—not a bit!— But we laugh' so; tel we whoop' Purt'-nigh like we have the croup— All so hoarse we'd wheeze an' whoop An' ist choke a-laughin'.