Lute Hawkin's Wife

Lute Hawkln's wife's a worker, I'm wlllin' an' free to say, fhere aln't no laziness in her, she's hustllu night an' day, Au', tellln' yer jest the truth ou't, n' giviu Old Nlok his due, Tliere may be thriftier women, but I guess tliey're mighty few. Her house is as clean as whistle", Ihere's nary a sparkor orurab, An'.she'd a been just perfectlou ifonly they'd made her dnmb; But her tongue's got more rough aiges tban a mke-tooth orOBS-out saw, An' she rasps yer all to ttumder whenever she starts her Jaw. We've been there a-vlstin lately, Mary- my wiïe--and me, Stayed there a l'ortnlght, I reckon, au it made us sick tosee The way slie'd lighton Luther for the littlest, trittin' tbings, n' the kinder talk sbe gave bim Is tlie kind that sticks aud stings. An' him.good land! he das n't teil folks hls soui's his owu, An' be answers here awful humble, in the meefeest kind of a tone. I sez tohluVHave some gumptiou," but he ouly sez, "üee whiz! I reckon you never see her when herdander'd reely riz." But say one night- on, lordy 1 I ain't got over it yet- IjUte started away with a pitcher, intendin' to go and git Some eider they had in the cellar, but his foot ketched, unawares, An' away went Lute au' the crock'ry to the foot of the cellar stairs,- Bumpety-crash-telarrup ! wonder he wa'n't killed dead; But bis wife she thought of the pitcher, an' not of the old mau's head. "Did yer break the pitcher, yer loouey?" she hollered to him, jest so, Au' Luther riz up, b'ilin, and he iairly screeched out, "A'o "It ain't hurt nary an atom, it ain't got even a crack, But yon'd ibink of a cent pitcher if I broke my tarnal back; Your blained old Jug is solid, but now I 'IL settle lts nash"- An' he up Withthe thiug-, by ginger, au' busted it all to smash. Well, wa'n'l that woman a picter, lier mouth was as big as a cup, But before she could git it to workin', Lute sings out, Yew het up!" Au' I reckou you won't believe, it but I wish that I might be hung If the rest of that blessed eveniu' she didn't jest hold her tougue.