I hadn’t more’n got into a nap, when Josiah waked me up groanin’, and says he, “them darned cats are at it agin.”
“Well,” says I coolly, “you needn’t swear so, if they be.” I listened a minute, and says I, “it haint cats.”
Says I, “Josiah Allen, I know better, it haint cats.”
“Wall what is it,” says he “if it haint?”
I sot up in the end of bed, and pushed back my night cap from my left ear and listened, and says I,
“How come a akordeun under our winder?” says he.
Says I, “It is Shakespeare Bobbet seranadin’ Tirzah Ann, and he has got under the wrong winder.”
He leaped out of bed, and started for the door.
Says I, “Josiah Allen come back here this minute,” says I, “do you realize your condition? you haint dressed.”
He siezed his hat from the bureau, and put it on his head, and went on. Says I, “Josiah Allen if you go to the door in that condition, I’ll prosicute you; what do you mean actin’ so to-night?” says I, “you was young once yourself.”
“I wuzzn’t a confounded fool if I was young,” says he.
Says I, “come back to bed Josiah Allen, do you want to get the Bobbets’es and the Dobbs’es mad at you?”
“I should think you would be ashamed Josiah swearin’ and actin’ as you have to-night,” and says I, “you will get your death cold standin’ there without any clothes on, come back to bed this minute Josiah Allen.”
[Illustration: THOMAS J. ADDRESSES THE SERENADER.]
It haint often I set up, but when I do, I will be minded; so finally he took off his hat and come to bed, and there we had to lay and listen. Not one word could Tirzah Ann hear, for her room was clear to the other end of the house, and such a time as I had to keep Josiah in the bed. The first he played was what they call an involuntary, and I confess it did sound like a cat, before they get to spittin’, and tearin’ out fur, you know they will go on kinder meloncholy. He went on in that way for a length of time which I can’t set down with any kind of accuracy, Josiah thinks it was about 2 hours and a half, I myself don’t believe it was more than a quarter of an hour. Finally he broke out singin’ a tune the chorus of which was,
“No danger of our not thinkin’ on you,” says Josiah, “no danger on it.”
It was a long piece and he played and sung it in a slow, and affectin’ manner. He then played and sung the follerin’: