I never seed it yet, and never heerd tell of one who had
seed it.
"The best member I e'enamost ever seed was John Adams. Well, John
Adams could no more plough a straight furrow in politics than he
could haul the plough himself. He might set out straight at beginnin'
for a little way, but he was sure to get crooked afore he got to the
eend of the ridge--and sometimes he would have two or three crooks in
it. I used to say to him, 'How on airth is it, Mr. Adams'--for he was
no way proud like, though he was president of our great nation, and
it is allowed to be the greatest nation in the world, too; for you
might see him sometimes of an arternoon, a-swimmin' along with the
boys in the Potomac; I do believe that's the way he larned to give
the folks the dodge so spry--well, I used to say to him, 'How on
airth is it, Mr. Adams, you can't make straight work on it?' He was a
grand hand at an excuse, though minister used to say that folks that
were good at an excuse, were seldom good for nothin' else; sometimes
he said the ground was so tarnation stony, it throwed the plough out;
at other times he said the off ox was such an ugly wilful-tempered
critter, there was no doin' nothin' with him; or that there was so
much machinery about the plough, it made it plagy hard to steer; or
maybe it was the fault of them that went afore him, that they laid it
down so bad; unless he was hired for another term of four years, the
work wouldn't look well; and if all them 'ere excuses wouldn't do,
why he would take to scolding the nigger that drove the team, throw
all the blame on him, and order him to have an everlastin' lacin'
with the cowskin.
Pages:
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111