"'Madam,' says the boarder, very respectful, to Mrs. Jackson,
'where do you live? Can't I take you home?' 'No, sir,' says she,
'at least not now. If you have a carriage, you may come for me
after a while. I am waiting for the Bank of the United States to
open, an' until which time I must support myself on the light
fantastic toe,' an' then she tuk up her skirts, an' begun to dance
ag'in. But she didn't make mor'n two skips before I rushed in, an'
takin' her by the arm hauled her out o' the ring. An' then up
comes the big man with his face as red as fire. 'Look' here!' says
he to her, as if he was ready to eat her up. 'Did you draw every
cent of that money?' 'Not yet, not yet,' says she. 'You did, you
purse-proud cantalope,' says he. 'You know very well you did, an'
now I'd like to know where my ox-money is to come from.' But Jone
an' me didn't intend to wait for no sich talk as this, an' he tuk
the man by the arm, and I tuk the old woman, an' we jus' walked 'em
off. The boarder he told the loafers to get out an' go home, an'
none of 'em follered us, for they know'd if they did he'd a batted
'em over the head. But he comes up alongside o' me, as I was a'
walkin' behind with Mrs. Jackson, an' says he: 'How d'ye do,
Pomona?' I must say I felt as if I could slip in between two
flagstones, but as I couldn't get away, I said I was pretty well.
'I heared you was on your bridal trip,' says he ag'in; 'is this
it?' It was jus' like him to know that, an' as there was no help
for it, I said it was.
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