And my thoughts was as rebellious as the folks was good and kind
When Brown and Mary married—­Railly must a-been my mind
Was kindo’ out o’ kilter!—­fer I hated Brown, you see,
Worse’n pizen—­and the feller whittled crutches out fer me—­

And done a thousand little ac’s o’ kindness and respect—­
And me a-wishin’ all the time that I could break his neck! 
My relief was like a mourner’s when the funeral is done
When they moved to Illinois in the Fall o’ Forty-one.

Then I went to work in airnest—­I had nothin’ much in view
But to drown’d out rickollections—­and it kep’ me busy, too! 
But I slowly thrived and prospered, tel Mother used to say
She expected yit to see me a wealthy man some day.

Then I’d think how little money was, compared to happiness—­
And who’d be left to use it when I died I couldn’t guess! 
But I’ve still kep’ speculatin’ and a-gainin’ year by year,
Tel I’m pay-in’ half the taxes in the county, mighty near!

Well!—­A year ago er better, a letter comes to hand
Astin’ how I’d like to dicker fer some Illinois land—­
“The feller that had owned it,” it went ahead to state,
“Had jest deceased, insolvent, leavin’ chance to speculate,”—­

And then it closed by sayin’ that I’d “better come and see.”—­
I’d never been West, anyhow—­a most too wild fer me
I’d allus had a notion; but a lawyer here in town
Said I’d find myself mistakened when I come to look around.

So I bids good-bye to Mother, and I jumps aboard the train,
A-thinkin’ what I’d bring her when I come back home again—­
And ef she’d had an idy what the present was to be,
I think it’s more’n likely she’d a-went along with me!

Cars is awful tejus ridin’, fer all they go so fast! 
But finally they called out my stoppin’-place at last;
And that night, at the tavern, I dreamp’ I was a train
O’ cars, and skeered at sompin’, runnin’ down a country lane!

Well, in the mornin’ airly—­after huntin’ up the man—­
The lawyer who was wantin’ to swap the piece o’ land—­
We started fer the country; and I ast the history
Of the farm—­its former owner—­and so-forth, etcetery!

And—­well—­it was inte_rest_in’—­I su-prised him, I suppose,
By the loud and frequent manner in which I blowed my nose!—­
But his su-prise was greater, and it made him wonder more,
When I kissed and hugged the widder when she met us at the door!—­

It was Mary:  They’s a feelin’ a-hidin’ down in here—­ Of course I can’t explain it, ner ever make it clear.—­ It was with us in that meetin’, I don’t want you to fergit!  And it makes me kind o’ nervous when I think about it yit!

I bought that farm, and deeded it, afore I left the town,
With “title clear to mansions in the skies,” to Mary Brown! 
And fu’thermore, I took her and the childern—­fer, you see,
They’d never seed their Grandma—­and I fetched ’em home with me.