"Perhaps not, Maria, but I've got an all-fired good turkey out in the woodshed, just the same."
But I tell you Longears was a terror in his young days. I've seen him bullyrag a poor devil in the box until he caused him to say just what he wanted.
There are some men, however, who are the quintessence of meekness.
I knew one whose gardener used to crib and sell his fruit and vegetables, and had to be dismissed.
For the sake of his wife and family he gave him a letter of recommendation, which ran about like this:
"I hereby certify that Thomas Buck has been my gardener for over two years, and that during that time he got more out of my garden than any other man I ever employed."
I saw two disreputable citizens meet the other day, and judged they had not run across each other for a long spell of Sundays.
"Hullo, Hans, how's the wurrld threatin' ye?" demanded the one who bore the map of Ireland on his face.