I never knew the reason why;
Oh! Josiah, it seemed as if I must expire!
(Betsey, as he begins to read, is lost in thought, and does not seem to hear, then springs up.)
Bet. Thomas Jefferson this is cruel. Give it to me; don’t read it, don’t!
Ed. (in low tone) Go on.
Thos. J.
I saw thee coming down the street,
She by your side in bonnet blue,
The stones that grated ’neath thy feet,
Seemed crunching on my vitals too.