“Well, what would he do with it here?” sez I. 91
“Why, do as I do with it; let it grow up and make clear gain on its growth.”
“Oh shaw!” sez I, “he couldn’t have it bellerin’ round amongst the gay and fashionable throng.”
“It wouldn’t beller,” sez he, “if he fed it enough.”
I broke it up after a long talk, for I wouldn’t let him demean himself by askin’ the question and bein’ refused, and then he said he wuz goin’ to ask him if he would take white beans for his pay, or part of it, or mebby, sez he, “he would like to take a few geese.”
“Geese!” sez I, “what would they want with geese squawkin’ round here?”
“Why,” sez he, “you know they would look handsome swimmin’ round in the water in front of the hotel. And he might gin out, if he wuz a mind to, that they wuz a new kind of swans; they do such things at Coney Island.”
Sez I, “Are you a deacon or are you not? Are you a pillow in the meetin’ house or hain’t you a pillow?”
“I didn’t say he had got to do thus and so, I said he might if he wanted to.”
Sez I, “You keep your geese and pray to not be led into temptation.” And then the truth 92 come out, he hated the geese and wanted to git rid of ’em. Men always hate to keep geese, it is one of their ways, though they love soft pillows and cushions as well as wimmen do, or better, it is one of their curious ways to love the effects of geese dearly and hate the cause and demean it.