And I sez, “I hain’t a-goin’ to have that young man foolin’ round my shoulder blades.” Sez I, “It would make me feel queer as a dog to think he wuz a-lookin’ at it through that eyeglass of hisen.” Sez I, “Neuralgy hain’t to be fooled with.”
“I thought you said,” sez he, “it wuzn’t neuralgy; you said it wuz sunthin’ mysteriouser.”
“Wall, so I do say,” sez I; “it is sunthin’ I d’no anything about. It is sore as a bile, and anarky don’t seem to relieve it a mite. If I had some good lobely and catnip,” sez I, “I believe I could make a poultice that would relieve it; but where would I git lobely and catnip here?” sez I.
“Wall,” sez he—willin’ creeter always when I am sick—“Martin and I had made a agreement to ride to Hyde Park this mornin’, and I shouldn’t wonder a mite if I could find some lobely and catnip growin’ there idegenus. I will look for some, anyway.”
“Catnip in Hyde Park!” sez I mournfully; “you might as well look for a angel at a dog fight, or a saloon in Paradise!”
“Wall,” sez he, “if I can’t find any myself, I’ll ask the policeman if he knows of any little corner or shady place where I’d be apt to find a few sprigs for you.” Sez he, “I’d go to Windsor Park for you in a minute if I thought I could git sunthin’ to relieve your pain—I’d go to Langly Marish.” (Marish is marsh writ long.) Josiah thought that he would spell his old marsh in the beaver medder “marish,” for style—Jonesville Marish—but I told him that that wuzn’t goin’ to make him any nearer the royal family, or make him act any more royal. I guess I broke it up.
But to resoom—
Sez I, “It is good of you to think on’t, but I wouldn’t want to tackle Victoria the first thing for catnip. I d’no as she has put up any more herbs than she wants to use herself—her family is big, and she has frequent calls for catnip, anyway.”
Sez he, “I wuzn’t a-layin’ out to tackle Victoria for it. I wuz a-goin’ to hunt round myself for it in the park.”
Sez I, “You’d only tire yourself out for nothin’; you wouldn’t find a sprig. And if you found any, I wouldn’t want you to pick it without Victoria’s consent—it would like as not be some she had saved for the children or grandchildren; no,” sez I, “I will suffer and be calm,” and I sithed.