Sez ’e; “smells more ter me like some ol’ buf’-
Lo robe hed ketched afire.” An’ then ’e laffed.
Ef ennybody else but Bill hed poked
Thet kind o’ fun at me, I might o’ got
A leetle riled; but somehow ’r ’nuther ’taint
No use ter let yerself git hot around
Yer neck when Bill throws in his leetle hooks.
Yew hev ter laff in spite o’ ev’ry thing.
An’ so I cooled ri’ down an’ sez reel quiet:
“Ef yew knowed ennything about terbacker,