(_By "Hansom Jack."_)
No. VIII.--MORE HARMONY--BUSTER'S LATEST--"HI! FOUR-WHEELER!"--A
CAB'S A CAB FOR ALL THAT.
"Harmony Hall," or the "Hullaboo Brothers," as chippers will call us
when chaffy or teasy,
Was O. K. last night. Missis CHUFFING 'ad given a tittivate-up to our
own Free-and-Easy.
CHUFFING'S the Bung, and 'is wife is a wonder; a sort of a woman as
straight as they make 'em,
Yet jolly as June. _They_'re the helpmeets for men; and my tip is
whenever you find 'em _you take 'em!_
Bless 'er blue ribbings! She beams like a sunflower in a back yard to
a chap lyin' seedy,
Women like 'er _is_ the sunshine of life, and make up for the swarms
as are grubby and greedy.
Touched up our room for Benevolence Night till the sandy-floored back
parlour warmed our old noses.
Wonderful wot female fingers can do with a green branch or two and a
few paper roses.
"BARNEY THE BARD" 'ad been "Wooing the Mooses" agen--so 'e put it--and
faked up some patter
For our "Extry-Speshul," and, set to a tune free and fetchin', it went
with a good clitter-clatter.
_I_'ad to pipe it this time, and I tell you I'd stood lots o' chipping
from chums, and lost fares, too,
Whilst mugging the words on my box at odd moments, to be
"letter-puffeck" as all our chaps cares to.
"You _do_ break down," says B. B., "and I'll bash you!" The smart
"little mush," five foot nix in 'is 'igh-lows,
Emagines 'isself quite a small pocket-Samson, and swears 'e 'as got
knotty muscles, "like MILO'S."
"MILO?" sez I; "no, nor yet a arf-MILO!" "Oh, cheese it," sez BUSTER.
"Don't show you've _no_ knowledge."
BUSTER'S a bit of a scholard, no doubt, and 'e swears--when well
on--that 'e once went to College.
Anyhow, _'e_'s a good sort, and _can_ patter. 'E gave the poor Growler
a look-in this journey,
Seein' as how our whip-round was for one, and B. B. is as wide-oh as
WICKS, our attorney.
Old BUNGO, our chairman, called on me. I rose, and got such a
reception, a regular squealer.
And soon as the loud sisserary was over, I tipped 'em, _kon bryo_, the
BUSTER'S "_Four-wheeler!_"