1
Things have moved along some smoother
Since a week ago to-night,
Seems my blood turned all to p'ison--
Me and Johnson had a fight.
Caught him twice up there to Nancy's;
Told him plain to stay away;
But he didn't seem to notice
Anything I had to say.
Caught him settin' there and talkin'
'Bout the things that he had done--
Durndest liar on the prairie--
Laughing like he thought 'twas fun,
Settin' there beside o' Nancy--
Settin' down is all he does,
Good for nothin', bug-eyed, loafin',
Wrinkled, yaller, meddlin' cuss!
2
I just let him keep on settin'
All the whole long evenin' through;
When he started off I follered,
Told him what I meant to do.
"Why," says he, "now, don't git foolish;
I ain't skeered o' your light breeze;
I'll go thar and set by Nancy,
Spite o' you, when I blame please."
Well, I don't just clear remember
All the doin's that took place,
But you'll know the story better
If you'll look at Johnson's face.
As we rode we clinched and wrestled,
Then we tumbled to the ground,
Tore the bunch grass up, and cactus,
For a hundred yards around.
3
Got him down, and in the scrimmage
Felt my lasso on the ground,
Tied his legs and bent him over,
Bound him like he's sittin' down;
Hustled quick to mount my pony,
Threw the loose end round the horn,
Thought I'd learn that Mr. Johnson
He'd missed out in bein' born.
Then I dragged him on the prairie,
Through a Turk's Head cactus bed,
Prickly pears and shoestring bushes,--
'Twasn't decent what he said.
He's so dev'lish fond of settin',
Thought I'd fix his settin' end
So's he'd be more kinder careful
Settin' by that girl again.
[Illustration: "Then I dragged him on the prairie
Through a Turk's Head cactus bed."]