Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1871-04-27
sETSEY AND / ARE OF
FARM BALLAD

y
hope to hear of the author again.
BETSEY AND ARE OUT.
| AFaRN BALLAD.
Draw up the papers, lawyer, and make 'em
- good and stout;
For things at home are cross ways. and Betsey
and 1 are out.
We who have worked together so long as man
and wife
Must pull in single harness the rest of our
nat'ral life.
What is the matters', say you. Iwant! it's
| hard to tell;
Most of the years behind US we've passed by
very well;
| have no other woman-she has no other man.
Only we've lived together as long as we ever
So I've talked with Betsey and Betsey has
talked with me;
So we've agreed together that we can't never
agree;
Not that we've catched each other in any ter
| rible crime;
!
| a time.
There was stock of temper We both had, for
start;
Although we ne'er suspected 'twould take us
two apart;
had my various failings bred in the flesh and
| bone,
And Betsey, like all good women, had q tenn
1 of her own.
The first thing that remember whereon we
| disagreed
Was somethin' concerning heavens differ
| ence in our creed.
We arg'ed the thing at breakfast-we arg ed
| the thing at tea
And the more we arg'ed the question, the more
we didn't agree.
And the next that l remember was when we
lost acow;
She had kicked the bucket, certain-the ques-
| tion was only-HOw?
Iheld my own opinion, and Betsey another had;
And when we were done talkin', We both OF
us was mad.
And the next that 1 remember, it started in a
| joke;
But full for a week it lasted, and neither of us
| spoke,
And the next was when 1 scolded because she
broke a bowl,
And she said was mean and stingy, and had
not any soul.
And so that bowl kept pourin' dissensions in
our cup;
And so that blamed cow-critter was always a
comm up;
And so that heaven we arg'ed no nearer to us
got;
But it gave us taste of somethin' thousand
times as hot.
And so the thing kept workin', and all the self
same way:
Always somethin' to arg'e, and somethin'
sharp to say.
And down on us come the peighbors, a couple
dozen strong,
And lent their kindest service for to help the
thing along.
And there has been days together-and many
weary week
too proud to speak.
Ana nave Dteu tiliukin dnu tulukiH tiie
whole of the winter and fall,
If can't live kind with a woman, why, then
won't at all.
And SO have talked with Betsey, and Betsey
has talked with me,
And we have agreed together that we cant
never agree;
And what is hers shall be hers, and what is
mine shall be mine;
And I'll put it in the agreement, and take it tC
her to sign.
Write on the paper, lawyer-the very first par.
y agraph-
OF all the farm and live stock, that she shall
have her half;
For she has helped to earn it, through many
weary day,
And it's nothin' more than justice that Betsel
has her pay.
Give her the house and homestead: man cal
thrive and roam,
But women are skeery critters, unless the!
have home.
And have always determined and never faile,
to say,
I
taken away
. There is a little hard money that's drawin
tol'rable pay;
A couple of hundred dollars laid by for q rain.
day;
Safe in the hands of good men, and easy to &c
Put in another clause there, and give her hal
of that.
Yes, see you smile, sir, at my givin' her 5
much;
f Yes, divorce is cheap, sir, but take no stock il
True and fair l married her, when she wa
blithe and young;
And Betsey was always good to me, excepting
with her tongue.
k Once, when was young as you, and not 5
smart, perhaps.
v For me she mittened a lawyer, and severa
J. other chaps;
;, And all of 'em was fustered and fairly take
e down,
II And for a time was counted the luckiest ma
!. in town.
J. Once when had fever-I won't forget it soor
a was hot as a roasted turkey and crazy as
= loon
e Never an hour went by when she was out {
If sight;
y She nursed me true and tender, and stuck
d me day and night
= !. And if ever house was tidy, and ever kiche
xl clean, ...s tl.-f#.
$, Her house and kitchen was tidy as any ev.
4 seen;
e And don't complain of Betsey or any of h,
acts,
)" Exceptin' when we've quarreled and told eac
other facts.
So draw up the paper, lawyer; and III go hon
tonight,
9 And read the agreement to her and see if it
all right
And then in the mornin' I'll sell to a tradi
man / know
And kiss the child that was left to us, and o.
in the world I'll go.
"a And one thing put in the paper, that first to II
10 didn't occur
| han las tst,a hal hr;,