Middletown transcript., 1875-03-06
Select poetrp.
BETSEY AND I ARE OUT.

, gOOu anu StOuti
For things at home are cross-ways. and Betsey
and are out.
We who have worked together SO long as man
and wife,
Must pull in single harness the rest Of oul
nat'ral life.
"What is the matter?" say you? swan it's
hard to tell
Most of the years behind us we've passed by
very we'll;
I have no other woman-she has no other
man,
Only we've lived together as long as ever we
can.
So have 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;
We've been gatherin' this for years, little
at a time.
There was stock of temper we both had, for
a start;
Although we ne'er suspected 'twould take us
two apart;
had my varieus failings, bred in the flesh
and bone,
And Betsey, like all good women, had tenn
per of her own.
The first thing remember whereon we disa-
greed,
Was somethin concerning heaven-a 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 remember was when we
| lost a COW;
Shed kicked the bucket. certain, the question
was only-How?
I held my own opinion, and Betssy another
had;
And when we were done talkin', we both of
us was mad.
And the next that remember, it started in
joke;
But for full week it lasted, and neither Of us
spoke.
And the next was when scolded because she
broke bowl;
| And she said | was mean and stingy, and
hadn't 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 a taste of sumthin' thousand
times as hot
And so the thing kept workin', and all the
selfsame way;
Always somethin' to arg'e, and somethin'
sharp to say.
And down on us come the neighbors, couple
dozen strong,
And lent their kindest service for to help the
thing along.
And there has been days together--and many
weary week
We was both of us cross and spunky, and
both too proud to speak.
And have been thinkin' and thinkin, the
whole of the winter and fall,
If can't live kind with woman, why, then
Iwon't at all.
And SO have talked with Betsey, and Betsey
has talked with me;
And we have agreed together that we can't
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
to her to sign.
Write on the paper, lawyer-the very first
paragraph
OF all the farm and livestock, 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 Betsey
has her pay.
Give her the house and homestead a man
can thrive and roam,
But women are skeery critters, unless they
have home.
And have always determined, and never
failed to say,
That Betsey never should want a home, if l
was taken away.
There is little hard money that's drawing
tolerable pay;
A couple Of hundred dollars laid by for
rainy day;
Safe in the hands of good men, and easy to
get at;
Put in another clause, there, and give her
half of that.
Yes, see you smile, sir, at my givin' her SO
much;
Yes, divorce is cheap, sir, but take no stock
in such;
True and fair married her, when she was
blithe and young;
And Betsey was always good to me, except
with her tongue.
Once when was young as you, and not so
SMART perhaps,
For me she mttened a lawyer, and several
other chaps;
And all of 'em was austered, and fairly taken
down.
And for time was counted the luckiest
man in town.
Once, when had fever-I won't forget it
soon
l was hot as basted turkey and crazy as
loom
Never an hour went by me when she was out
of sight:
She nursed me true and tender, and stuck to
me day and night
And if ever house was tidy, and ever q
kitchen clean,
Her house and kitchen was tidy as any ever
seen: