article terminates as abruptly as did the life of its gentle, kind,
ill-fated author.

E.P.H.]

Ontil quite recent, I've bin a helthy individooal. I'm near 60, and
yit I've got a muskle into my arms which don't make my fists
resemble the tread of a canary bird when they fly out and hit a man.

Only a few weeks ago I was exhibitin in East Skowhegan, in a b'ildin
which had form'ly bin ockepyied by a pugylist--one of them fellers
which hits from the shoulder, and teaches the manly art of self
defens. And he cum and said he was goin in free, in consekence of
previ'sly ockepyin sed b'ildin, with a large yeller dog. I sed, "To
be sure, sir, but not with those yeller dogs." He sed, "Oh, yes."
I sed, "Oh, no." He sed, "Do you want to be ground to powder?" I
sed, "Yes, I do, if there is a powder-grindist handy." When he
struck me a disgustin blow in my left eye, which caused that concern
to at once close for repairs; but he didn't hurt me any more. I
went for him. I went for him energet'cally. His parents live near
by, and I will simply state that 15 minits after I'd gone for him,
his mother, seein the prostrate form of her son approachin the house
on to a shutter carrid by four men, run out doors, keerfully looked
him over, and sed, "My son, you've been foolin round a thrashin
masheen. You went in at the end where they put the grain in, come
out with the straw, and then got up in the thingumajig and let the
hosses tred on you, didn't you, my son?"

You can jedge by this what a disagreeable person I am when I'm
angry.