The Way It Wuz

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Las' July--an', I persume
  'Bout as hot
  As the ole Gran'-Jury room
  Where they sot!--
  Fight 'twixt Mike an' Dock McGriff--
  'Pears to me jes' like as if
  I'd a dremp' the whole blame thing--
  Allus ha'nts me roun' the gizzard
  When they're nightmares on the wing,
  An' a feller's blood's jes' friz!
  Seed the row from a to izzard--
  'Cause I wuz a-standin' as clost to 'em
  As me an' you is!

  Tell you the way it wuz--
  An' I do n't want to see,
  Like _some_ fellers does,
  When they 're goern to be
  Any kind o' fuss--
  On'y makes a rumpus wuss
  Far to interfere
  When their dander's riz--
  But I wuz a-standin' as clost to 'em
  As me an' you is!

  I wuz kind o' strayin'
  Past the blame saloon--
  Heerd some fiddler playin'
  That "ole hee-cup tune!"
  Sort o' stopped, you know,
  Far a minit er so,
  And wuz jes' about

  Settin' down, when--_Jeemses-whizz!_
  Whole durn winder-sash fell out!
  An' there laid Doc McGriff, and Mike
  A-straddlin' him, all bloody-like,
  An' both a-gittin' down to biz!--
  An' I wuz a-standin' as clost to 'em
  As me an' you is!

  I wuz the on'y man aroun'--
  (Durn old-fogy town!
  'Peared more like, to me,
  _Sund'y_ 'an _Saturd'y!)_
  Dog come 'crost the road
  An' tuck a smell
  An' put right back;
  Mishler driv by 'ith a load
  O' cantalo'pes he couldn't sell--
  Too mad, 'y jack!
  To even ast
  What wuz up, as he went past!
  Weather most outrageous hot!--
  Fairly hear it sizz
  Roun' Dock an' Mike--till Dock he shot,
  An' Mike he slacked that grip o' his
  An' fell, all spraddled out. Dock riz
  'Bout half up, a-spittin' red,
  An' shuck his head--
  An' I wuz a-standin' as clost to 'em
  As me an' you is!

  An' Dock he says,
  A-whisperin'-like,--
  "It hain't no use
  A-tryin'!--Mike
  He's jes' ripped my daylights loose!--
  Git that blame-don fiddler to
  Let up, an' come out here--You
  Got some burryin' to do,--
  Mike makes _one_, an' I expects
  In ten seconds I'll make _two_!"
  And he drapped back, where he riz,
  'Crost Mike's body, black and blue,
  Like a great big letter X!--
  An' I wuz a-standin' as clost to 'em
  As me an' you is!

© James Whitcomb Riley