Little Johnny's Composition about the American O'Possum from 1879
Searching in Papers Past on the National Library site comes up at times with amusing diversions such as this one from the Otago Witness 1 February 1879. The view of a young 'Johnny' about the O'Possum was just too amusing not to post up...
If there is anything names, this animil comes from Ireland, but them thats here calls theirselves jess Possums like they were natif born. Possums has a sharp nose and a long bald heded, wich is always cold, never mind the wether. Its jess like there tales was ded and no money for the funeral performance. The ole she ones has got a tobacco pouch on the outsides of their stomuckses, an wen the little ones is a fraid they smuggles in and don't care a copper wot be comes of their ole mother wich is outside.
When a dog finds a possum and it cant git to a tre it lies down and pretends lik it was ded.
One time there was a dog wich dident kno possums found one lying like ded, and after rolling it over a wile an smellin it, the dog twinkled his ear as much to say: "Mitty good job for you old fellow, that you was ded fore I came along." An then the dog he lay and went a sleep.
Wen the possum see the dog a sleep it stood up on its feet to go a way, but jest then the dog woke up. Sech a friten possum you never see, and such a friten dog you never see too, but the dog most. It got up, the dog did and made for home, yellin like its heart was brok, and fore it got home it changed with scare from a black Nufoundling pup to a ole bull dog, like Gaffer Peterses head!
Little Johnny's Piece about the O'Possum
If there is anything names, this animil comes from Ireland, but them thats here calls theirselves jess Possums like they were natif born. Possums has a sharp nose and a long bald heded, wich is always cold, never mind the wether. Its jess like there tales was ded and no money for the funeral performance. The ole she ones has got a tobacco pouch on the outsides of their stomuckses, an wen the little ones is a fraid they smuggles in and don't care a copper wot be comes of their ole mother wich is outside.
When a dog finds a possum and it cant git to a tre it lies down and pretends lik it was ded.
One time there was a dog wich dident kno possums found one lying like ded, and after rolling it over a wile an smellin it, the dog twinkled his ear as much to say: "Mitty good job for you old fellow, that you was ded fore I came along." An then the dog he lay and went a sleep.
Wen the possum see the dog a sleep it stood up on its feet to go a way, but jest then the dog woke up. Sech a friten possum you never see, and such a friten dog you never see too, but the dog most. It got up, the dog did and made for home, yellin like its heart was brok, and fore it got home it changed with scare from a black Nufoundling pup to a ole bull dog, like Gaffer Peterses head!
Comments