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18
JOSEPHUS RILEY
But behind him what a yell
Of execration fell
From lips that lent themselves to shapes of great profanitee!
For the people of that town
Were done a lovely brown
By plain Josephus Riley, from the North Countree.
And here's the reason why:
The tea was simply dry!
You might eat it, but to drink it was impossibilitee;
Yet, curious to state,
Men did not appreciate
This hum'rous innovation from the North Countree.
You'll understand, of course,
That wager was a source
Of very little profit to the hapless wageree;
And, dating from that day,
I much regret to say
Men look askance at Riley, from the North Countree.
