Comic response, in Variety

Usage examples of laff.

Sis and old Si and Shep Hodgden and Gimmy Biddle and Charles Fifield was there and father said this will make jest the horse you want for your store and old Si said she aint biger than a rat and father said i gess she is big enuf to carry out all your lodes unless you put down your price, and then they all laffed at Si, and then Si said she was a puller and father said what do you want Josiar one that you have to push, and then they laffed agen and when father called him Josiar i know Si had better look out for when father calls me Henry i know i am in for a liking.

Harry and i said yes and she said are you going out agen and i said no it is morning now and i am going to bed and she laffed and said good mornin.

So bimeby mother come up and i made beleeve i was asleep and mother set down by the bed and said are you asleep Harry, and i said yes before i thought, and then she sorter laffed and began to talk to me and told me how sory it made her feel to see me so cross and doing bad things and she wanted me to be better and not wurry her for she dident feel very well and gosh before i knew it i was balling rite out.

Beany he said he dident and he saw me with the pepersass bottel in my hand and Mister Hirvey he said now you have got to eat that creemcake or take a good licking and he took his cane, and held Beany by the coller and said 1 and Beany dident eat it, and then he said 2 and Beany dident eat it and then he said 3 and he hit Beany a auful whack over the legs and Beany hollered like time and held on to his legs, and then Mister Hirvey he said 1 again and Beany dident eat it and he said 2 and Beany dident eat it and jest as he said 3 Beany he grabed it and took a bite and tride to swaller it and i thought i shood die to see him, he spit and clawed at his mouth and he howled and jumped up and down and then he ran over to Charles Toles pump and rensed his mouth and drank out of the horse troth and Mister Hirvey and the man like to dide laffing.

Brer Rabbit say dis, Brer Fox en Brer Wolf flung back der heads en laff fit ter kill.

Aunt Sarah laffed and said she gessed she cood tell a few things if she wanted to and father he said he cood two but he gessed he woodent.

Harry you go to bed, so i went up about scart to deth but by and by i crep to the stairs and lissened and he was telling about it to mother and he said if he had sence enuf not to ask me about it he cood had got 15 dolars more out of old Si and he was mad enuf to lick me, and then he began to laff and mother laffed and said it served you jest rite George to try and cheet a old man, and father said Nelly was wirth 50 dolars and the last baril of flour that Si sold him was older then Methooselas gread granfather and he wood have got square with Si if it hadent been for that boy.

Brer Rabbit, kaze Brer Rabbit wuz a mighty man in dem days, en he sorter laff, Brer Mink did, like he know mo' dan he gwine tell.

Well we had lots of fun and bimeby i was poaring out sum powder out of the powder horn and all of a suddin they was a flash of litening and the next i knew i was in bed and father and mother and Cele and Keene and docter Perry and aunt Sarah and aunt Clark and Georgie was in the room, and i said what is the matter and mother began to laff and then to cry and Docter Perry he said you had better take her out and let her lie down, but mother she said she wood be all rite and docter he said you needent wurry Missis Shute, you coodent kill this boy with brik.

Mak trewth an honesty yor guide, Tho' some may laff an rail, Fear net, whativver ills betide, At last yo must prevail.

Charles Talor was down to the house tonite and kept us all laffing to hear him tell stories about father and Gim Melcher.

Annie said we have got some napkins tonite, and Frankie said we have got some little plates to put the butter on, and i saw them first, and Annie said we have got some new goblets two, so there, and Frankie run his tung out at Annie and she made up a face at him, and then father told them to stop and they stoped and mother and aunt Sarah turned red and Mister Robinson he looked auful sollum and Mister Fernald looked funny and then he looked at father an begun to laff and father laffed and then we all laffed as hard as we cood, and Mister Fernald he said, dont mind a bit Missis Shute, i have got children of my own, i like Mister Fernald.

But it is quite a nack for pardners to know jest when to cry, and when to laff.

Si was counting out the money when he said he bet she was a kicker father said she is kind as a kitten and dont bite or kick dont she Harry and i said she cant kick becaus she always holds up one leg in the stall, and old Si said whats that and i told him how she coodent kick becaus she held up one leg, and then Gimmy and Shep and Charlie Fifield and old Mister Page all laffed and hollered and stamped round and slaped their legs and said that is a good one, and old Si stoped counting his money and swore aufully and father looked auful mad for a minit and then he said she is wirth every cent of 50 dolars and asked Si what he wood give and Si said 15 dolars and they talked and talked and after a while he give father 25 dolars.

Ah’ll jes’ bide mah time tell you gits a boy, an’ den Ah’ll laff out loud to hear you holler fer joy.