Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 November 1883 — “Says He” and “Says I.” [ARTICLE]

“Says He” and “Says I.”

We all know people who have the annoying and silly habit *of interspersing their conversation with “says I” and “says he,” which is pronounced “sez I” and “sez ’e,” but generally abbreviated to “si” and “se.” Some people have it so bad that it is annoying to listen to them, for while we are noticing the “si” and “se” we naturally lose the thread of the conversation. It’s enough to aggravate a Sphinx to be compelled to respectfully listen to something like this: “I met Rev. Jones down street Che other day, and he didn’t seem to recognize me, so I went up to him and says to him, sez I, ‘Howdo, Mr. Jones?’ ‘si: sez’e, ‘Mrs. Brown, you’re almost a stranger,’ se. ‘I haven’t seen you at meetin’ lately,’ se, and sez’e ‘I almost ’lowed you was down sick’ se. ‘No,’ sez I, ‘I haint been sick’ si, ‘but I’ve been so pressed with work,’si, ‘that ’gin I get through for the day’ si, ‘it’s most time to go bed,’ si. *Y6s,’ sez’e, T reckon with your large family,’ se, ‘you have e’en a'most as much as you can do,’ se, and sez’e, ‘the Lord is with you, Sister Brown,’ se. ’ — The Hoosier.