in my vest pocket and I wiggled my fingers like a man
when he is proud of what he is going to have if he gets it. And I said
to the head clerk in the hardware store, 'Sir, the article I desire to
purchase this evening as one of your high class customers, the article
I desire to have after I buy it for myself, is the article there in
the window, sir, the Spanish Spinnish Splishy guitar.'

"And, mittens, if you are listening, I am taking this Spanish Spinnish
Splishy guitar to go to the home of Susan Slackentwist, the daughter
of the rutabaga king near the Village of Liver-and-Onions, to sing a
serenade song."

The cold wind of the bitter cold weather blew and blew, trying to blow
the guitar out from under the left elbow of Henry Hagglyhoagly. And
the worse the wind blew the tighter he held his elbow holding the
guitar where he wanted it.

He walked on and on with his long legs stepping long steps till at
last he stopped, held his nose in the air, and sniffed.

"Do I sniff something or do I not?" he asked, lifting his wool yarn
mittens to his nose and rubbing his nose till it was warm. Again he
sniffed.

"Ah hah, yeah, yeah, this is the big rutabaga field near the home of
the rutabaga king and the home of his daughter, Susan Slackentwist."

At last he came to the house, stood under the window and slung the
guitar around in front of him to play the music to go with the song.

"And now," he asked his mittens, "shall I take you off or keep you on?
If I take you off the cold wind of the bitter cold weather will freeze
my hands so stiff and bitter cold my fingers will be too stiff to play
the guitar. _I will play with mittens on._"

Which he did. He stood under the window of Susan Slackentwist and
played the guitar with his mittens on, the warm wool yarn mittens he
called his chums. It was the first time any strong young man going to
see his sweetheart ever played the guitar with his mittens on when it
was a bitter night with a cold wind and cold weather.

Susan Slackentwist opened her window and threw him a snow-bird feather
to keep for a keepsake to remember her by. And for years afterward
many a sweetheart in the Rootabaga Country told her lover, "If you
wish to marry me let me hear you under my window on a winter night
playing the guitar with wool yarn mittens on."

And when Henry Hagglyhoagly walked home on his long legs stepping long
steps, he said to his mittens, "This Spanish Spinnish Splishy guitar
made s