Johnson's Wonder by Henry Lawson — Read

I'd been right round by overlands to see the world and life, / And on the boat at Plymouth I met Johnson and his wife; / He was a man who knew the world and wore the know-all smile -- / His wife a silly pussy cat -- the soft, obedient style. / His constant source of comfort was his life was all serene, / His ceaseless source of wonder was that "men could be so green".

There were two women of the world whom Johnson knew by sight, / The one as fair as Southern dawn; the other dark as night -- / They played each other off you see, as many sisters do -- / They travelled with their "uncle dear" (their "manager" -- a Jew); / To us the make-up and the game was plainly to be seen, / And Johnson wondered how on earth most men could be so green.