Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-07-17
ova. The Hill from the Poor House
BY WILL NJ. CARLETON.

BY WILL NJ. CARLETON.
T who was always counted they say
RATHER a bad stick, any way - +,;clxs
S~'tntared all over with lodges ana tIlcks,;;
Ilnnl,n aS the e.worst of the Deacons SIX,
|, the truant saucy and bold, ,..,s cola
The one black sheep IN M lauhei . io'
ssOnce on a time" as the stories say,
Went over the hill on waters oay-
over the hill to the poor house.
Tom could save what twenty could earn ~
Rnt .sgiyin'n was something he never co'o
learn; $3.50, ,,,,al~
Committed a hundred verses a week,
Never forgot and never slipped ;, 10
But Honor thy father ana moIheI' '
s So over the hill to the poor house.
As for Susan, her heart was kind
An good-what there was OF it, NINA
NotIlin' too big, and nOth1n too nice,
Nothin' she wouldn't Sacr1nce
For one she loved-and that ere one ao
Was herself, when all was SAID an done.
AM Charley and Beccy meant Wen, no
Bnt any one could pull 'em about.
An, all our folks ranked well, you see,
save one poor fellow-and that was me,
AM when, one dark and RAINY h iggIlt'
A neighbor's horse went out OF slSnI,
They hitched on me as the guilty chaP
That carried one end of the halter strap.
AM think, myself, that view OF the .case'
Wasn't altogether out o. place
NV mother denied it, as mothers 90,
Bit [ am inclined to believe twas true,
Though for me one thing might pc salu-
That | as well as the horse was leo,
And the worst of whisky spurreu me on,
Or else the deed would never have been
done.
But the keenest grief ever felt
WAS when my mother beside me knelt,
An, cried an prayed, till ! melted down,
As [ wouldn't for half the horses IN Town.
| kissed her fOndly then ana there, ..,
honest
square.
| I served my sentence a bitter pill
some fellows should take who never VIII
An then l decided to go "out Vest
! Concludin' 'twould suit my health the
Where. how prospered 1 never could
| BHt fortune seemed to like me we'll,
| And somehow every YEN STRUCK
| Was always bubblin' over with luck -
| AM better than that,I was steady an. tfue'
| An put nay good resolutions through.
| But wrote to a trusty old ne1ghDor anu
| Yen tell ,en. old fellow, that am dead,
! An died a Christian; Twill please en-
! Than if had lived the same as before"
But when this neighbor wrote to me.
! You mothers in the poor mouse" salu He'
! I had a resurrection StralghtWay,
! An started for her that very day,
/ And when | arrived where was grown,
! / took good care that l shouldn't be
But bought the old cottage through and
/ through,
OF some one Charley had sold it to,
! And held back neither work nor gOlu'
/ To fix it up as it was OF old
/ The same big fire place, wide an high,
/ Flung up Its cinders toward the SKY -
/ The old clock licked on the corner smell
/ I wound il up and set il a-gOin' myself;
/ An il every thing wasn't JUS the same
! Neither nor the money was to blame
Then-over the hill to the poor house
one BLOWN. bIusterin', winters day.
! With Il team and cuttcrI started away
/ NV fiery nagS were black as coal,
/ An they somewhat resemDled the hofse
stole. ,
/ 4 moor old woman was scrubbin' the floor.
/ She rose to her feet in gre Il SURPRISE
/ An looked, quite startled, into my eyes
l saw the whole of her troubles trace
/ In the lines that married her dear ola race
Mother" ! shouted, your sorrows are
You're adopted along your horse-thief
Come over the hill from the poor house"
She didn't faint she lnelt by my side,
/ An thanked the Lord till fairy cfleu.
An maybe our ride wasn't pleasant anu
An maybe she wasn't wrapped up that
An mavbe our cottage want warm and
bright.
/ An maybe it wasn't pleasant sight
To see her a-gettin' the evenings tea,
( An frequently stopping and kissing me,
/ An maybe we didn't live happy for years,
In -pite of my brothers and sisters sneers,
( Who often said. as have heard,
/ That they wouldn't own a prison Dlru.
/ Though they're gettin' over that, l guess,
/ Forali of EN- owe me more or less.)
/ But I've learned one thing an it cheers a
man
| In always dom the best he can
| That whether, en- the big book, blot
/ Gets over fellows name or not,
| Whenever he docs deed that's white
/ It's credited to him fair and right:
An when you hear the great bugle,s notes
/ An the Lord divides his sheep an goats,
/ However they may settle my case,
/ Wherever they NAV fiNmy place,
NV good old christian mother, you'll see,
| viii be sure to stand right up for me,
With-over the hill from the poor house.