Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-06-13
RHYME AND REASON.

No ma'am. I'm NOT better, my cough is so
! bad;
It's wearing me out, though, and that
makes me- glad,
For it's wearisOme living when ones lett
alone,
And heaven, they tell. me, is almost like
home.
Yes, ma'am; I've hushand-he's some
1 hoped he'd come in fore the fire went
out:
But guess he has gone where be's likely
mean at he drinking house over the
way.
He was not so always; hope you won't
Too hard of him, lady. it's only the drink.
Pm sure he's kind hrarted, Tor o, how he
cried
For our poor little baby, that morning it
died.
You see twas took sudden and grew very
bad,
And we had no doctor, my poor little lad!
For his faiher had gone-never meaning
TO stay,
N sure, 10 the drinking mousse over Tue
way.
And when he came home, twas far in the
AndI was so tired, and sick with the
fright
OF staying so long with my baby alone,
And it cutting my heart with its pitiful
He was cross with the drink, poor fellow,
know,
Twas that. not his baby, that bothered
him so,
And be swore at the child, as painting it
lay,
And went back to the drinking house
over the way.
l heard the gate slam, and my heart SEEM
cd to freeze
Like ice in my bosom, and then on my
knees,
By the side OF the cradle, all shivering I
stayed;
l thought of my mother; cried and I
prayed.
Yes. twas easy; it's dying; it just grew
more white,
Andits eyes opened wider to look for the
light,
As his father came IN, twas just before
day
Come in from the drinking house over the
way.
He stood quiet while, didn't quite un-
derstand,
You see, ma'am, till he touched the little
cold hands;
And then came the tears, and he shocked
like leaf,
An said twas the liquor had brought all
the grief.
The neigbors were kind, and the minister
came,
And he talked of seeing my baby again,
And of the bright angels-I wondered If
they
Could see into the drinking house over
the way.
And thought when my baby was put in
the ground,
And the man with the spade was shaping
the mound,
If somebody only would help me to save,
Ny husband who stood by my SIDE at the
grave.
If only it were not so handy, the drink,
The men that make laws, ma am, sure did
not think
Or the hearts that they'd break, of the souls
that they'd slay.
When they licensed the drinking house
over the way.
I've been sick eyer since-I cannot last
long,
Be PHI 'iful, lady, to him, when I'm gone;
He wants to keep right; but you never
would think
How weak a man grows when he's fond
of the drink.
And its tempting him here, and its tempt
ing him there,
Three places I've counted in this very
square,
Where man can get whisky by night
and by day,
Not to reckon the drinking house over the
way.
There's a verse in the Bible the minister
read,
Bear ye one anothers burdens, it said;
That must be the verse that the ladies
have found,
And that's what they're doing in going
around.
The burden is heavy thai ! have to bear.
But it helps me-the singing, and sweet
words of prayer;
Please thank the ladies, and ask them to
pray,
When I'm gone. at the drinking house
over the way.
Yes ma'am. he was sober, at least, mostly,
think,
He often stayed that way to wear off the
drink;
And knew he was sorry for what he had
done,
For he set great store by our first little
And straight did he 20 to the cradle-bed,
where
Our baby lay dead, so pretty and fair,
wonder that l could have wished him to
stay
When there was drinking house over the
way.