Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-03-26
MY PRAYER.

I'M not COck-SparrOW with nest IN
water spout, and my half-dozen young
ones tucked up warm in amongst hay,
and wool, and hair, with new suit o.
clothes growing out o. their skns-best o.
quality, best o. fit, and certain to come
again regularly every year at noting
time. Victuals, too, in plenty waiting to
be fetched from hundreds OF doors in the
shape of crumbs.
No; Pm not cock-sparrow but, 'pon
my word, I've been ready sometimes to
envy the birds hopping about in the gut
tiers when I've been down and stood in
some quiet corner off the noisy street,
listening to their chirping and twittering.
They've seemed so different to me, and to
have such an easy time of it. No rent to
pay; no need to trouble themselves about
anything; only got to take a peck here
and peck there, and then find corner
where the wind don't blow, tuck your
head under your warm wing, and then 60
to sleep.
You see things had gone hard
with me for long time. Some people,
who are given to talking great
deal and thinking very little, say
that a man has only to be industrious
to get on. If ever there was mistake
it's this and for the simple reason that
for every bit of work that wants doing
there are half.a-dozen men waiting to do
it, although it's only enough for one. I'd
tried as hard as any man could try, but it
all seemed thrown away, that trying of
mine, and it used to be quite matter
of course for me to go home and find the
wife looking pale and trying very hard to
make believe that there was nothing the
matter, when all the time there had been
some upset while I'd been away.
Now it was the landlord who had been
TO say that we must turn out. Another
day one of the little ones-Dick that was,
little Curly-haired chap-had run his head
against the saucepan of water his mother
was taking off the fire, and was scalded
horribly. Only week had gone by and
| went home to find lilly down with
measles, and for the next month I'd only
got to go home and find first one and
then another down, till we had regular
sick house and all the time me out on
work.
They say il never rains but it pours,
and so | found it. We'd hardly
got the last one through the sick
ness before poor Polly slipped on the
stairs, fell, and that night l came
home lighthearted and happy, as
hadn't been for months, to find my poor
girl lying down and looking very white
and drawn of face.
Why, Polly I says, "what is it now?"
and | ran to the bedside and got hold of
her hanG as it lay on the Counterpart.
Nothing much, Dick, only / feel q
bit faint, slipped on the stairs-better
sOon'
She said no more, for all her time was
taken up with trying to keep her poor
face from working, and contriving to hide
from me the agony she was in
It did not need that, though, for as
told you | took hold of her hand, when a
horrible sickly sensation came over me
the room swan round, and the great drops
OF perspiration stood on my forehead be
cause of the pain l knew l must be Civ
Inc her, as the arm | lifted came up in q
strange, awkward way, making me in my
horror let it fall directly back on to the
bed.
Poor Polly. and she trying to hide al
her suffering from me- for her arm was
broken
" 1t might have been worse" she said
smiling, after had got doctor to come
and set it, at might have been worse
Dick she said. Suppose it happened
and you without work."
For | had been telling her of my lucl
IN getting taken on a job of road making
but seeing how weak and i'll she was, anC
IN what trouble with pain, hadn't thu
heart TO tell her where.
| was bit out of heart myself abou
where 1t was, and if she had been well
Perhaps-Im not sure-l might hav'
Told her all abont it; but as it was, .
course il would have been like poisonin,
her peace of mind, for my job was on tn
permanent way of one of the Londol
INES, and fully expected that who'll
lot Of my work would be in the tunnel
with the trains roaring by night ant