The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-12-19
That Mother Jn-Law.
THE MoURNFvL FATE OF AvGusTr; POODLE.
NY Guy TRANsOM.

NNN- uStuS ioN''N '''~ " =
Light and airy in his manners and was jolly
company;
People came from far to see him, did their trad,
ing with him. when
They could have done much better had they
dealt with other men--
But they seemed to reason! thusly: Here we have
no noise or fuss,
So we'd rather trade with Poodle than some ILL
conditioned 'cuss.'
And thus his business prospered; he grew richer
day by day,
And It was no uncommon thing to hear the
neighbors say
Il wonder why Augustus, who thrlves so well
in life
Don't look among our damscls fair and choose
himself wife,
Now the very thing that Poodle thoaght-hc
told me, with laugh
lie was going down to Grdey's Flats to get
better half
A maiden fair, he long had knowa, was waiting
there for him
II I'd mind the store day or two, he'd 60 and
take her in.
oh, Poodle was a happy man!-to youth and
beauty wed;
Himself SIX foo. strappcr, and his wife thor
Oughbred
I've heard him say hundred times Ny wifc's
perfect GEM
And SO they settled down in life the town all en-
wing them.
was q udlIy NlSilOr uJ FOOuIc peaceful nome,
And then went to foreign parts, and many years
did roam.
Returning from my travels, my first thought was
to see
Ny dearest friend, Augustus, and his happy
family;
! found the house deserted the glass all broken
out.
While crockcry and such like things were scat
tered all about;
Ills COW was standing at the gste--Ncast where
the gate had been--
Her homes all bursting through her hide, most
piteous to be seen;
And Foodle's old Newfoundland dog that once
had been my own,
Was skulkng through the gimson weeds where
Foodlc's flowers had grown
The old Tom cat, dear FOodlc's pride in earlier
happier days,
Was scaldcd smooth and moped about with most
peculiar ways,
8 81 "
left this scene Of wrctchcdness, not knowing
what it meant
Vas Poodle dead, or left the place on other bus
mess bent?
IN rambling through the village streets to find
some one | knew
\ voice, from out Il drinking house, Cried Tran
som, is that you"
Then forth there came Il customer, most secdy
TO behold,
Who staggered out Il step or two and in the gut. |
ter rolled;
Dht eye WIS Duj, MS Utuu WIS DN!u, anu StttN /
was his clothes;
The scar which took his eve away ran halfway
down his nose;
Rhc street boys gathered round the place and
raised the hue-and-Cry-
Here is 60! Lii, hi, old boy"--'i'is Focdlc.--
Oh! my eye.'
Sick with the sight, turncu away and asked
passing man,
Did he know Poodle? Yes, lac did And thus his
story ran: L
You see he was grocer man, and had a thriving
made,
And bought and sold, and sold and bought, and
many dollar made; r
Was married TO the girl lie lOyCd--old Gridlcy's I
daughter Clare =,
Md nc'er were happier couple matched than =
these young people were; ,
And thus their lives slipi smooth along till
Poodle took a within II
That he would have his mother.in law to come
and live with him; {
And then there came change, he said and all
the neishbors knew q
Mhca the old girl was on her car by the way =
The crockery flew;
II was most astounding thing, the way things l
changed about, =
And scarce month had passed away-till Foo C
dies eye was ont IA
And then his hair kept thinning out like leaves n
IN autumn time;
Ills face grew wrinklcd, slow his gat-although -,
in manhood's prime; %
His customers kept dropping off and left him 8
one by one, 5
Because they couldn't stand lie said, that old She
dragons tongue; "
4 few who loved young Poodle we'll still kept on
trading there, =
But had to quit, because you see she got into t.
their hair; :.
One day circus came 10 town and campcd upon II
the green, o
And Foodle's wife went or with t--and hasn't W
since been seen;
Ills mothcr-in-aw then drove him of with n
threats 'ganst life and limb =,
ind moved in on another s0n--thc good Lord )
pity him.
shc told the ncighbors all around what Foodlcs u
fGilingS were
Ike couldn't manage things, She said, and had to n
send for her; Il
He didn't seem to understand the timplcst things d
in life,
And Oft she had TO rake him down for mcddling
Tith his wife; :,
nd cnstoncr, who came to trade she often took II
in hand,
And chose the things they oaght to buy, and all II
their business planned
Bat, spite of all that she could do, Gus managed 81
things SO bad r.
And seemed to he so reckless that he almost
drove her mad; =,
And Oh she said with knitted brows, 4 cheer. u
fully would die b
II could only have whin at Poodle, Other
eycr 4,