Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-02-09
A WOMANS STORY.

A cradle stood empty, pushed up to the wall,
And somehow that seemed the saddest of all,
In the old rusty stove the fire was dead
There was snow on the floor at the foot OF
the bed.
And there all alone pale woman was lying;
You need not lock twice. to see she was
dying;
Dying of want-of hunger and cold.
Shall tell you her story the story she told?
"No maam, Pm no better, my cough is so
bad; ...
3 It's wearing me out, though, and that makes
me glad,
For it's wearisome living when ene's all
alone,
And heaven, they tell me, is just like home,
eyes, ma'am, Pve husband he's sons.
where about;
hoped he'd come in fore the fire went out;
But guess he's gone where he's likely to
stay,
mean to the drinking house over the way.
at was not always; 1 hope you won't
think
Too bad of him, lady, it's only the drink.
know he's kind-hearted, for oh, how he
cried
For our poor little baby the morning it died.
"You see he took sudden, and grew very
And we had no doctor-my poor little lad !
bad,
For his father had gone, never meaning to
stay, BIZ
am sure, to the drinking house over the
way.
"And when he came back twas far in the
q night.
And was SO tired, and sick with the fright
OF staying so long with my baby alone,
And itcutting my heart with its pitiful
moan.
"He was cross with the drink, poor fellow,
know
II was that, not his baby, that bothered him
so;
But he swOre at the child, as painting it lay.
And went back to the drinking house over
the way.
II heard the gate slam and my heart seemed
to freeze
Like ice in my bosom, and there on my
knees
BY the side of the cradle, all shivering,
stayed;
WANTED my mother, cried and / prayed
"The clock it struck two fore my baby was
still,
And my thoughts they went back to the
home on the hill,
Where my happy girlhood had spent its
short day, --- 49,
Far, far from that drinking house ever the
way.
"COuld't be that girl2 l, the hesrt-broken
wife,
There watching alone, while that dear little
life
Was going so fast, that had to bend low
To hear il he breathed, twas so faint and so
SO low.
Yes, it was easy his dying, he just grew
more white,
And his eyes opened wider to look for the
light.
As his father came in, twas just break Of
day 3l. vs.. .l..ss Isl. sla.. ..-
Came in from the drinking house over the
way.
Eyes ma'am, he was sober, at least mostly,
think,
he often stayed that way to wear off the
drink.
And ! know he was sorry for what he had
done,
For he set great store by our first little son.
"And straight did he come to the cradle. bed
where
Our baby lay dead, so pretty and fair;
wondered that could have wished him
to stay
When there was drinking house over the
way
HE stood quite while, did not understand
You see, maam, till he touched the little
cold hand; ....,..
Oh, then came the tears, and he shook like
leaf,
And said: "Twas the drinking had made al
the grief
The neighbOrs were kind, and the minister
came,
And he talked of my seeing my baby again
And Of the bright sngels-I wondered i
. they
Could zee into that drinking house over tn,
way.
And thought when my baby was put il
the ground,
And the man with the spade was shaping
the mound,
II somebody only would help me to save
My husband, who stood by my side at tn
grave.
"If only it were not so handy, the drink
The men that make laws, maam, surel
didn't think
II. L g Al, II