Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-06-21
NOT FOR A WOMAN TO SAY.


You're poorer to-day with your added farms
than when you began. you know.
More than thirty-hve years ago, John, thirty
five years ago.
Toc.:nsr we've scrimped and saved, John, and
together we've plodded and worked,
And none will say I've held you back, or ever
duty shirked;
Tn only q woman, and where I've failed I've
failed as a woman would,
But I've Gone as Well as could, John, I've
done as well as Icould.
I've MIXED the cows and churned the butter,
I've knitted and sewed and spun,
TENDED the house and kept the bees, but never
my work was done.
With a wooden churn and o spinning wheel
I've stood on a puncheon floor
For these thirty five years and more, John,
thirty-fve years and more.
But never sign of a carpet came till wove it,
you know, myself;
Never a spoon but an iron spoon, and never q
dish but deli;
Instead OF a cooking stove, pot and skillet to
bake and brew,
With hook in an open fireplace. John, burnt
almost through and through.
Split-bottom chairs, a table q deal. with never
cover at all;
This was our kitchen in spring, John, summer,
and winter and fall;
We cooked and we washad, and we ate and
H.. slept, and lived in the self-same room,
For little we had and hard We toiled, all for the
sake OF home.
The cabin was tidy for that, John, and I'd never
word Of blame,
Till Sue, and Bob and Tom were born, and
after the baby came,
And then for their sakes and not my own en-
tered my first complaint,
For was never an angel John, and you were
never a saint.
And you said barn was needed more, besides
woman could wait
Though we were rich, yet all we had we had in
our real estate;
Times were hard and money was scarce, and
you owed for the ten-acre lot
But my little debt you forgot, John, my little
debt you forgot.
I own I'm terrible dullard, John, 1 never
could understand
Why some men are always poor with hundreds
of acres OF land.
But I waited and waited and waited till you
should get out of debt
And If I'd have kept my patience John, might
have been waiting yet.
For 1 dressed in my linsey -woolsey then, and
you in your hOme-wrOught jeans,
While my money went for children's clothes
and yours for farm machines,
And after We paid for the place, too with little
to eat and to wear
Twas more than a woman could bear, John,
more than woman could bear.
But bore it as long as could, John, and got,
when the girls were grown,
A couple OF rooms from the lumber after the
barn was done,
Because though the cabin was big for two,
twas little enough for ten,
When baby Sue was o woman grown, and the
boys were almost men.
I'm afraid you're forgetting the children, John.
forgetting the wrong you do,
AS If they stood upon four legs instead Of like
men on two,
With never q penny, but harder worked than
an OK, a horse or mule.
With nine months given to farmers work and
three months given to school.
Money that goes for rod of land is Grudgingly
spent for book.
And the term of school brings with it the regu-
lar winter crOak,
Why children are never content to be as wise
as their fathers were
But we've no learning to spare, John, we've no
learning to spare.
Susan and Robert must use the slate that you
began ciphcring on,
And the other must use it, too John, when
Susan and Robert are done;
It's well enough to be saving. John, but it may
pe penny wise
To tempt the Lord OF the Sabbath with your
little economies.
You love all the children, Of course. John, you
love all the children, OF course.
But your kind of love may some day be little
less thar curse;
Far better to give them in schooling the pay
for the work they've done,
And let them begin as we did thirty-five years
agone.
You were always good in your way, John, good
enough in your way,
But then You were left to yourself you know,
and nobody said you nay;
For / say what you know to be true, John, go
rs you have begun
And the happ.est DAYS OF our lives will be the
ones that are gone.
There's often greater famine, John, than q
famine for lack OF bread,
And for a soul to be hungry, 'twere little worse
10 be dead.
What matters il whittier we CO. John, what
matters II whittier We go,
Just how many acres OF land We had while We
were here below:
there's little we're getting to keep,
And the Bible says what We SOW here tn 4 shall
We also reap
It's popular not on now, John, the preacher
said it, you know.
We shall have all we want above Of the things
we have loved below,
And when 1 have tried to imagine what q
Heaven like that would be,
I've had me place selected. If they have Sc
lected me.
You think you have treated me kindly, John,
and perhaps it may be true,
But I'll not be a farmers wife there il any
thing else will do.
And I've thought Of the farmers there, John,
and some that are not yet dead.
II the Lord could accommodate all of them.
how very much land He had.
And I've wondered il I would get rested. thor
oughly rested again:
For it often seems to me now, John, as II
never have been.
I'm not complaining Of you John, I'm not COM
planning of you,
I'm only telling you some things that you have
tn