The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1892-11-12
THE SOD HOUSE IN HEAVEN.


THE SOD HOUSE IN HEAVEN
Wen. yes, it's sometimes pretty lonesome here
particularly bout this time of year
When harvestin 10 done,
An haydn hez begun,
An early corn is hard'nin' in the ear.
You'd like to hcv me tell you bout my past
An why I'm sick an all alone 1t last!
Why. yes, I'd kind OF like
To tell you bout 1t, Ike,
Since you've been kind enough to stop an asst
It's twenty years since me an Liza came
An settled down here on this timber claim
The land was wild an new,
An neighbors mighty few,
An all around here there was lots o. game
don't believe there ever was king
That felt ez big ez did long the spring.
That this sod house was done.
An Lie he'd begun
To nix II up with things she'd thought 10 bring
o. course we made pretty modest start,
Fer wealth an us was mighty fur apart
But still we didn't mind
Ell we was some behind
The latest styles, fer we was rich at heart
There's alters lots o. work when you begin
To make farm where grass hez alters been.
But everything looked bright
With sort o. rainbow light,
So pulled OF my coat an waded in.
One day chap. that couldn't spell ner add.
Come round to see what sort o. board we had.
We see he'd come to stay,
An wouldn't 90 away,
Fer Liza was his ma an me his dad.
1ucver see 50 pert chap ez him,
An full o. mischief clean up to the brlm;
An alters In fer fun,
Fore he could walk er run;
An so we called him Little Frisky jim
An when his mother made him his first panss
You ort to seen that little Teller prance.
half believed the child
Was really goin' wild
The way he'd run around an Jump an dance
One day the wind got on a sort o. swirl,
An fetched around to us q baby girl.
She had pretty smile
Staid with her all the while:
An SO we called her Little Laughing Pearl
An them two little ones, so pure an bright,
They filled this old sod house plum full o. light
made 'em lots o. toys
An helped en- with their noise,
An used TO like to watch EN- sleep at night
An Liza, every special pleasant day,
Would send EN- out around the place to play.
alters like to see
EN- come TO bother me
An ask me things an git round in the way.
On rainy days when they was KEEP inside,
Fore any other sort o. game was tried,
They'd say: PLEASE, Daddy, please
Git on your hands an knees"
An SO I'd be o boss fer them to ride.
An that's the way things went about Ave year,
We had q little branch o. Heaven here;
1t want no gold paved floor
Nor pearly gate fer door
That made II so; but IT was love and cheer.
j somehow kind o thought 'twould alters be
The same sunshiny place for them an me;
TIL, sudden like one day,
Jim run away to play
Up yonder, jest beyond where we could see
Poor little PEARL she wasn't yit quite four,
An still she grieved fer Jim ez much or more,
Than Liza did. er me;
An it was hard to see
Her lonesome like playin' round the door.
An by an by, one still an starry night,
Her little face seemed more than common
bright;
An ez she quiet lay,
'Oh, Jim,' we heard her say,
An then she went forever from our sight.
An there was Liza now an me, heart-sore,
Jest left again the way we was before
The little ones he'd come
To share our sod house home,
Exceptin' that we loved each other more.
1t seemed to me tibet Liza was my share
Ef part o. them loved he'd to spare;
But jest fer Pearl an Jim
God called her up to him.
An maybe she was needed over there
But after she was gone couldn't see
Ez 1t was much odds how things went with me;
An so, year after year,
I've jest been stayin' here,
Half way betwixt what's been an what's to be
An ever since the first o. this sick spell
I've half been hopin' that I'd not git we'll
don't keer much to stay.
With them all gone away;
The place Is lonesomer than can tell.
Yes, thank you, Ike; b1eve I'd like drink,
amt no worse, jest kind o. weak, think
How bright tits everywhere
What soft, warm. dreamy air:
An great big flow >, red an white an pink.
Jest listen, Ike. hear 'em sing somewhere!
An there's shinin' river over there
An near the glistenin' sands
great big city stands,
A n there's flock OF angels In the air.
Outside the place piece. Wit middlin' nigh,
] see little sod house bout ex high
Ez this, but lots more trim,
There's Liza. Pearl an Jim
A-oecknin' me to come Dear Ike, good-by
Harry z. Mills, In Chicago Advance
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