The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-01-18
ST. PETER AT THE GATE.
Especially dedicated to hen-pecked hus-
bands.)

Especially dedicated to hen-pecked hus.
bands
St. Peter stood at the golden gate
With a solemn mlen and an air sedate
When up to the top of the golden stair
A man and woman ascended there:
Applied for admission. They came and
stood
Before St. Peter, so great and good,
In hopes the City of Peace to win
And asked ST. Peter to let them in.
The woman was tall and lank and thin,
With shaggy beardlet on her chin
The man was thick and short and stout
His stomach was built so it rounded out.
His face was pleasant and ali the while
He wore kindly and genial smile
The choirs in the distance the echoes
woke,
And the man kept still while the wom-
an spoke:
% thou who guardest the gate" said
she. -.L
We two come hither beseeching thee
To let lis enter the heavenly land,
Aird play cur harps with the angel band.
OF .rc. ST. Peter, there is no doubt.
There is nothing in heaven to bar me
out
I've been to the meetings three times a
Y eek. III .s
f>nd almost always Id rise and speak.
i've told the sinners about the dav
When they'll repent of their evil way
I've told my neighbors-told them all
Bout Adam and Eve and the primal
fall;
I've showed them what they'd have to
do
If they'd pass in with the chosen few,
I've marked their path Of duty clear
Laid ont the plan of their whole career.
I've talked and talked to EN- loud and
long.
For my lungs are good and my voice is
strong;
So. good ST. Peter. you'll clearly see
I he gate of heaven is open to me,
But my old man, regret to say,
Hasn't walked in exactly the narrow
way;
lie smokes and he swears. and crave
faults he's got,
Ard / don't know whether he'll pass
or not
He never would pray with an earnest
vim,
Or go to revival or join in a hymn,
So had to leave him in sorrow there,
While with the chosen united in
prayer;
He ate what the pantry Glanced to af5
ford,
While | III nv purity sang to the Lord :.
And if cteuInbers were all he got
It's a chance if he 1nerited them OF not.
But oh, ST. Peter, | love him sol
TO the pleasure of heaven please let
him go.
We done er1ough-a saint I've been
Won't that atone:2 Can't you let him in
BY my grim gospel, | know It's so
That the unrepentent must fry below.
But isn't there some way you can see
That he may enter who's dear to me-
1t a narrow gospel by which ! pray.
But the chosen expect to find some Way
OF eoasing. or fooling or bribing you.
So that their relations can arr1b1e
through.
And say. St. Peter, it seems to me
This gate isn't kept as it ought to be.
Yo11 ought TO stand bv the opening there
And not sit down in the easy chair.
And say st. Peter, my eyes are dimrned
But / don't like the way your Whiskers
are trimmed
They re cut too wide and outward toss !.
They'd look better narrow cut straight
across.
Well. We must be going. our crowns TO
So open. St. Peter. and well pass IN.
St. Peter sat and stroked his staff.
But in spite of his office he had to lauoh
Then said. with fiery gleam in his eve:
Who's tending the gateway, you or l..
And then he arose, in his stature tail,
And pressed button upon the wall,
And said to the imp who answered the
bell Z:
Escort this lady around to he'll r.
The man stood still as piece of stone
Stood sadly, gloonily there alone
a lifelong. settled idea he had
That his wife was good and he was bad,
He thought if the woman went down
below
That he ould certainly have to GO
That if she went to the region dim
There wasn't a ghost of chance for
him.
Slowly he turned by habit bent,
To follow wherever the woman went
St. Peter, standing on duty there,
Observed that the. top of his head was
bare.
lie called tie gentleman back and said /:
!. Friend, how long have yol1 been wed? z
thirty years with a weary sigh