Year: 1877

eu nome money 10 mOtner, an some
times he bringed me an Tommy candy
an oranges, mother said an looked us
lots o times to the park an one time to
the circus. was too little then, an ]
wish 1 could see the circus now, but
they makes little girls pay to go in, an
never don't have any money, an if l
did 1 would give it to mother to buy a
white dress for Dicky. Dicky is cute
an purity, if he had a white dress.
Mother says father didn't drink nasty
whisky then, an he never gifted drunk
an beated us like he used before he
ruined away an leaved us. Mother
says he was good man then an wored
nice clothes, an had white shirts. an
his face wasn't all red. an he took us on
his lap, an sometimes he kissed MS. l
don't see how that could be, but I can't
remember bout when 1 was little.
Mother says one time bad man got
father to write somethin' on a piece of
paper, an then another bad man coined
an made us go way from our purity
house, an didn't let us take our chairs
an beds. 'spect that bad man looked
my doll. Oh, he was awful bad, mother
says, an bet it was him. Then father
he code in a saloon, an another bad
man gived him whisky, an naked him
drunk, an he coined home, an sweared
an throwed things at all of us, an
whipped us, an cutted mother with a
knife, an then the pl'eece looked him to
jail an mother went to see the man an
cried, an said father didn't mean to do
it, and then the man unlocked the door,
an he coined odt an mother fetched
him home, an then he cried an said he
wouldn't never do so no more. But
when he went back to the saloon the bad
man gived him more whisky an made
him drunk Jest like t'other time, an lots
o. times after that, an one day he
stepped ON Dicky when he was crawlin'
an that's what made his foot crooked.
Then the bad man made father drink
whisky all the time, an we got hungry
an cried, an mother took Dicky and
locked Tommy an Hatty an me in the
room, an code to a woman's house an
washed, an while she was gone Tommy
had fit an failed on the corner of the
stove an naked the blood come an
scared us awful bad, for we thought he
was killed, but he gifted well after
awhile. an then mother coined home, an
bringed us some bread, an it was awful
good. And then mother had to go to
houses and wash lots O. times, an one
| time father coined home after the bad
| man had given him whisky, an we
runned down stairs an out in the street
to find mother, but we couldn't, an Hatty
got loosed, an Tommy and me was loosed
once, but we seed Billy Hotchkiss, an
he took us home. But we was afraid to
go up stairs for father might whip us
some more, an we set down on the side
walk and cried till mother coined home,
an then went up stairs to the top O the
house where our home was, an father
wasn't there, an the quilt what we sleep
ed ON was gone, an mother cried an
said father had looked it to give to the
bad man for more whisky, an then she
said, where was Hatty, an said she
was loosed, AN then she cried some more,
an tooked Tommy an me an walked all
round to find her, but we couldn't. An
then mother told the p'leecemans about
it, an they said they would git her. Bat
it got dark, an they couldn't find her,
an then mother looked us home, an we
sleeped in Missus Hotchkiss's room, an
mother went by herself to find Hattie.
Mex day the p'leecemans bringed her
home, an we was awful glad, but she
was hurted on the head, where some bad
boys runned after her, an hitted her
with stone.


"Then we sleeped ON the floor, coz
father looked the quilt, an it was sc
cold we cried, an it naked us all tired,
an gived Hattie such bad cough, an
her cheeks was red, an she said she
was hot when it was oh, awful cold, coz
the coal was all used, an we didn't
have no fire till Tommy am me got the
blocks, an the good man buyed us
some more coal. Then when we coined
home Hattie was cold like ice when
put my hand on her face, an her eyes
was shut like she was code to sleep
an she was white like the snow, an
when l said to mother, what made hel
cry, she said Hattie was goned OFF an
leaved us too, and the kind lady TOLD
us she was up in the sky where
Heaven is, an would never git hungr,
or cold any more, an when I said sh,
would get loosed some more by herself
she said God would keep her in hi
house, coz he liked little girls, an salt


why couldn't 1 go there too, an she saiC