Year: 1877

my NoAi. vi, he was awful bad, mother
says, an bet il was him. Then father
ne gode IN 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 cuttcd mother with n
knife, an then the pPeece looked him to
JAN, an mother went To see the man an
cried, an said father didn't mean to do
III, an then the man unlocked the door,
an he coined out an mother fetched
nun nome, an then he cried an said he
wouldn't never do SO no more. But
when he went back to the saloon the had
man gived him more whisky an made
him drunk Jest like tothcr 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 drinl;
whisky all the time. an we got hungry
an cried, an mother took Dickv and
locked Tommy an Hatty an me i'm the
room, an gode TO 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 il was
awful good. An then mother had to
go TO houses and wash lots o. times, an
one time father coined home after the
bad man had givcd him whisky, an we
ruined down stairs an out i'm the street
To hnd mother, but we couldn't, an
Hatty got looeed, an Tommy an me
was lOosed once, but we seed Billy
Hotchkiss, an he looked us home. But
we was afraid to go up stairs for father
might whip us some more, an we set
down on the sidewalk an 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 slecped ON was gone,
an mother cried an said father had
looked il 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 looked
Tommy an me an walked all round 10
hnd her, but we couldn't. An then
mother told the p'lcecemans about il.
an they said they would git her. But
il got dark, an they couldn't find her.
an then mother looked us home, an we
slceped in Missus Hotchkiss's room. an
mother went by herself TO find Hattie.
Mex day the p'leeceman's 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 il was so cold
we cried, an il 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 an 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 ! said 10 neither.
what made her cry, she said Hattie was
goned off an leaved us too, an the kind
lady told us she was up in the sky where
Heaven is, an would never git hungry
or cold any more, an when | said She
would get lOosed some more by herself,
she said God would keep her i'm his
house, COZ he liked little girls, an said
why couldn't ! go there too, an she said
some day if / was good God would take
me up there an give me lots o nice things.
Then the kind lady gived Hattie nice
white dress, an the man fixed her TO
bed in n purity little box, an then they
taxed her away, an we all of US cried.
She don't come back no more TO play
with us, only sometimes when / sleeps.
an she is oh, so purity, an has every
thing nice, an says what nice place
1T is up there, an when ! tries TO 90
with her l wakes up an she's gode
away again"