Year: 1874

No ma'am. I'm NOT better, my cough is so
! bad;
It's wearing me out, though, and that


makes me- glad,
For it's wearisOme living when ones lett
alone,
And heaven, they tell. me, is almost like


home.
Yes, ma'am; I've hushand-he's some
1 hoped he'd come in fore the fire went
out:
But guess he has gone where be's likely
mean at he drinking house over the
way.
He was not so always; hope you won't
Too hard of him, lady. it's only the drink.
Pm sure he's kind hrarted, Tor o, how he
cried
For our poor little baby, that morning it


died.
You see twas took sudden and grew very


bad,
And we had no doctor, my poor little lad!
For his faiher had gone-never meaning


TO stay,
N sure, 10 the drinking mousse over Tue


way.
And when he came home, twas far in the
AndI was so tired, and sick with the


fright
OF staying so long with my baby alone,
And it cutting my heart with its pitiful
He was cross with the drink, poor fellow,


know,
Twas that. not his baby, that bothered


him so,
And be swore at the child, as painting it


lay,
And went back to the drinking house


over the way.
l heard the gate slam, and my heart SEEM


cd to freeze
Like ice in my bosom, and then on my


knees,
By the side OF the cradle, all shivering I


stayed;
l thought of my mother; cried and I


prayed.
Yes. twas easy; it's dying; it just grew


more white,
Andits eyes opened wider to look for the


light,
As his father came IN, twas just before


day
Come in from the drinking house over the


way.
He stood quiet while, didn't quite un-


derstand,
You see, ma'am, till he touched the little


cold hands;
And then came the tears, and he shocked


like leaf,
An said twas the liquor had brought all


the grief.
The neigbors were kind, and the minister


came,
And he talked of seeing my baby again,
And of the bright angels-I wondered If


they
Could see into the drinking house over


the way.
And thought when my baby was put in


the ground,
And the man with the spade was shaping


the mound,
If somebody only would help me to save,
Ny husband who stood by my SIDE at the


grave.
If only it were not so handy, the drink,
The men that make laws, ma am, sure did


not think
Or the hearts that they'd break, of the souls


that they'd slay.
When they licensed the drinking house


over the way.
I've been sick eyer since-I cannot last


long,
Be PHI 'iful, lady, to him, when I'm gone;
He wants to keep right; but you never


would think
How weak a man grows when he's fond


of the drink.
And its tempting him here, and its tempt
ing him there,
Three places I've counted in this very


square,
Where man can get whisky by night


and by day,
Not to reckon the drinking house over the


way.
There's a verse in the Bible the minister
read,
Bear ye one anothers burdens, it said;
That must be the verse that the ladies


have found,
And that's what they're doing in going


around.
The burden is heavy thai ! have to bear.
But it helps me-the singing, and sweet


words of prayer;
Please thank the ladies, and ask them to


pray,
When I'm gone. at the drinking house


over the way.
Yes ma'am. he was sober, at least, mostly,


think,
He often stayed that way to wear off the


drink;
And knew he was sorry for what he had


done,
For he set great store by our first little
And straight did he 20 to the cradle-bed,


where
Our baby lay dead, so pretty and fair,
wonder that l could have wished him to


stay
When there was drinking house over the


way.