EVEN MEASURE.
"There s the noon-bell. There s Susy! I see her bright eyes,
And her long yellow curls in the sun at the door;
Bless her heart ! if the lassie had been here before I wouldn t have grumbled so. I wasn t wise.
" She loves her poor daddy in spite of his grime, And I ll wash my old face for my little girl s sake. There ! Noon, is it, Susy? The kiss now I ll take :
Daddy waits for a kiss when it comes dinner-time.
" Stranger, this is my gal six years, going seven." The stranger looked up; his eye dimmer grew, And he spoke very softly : "I had a girl too,
But she went to the angels above us in heaven ;
"And if I could buy her sweet company here By a life full of labor and care, as your own, I would work without measure, or murmur, or moan,
For the sake of the blessing I counted so dear."
"Well, stranger, yer pardon. I thought in my soul You never knew trouble, or sorrow, or care, And so I was frettin inside, at yer fare
And my lot. Guess it s square on the whole."
�� �
