When Mother Goes Away

When mother goes a-visitin’

     There’s lots uv things to do;

An’ for a week or so ahead

     She’s in a reg’lar stew.

She says she’s got to clean the house,

     An’ labors night an’ day

At cleanin’, scrubbin’, pickin’ up

     Afore she goes away.

She goes up in the garret first

     An’ keeps a workin’ down,

An’ cleans down to the cellar shelves,

     An’ does the thing up brown.

Poor pa he don’t know what to do,

     Jes’ worries night an’ day;

Ma says he ain’t no good to help

     Afore she goes away.

We live a week on “picked up” meals,

     “Hard pickin’, too,” says pa;

An’ then he trembles at the look

     Uv scorn he gits frum ma.

Pa drives her to the railroad train,

     A feelin’ fur frum gay;

An’ by an’ by the train comes in

     An’ ma she goes away.

An’ then we find our troubles just

     Begin that very day;

An’ things ma baked to last a month

     Like bubbles fade away.

An’ then we live frum hand to mouth,

     An’ pine, an’ all grow thin;

An’ we are tickled mos’ to death

     When ma comes home again.

April 27, 1902