When Father Goes To Town

There’s early stirring round the house,

     And ma is on the go,

And all we children dassn’t breathe

     The cat and dog lay low,

And all the animals are scat,

     From “Tom and Jerry” down;

When father fixes up himself

     To drive away to town.

He has a job to find his clothes,

     And says ma must a-wore

‘Em last, and says he’s going to buy

     A dozen outfits more.

He can’t get on his collar; ma

     She has to sit him down

And put it on, or father ne’er

     Would get away to town.

The breakfast’s always late the morn

     That father wants to go;

We cannot eat till he’s away,

     He stirs us all up so.

We heave a sigh when he is gone,

     And settle down to eat;

But ma has lost her appetite

     She feels so awful beat.

The day is long and ma can’t seem

     Somehow to settle down;

There seems to be a vacancy

     When father goes to town.

The chores are done, the supper’s hot,

     And things are tidy quite,

And we all flock around to see

     When pa comes home at night.

Aug. 8, 1904

John Hall and Roxanne Andrews Cone flanking Dorothy Andrew and Irene Cone, 1912