The Meeting at Wendletown.’Twas early in the winter when first the talk beganAbout the rights of women and the cruelty of man,Sech talk was new in Wendeltown, it scared us all to hearHow ignorant we women was about our proper speer;And how we’d toiled and pinched and saved, and nothing better knew,While our husbands did the thinking and held the pursestrings too.Miss Harper come and tell us this—a lecturer—you know.Law me! how beautiful she talked; her words jest seemed to flowAs smooth and easy as the brook—she looked and moved so quiet;But she fairly shook old Wendletown, she raised up sech a riot;And when I heerd her tell about us women’s “wasted years,”Although I’m old and tough, you’d think, I couldn’t keep from tears.Soon all the wives and mothers too, began to see quite plainThat jest to bake and churn and mend was laboring in vain:While Mrs. Cap’n Brown she come and sez, sez she to me,“I’m going to have a high career,” whatever that may be.But Miss Harper hed to leave us, so she advertised one dayThat she’d lecture in the school-house once before she went away.Well, the room was packed that evening and Miss Harper did her best,Her gift of speech was wonderful,—that all the men confessed—She soared, way up into the clouds, and back to earth again,And showed us most convincin’ly the worthlessness of men!Her speech was drawing to a close, and she was jest a saying:“Dear sisters, spurn your tyrant, man, and scorn the part he’s playing;Lethimperform the menial tasks he’s set for you so long,Whileyoustand on the mountain tops, rejoicing free and strong!”Joe Hale was setting close at hand, right in the foremost row,And on his knees his little child, ’bout two year old or so:Joe was a poor, lone widower, his wife was dead and gone,His home was near the school-house, and I ’spose he felt forlorn,So he’d come and brought the baby, though the reason why I knew—His hired girl had slipped away to hear the lecture too.And jest that very minute, when the room was still as death,And you might have heerd a pin drop as Miss Harper stopped for breath,That little toddling thing slid from off her father’s knee,Crept close up to the lecturer’s desk and said: “Does ’ou love me?”Poor Joe jest turned a fiery red, and tried to snatch the child;But Miss Harper she leaned over and looked at him and smiled;Then dropping all her papers, in the twinkling of an eye,She clasped the little one, who gave a wondering, happy cry,And laid her little curly head right down upon her breast,With both arms clinging round her neck, as if she’d found her rest!It’s as fresh now as a picter, though it happened months ago,How she held that little baby girl a whispering soft and low;Her eyes as bright and smiles a-coming and a-going,While all the sound that you could hear was jest the child a-crowing.Up to this time astonishment had kept the folks all still;But some one shouted out—“Three cheers and give ’em with a will!It’s plain enough Miss Harper has foundherproper speer,And man, the tyrant’s conquered! Now boys a rousing cheer!”That meeting broke up in a tumult, but Joe was waiting there;He’s a manly, handsome fellow, and when I saw the pairGo walking off together, I sez, sez I, “It needs no witch to tellWhat’s coming next.” And warn’t I right? Folks laughed and talked a spell,But we all danced at the wedding! Law! how she settled down!There ain’t no better housewife than Mrs. Hale in all this town.
The Meeting at Wendletown.’Twas early in the winter when first the talk beganAbout the rights of women and the cruelty of man,Sech talk was new in Wendeltown, it scared us all to hearHow ignorant we women was about our proper speer;And how we’d toiled and pinched and saved, and nothing better knew,While our husbands did the thinking and held the pursestrings too.Miss Harper come and tell us this—a lecturer—you know.Law me! how beautiful she talked; her words jest seemed to flowAs smooth and easy as the brook—she looked and moved so quiet;But she fairly shook old Wendletown, she raised up sech a riot;And when I heerd her tell about us women’s “wasted years,”Although I’m old and tough, you’d think, I couldn’t keep from tears.Soon all the wives and mothers too, began to see quite plainThat jest to bake and churn and mend was laboring in vain:While Mrs. Cap’n Brown she come and sez, sez she to me,“I’m going to have a high career,” whatever that may be.But Miss Harper hed to leave us, so she advertised one dayThat she’d lecture in the school-house once before she went away.Well, the room was packed that evening and Miss Harper did her best,Her gift of speech was wonderful,—that all the men confessed—She soared, way up into the clouds, and back to earth again,And showed us most convincin’ly the worthlessness of men!Her speech was drawing to a close, and she was jest a saying:“Dear sisters, spurn your tyrant, man, and scorn the part he’s playing;Lethimperform the menial tasks he’s set for you so long,Whileyoustand on the mountain tops, rejoicing free and strong!”Joe Hale was setting close at hand, right in the foremost row,And on his knees his little child, ’bout two year old or so:Joe was a poor, lone widower, his wife was dead and gone,His home was near the school-house, and I ’spose he felt forlorn,So he’d come and brought the baby, though the reason why I knew—His hired girl had slipped away to hear the lecture too.And jest that very minute, when the room was still as death,And you might have heerd a pin drop as Miss Harper stopped for breath,That little toddling thing slid from off her father’s knee,Crept close up to the lecturer’s desk and said: “Does ’ou love me?”Poor Joe jest turned a fiery red, and tried to snatch the child;But Miss Harper she leaned over and looked at him and smiled;Then dropping all her papers, in the twinkling of an eye,She clasped the little one, who gave a wondering, happy cry,And laid her little curly head right down upon her breast,With both arms clinging round her neck, as if she’d found her rest!It’s as fresh now as a picter, though it happened months ago,How she held that little baby girl a whispering soft and low;Her eyes as bright and smiles a-coming and a-going,While all the sound that you could hear was jest the child a-crowing.Up to this time astonishment had kept the folks all still;But some one shouted out—“Three cheers and give ’em with a will!It’s plain enough Miss Harper has foundherproper speer,And man, the tyrant’s conquered! Now boys a rousing cheer!”That meeting broke up in a tumult, but Joe was waiting there;He’s a manly, handsome fellow, and when I saw the pairGo walking off together, I sez, sez I, “It needs no witch to tellWhat’s coming next.” And warn’t I right? Folks laughed and talked a spell,But we all danced at the wedding! Law! how she settled down!There ain’t no better housewife than Mrs. Hale in all this town.
’Twas early in the winter when first the talk beganAbout the rights of women and the cruelty of man,Sech talk was new in Wendeltown, it scared us all to hearHow ignorant we women was about our proper speer;And how we’d toiled and pinched and saved, and nothing better knew,While our husbands did the thinking and held the pursestrings too.Miss Harper come and tell us this—a lecturer—you know.Law me! how beautiful she talked; her words jest seemed to flowAs smooth and easy as the brook—she looked and moved so quiet;But she fairly shook old Wendletown, she raised up sech a riot;And when I heerd her tell about us women’s “wasted years,”Although I’m old and tough, you’d think, I couldn’t keep from tears.Soon all the wives and mothers too, began to see quite plainThat jest to bake and churn and mend was laboring in vain:While Mrs. Cap’n Brown she come and sez, sez she to me,“I’m going to have a high career,” whatever that may be.But Miss Harper hed to leave us, so she advertised one dayThat she’d lecture in the school-house once before she went away.Well, the room was packed that evening and Miss Harper did her best,Her gift of speech was wonderful,—that all the men confessed—She soared, way up into the clouds, and back to earth again,And showed us most convincin’ly the worthlessness of men!Her speech was drawing to a close, and she was jest a saying:“Dear sisters, spurn your tyrant, man, and scorn the part he’s playing;Lethimperform the menial tasks he’s set for you so long,Whileyoustand on the mountain tops, rejoicing free and strong!”Joe Hale was setting close at hand, right in the foremost row,And on his knees his little child, ’bout two year old or so:Joe was a poor, lone widower, his wife was dead and gone,His home was near the school-house, and I ’spose he felt forlorn,So he’d come and brought the baby, though the reason why I knew—His hired girl had slipped away to hear the lecture too.And jest that very minute, when the room was still as death,And you might have heerd a pin drop as Miss Harper stopped for breath,That little toddling thing slid from off her father’s knee,Crept close up to the lecturer’s desk and said: “Does ’ou love me?”Poor Joe jest turned a fiery red, and tried to snatch the child;But Miss Harper she leaned over and looked at him and smiled;Then dropping all her papers, in the twinkling of an eye,She clasped the little one, who gave a wondering, happy cry,And laid her little curly head right down upon her breast,With both arms clinging round her neck, as if she’d found her rest!It’s as fresh now as a picter, though it happened months ago,How she held that little baby girl a whispering soft and low;Her eyes as bright and smiles a-coming and a-going,While all the sound that you could hear was jest the child a-crowing.Up to this time astonishment had kept the folks all still;But some one shouted out—“Three cheers and give ’em with a will!It’s plain enough Miss Harper has foundherproper speer,And man, the tyrant’s conquered! Now boys a rousing cheer!”That meeting broke up in a tumult, but Joe was waiting there;He’s a manly, handsome fellow, and when I saw the pairGo walking off together, I sez, sez I, “It needs no witch to tellWhat’s coming next.” And warn’t I right? Folks laughed and talked a spell,But we all danced at the wedding! Law! how she settled down!There ain’t no better housewife than Mrs. Hale in all this town.
’Twas early in the winter when first the talk beganAbout the rights of women and the cruelty of man,Sech talk was new in Wendeltown, it scared us all to hearHow ignorant we women was about our proper speer;And how we’d toiled and pinched and saved, and nothing better knew,While our husbands did the thinking and held the pursestrings too.Miss Harper come and tell us this—a lecturer—you know.Law me! how beautiful she talked; her words jest seemed to flowAs smooth and easy as the brook—she looked and moved so quiet;But she fairly shook old Wendletown, she raised up sech a riot;And when I heerd her tell about us women’s “wasted years,”Although I’m old and tough, you’d think, I couldn’t keep from tears.Soon all the wives and mothers too, began to see quite plainThat jest to bake and churn and mend was laboring in vain:While Mrs. Cap’n Brown she come and sez, sez she to me,“I’m going to have a high career,” whatever that may be.But Miss Harper hed to leave us, so she advertised one dayThat she’d lecture in the school-house once before she went away.Well, the room was packed that evening and Miss Harper did her best,Her gift of speech was wonderful,—that all the men confessed—She soared, way up into the clouds, and back to earth again,And showed us most convincin’ly the worthlessness of men!Her speech was drawing to a close, and she was jest a saying:“Dear sisters, spurn your tyrant, man, and scorn the part he’s playing;Lethimperform the menial tasks he’s set for you so long,Whileyoustand on the mountain tops, rejoicing free and strong!”Joe Hale was setting close at hand, right in the foremost row,And on his knees his little child, ’bout two year old or so:Joe was a poor, lone widower, his wife was dead and gone,His home was near the school-house, and I ’spose he felt forlorn,So he’d come and brought the baby, though the reason why I knew—His hired girl had slipped away to hear the lecture too.And jest that very minute, when the room was still as death,And you might have heerd a pin drop as Miss Harper stopped for breath,That little toddling thing slid from off her father’s knee,Crept close up to the lecturer’s desk and said: “Does ’ou love me?”Poor Joe jest turned a fiery red, and tried to snatch the child;But Miss Harper she leaned over and looked at him and smiled;Then dropping all her papers, in the twinkling of an eye,She clasped the little one, who gave a wondering, happy cry,And laid her little curly head right down upon her breast,With both arms clinging round her neck, as if she’d found her rest!It’s as fresh now as a picter, though it happened months ago,How she held that little baby girl a whispering soft and low;Her eyes as bright and smiles a-coming and a-going,While all the sound that you could hear was jest the child a-crowing.Up to this time astonishment had kept the folks all still;But some one shouted out—“Three cheers and give ’em with a will!It’s plain enough Miss Harper has foundherproper speer,And man, the tyrant’s conquered! Now boys a rousing cheer!”That meeting broke up in a tumult, but Joe was waiting there;He’s a manly, handsome fellow, and when I saw the pairGo walking off together, I sez, sez I, “It needs no witch to tellWhat’s coming next.” And warn’t I right? Folks laughed and talked a spell,But we all danced at the wedding! Law! how she settled down!There ain’t no better housewife than Mrs. Hale in all this town.
’Twas early in the winter when first the talk began
About the rights of women and the cruelty of man,
Sech talk was new in Wendeltown, it scared us all to hear
How ignorant we women was about our proper speer;
And how we’d toiled and pinched and saved, and nothing better knew,
While our husbands did the thinking and held the pursestrings too.
Miss Harper come and tell us this—a lecturer—you know.Law me! how beautiful she talked; her words jest seemed to flowAs smooth and easy as the brook—she looked and moved so quiet;But she fairly shook old Wendletown, she raised up sech a riot;And when I heerd her tell about us women’s “wasted years,”Although I’m old and tough, you’d think, I couldn’t keep from tears.
Miss Harper come and tell us this—a lecturer—you know.
Law me! how beautiful she talked; her words jest seemed to flow
As smooth and easy as the brook—she looked and moved so quiet;
But she fairly shook old Wendletown, she raised up sech a riot;
And when I heerd her tell about us women’s “wasted years,”
Although I’m old and tough, you’d think, I couldn’t keep from tears.
Soon all the wives and mothers too, began to see quite plainThat jest to bake and churn and mend was laboring in vain:While Mrs. Cap’n Brown she come and sez, sez she to me,“I’m going to have a high career,” whatever that may be.
Soon all the wives and mothers too, began to see quite plain
That jest to bake and churn and mend was laboring in vain:
While Mrs. Cap’n Brown she come and sez, sez she to me,
“I’m going to have a high career,” whatever that may be.
But Miss Harper hed to leave us, so she advertised one dayThat she’d lecture in the school-house once before she went away.Well, the room was packed that evening and Miss Harper did her best,Her gift of speech was wonderful,—that all the men confessed—She soared, way up into the clouds, and back to earth again,And showed us most convincin’ly the worthlessness of men!
But Miss Harper hed to leave us, so she advertised one day
That she’d lecture in the school-house once before she went away.
Well, the room was packed that evening and Miss Harper did her best,
Her gift of speech was wonderful,—that all the men confessed—
She soared, way up into the clouds, and back to earth again,
And showed us most convincin’ly the worthlessness of men!
Her speech was drawing to a close, and she was jest a saying:“Dear sisters, spurn your tyrant, man, and scorn the part he’s playing;Lethimperform the menial tasks he’s set for you so long,Whileyoustand on the mountain tops, rejoicing free and strong!”
Her speech was drawing to a close, and she was jest a saying:
“Dear sisters, spurn your tyrant, man, and scorn the part he’s playing;
Lethimperform the menial tasks he’s set for you so long,
Whileyoustand on the mountain tops, rejoicing free and strong!”
Joe Hale was setting close at hand, right in the foremost row,And on his knees his little child, ’bout two year old or so:Joe was a poor, lone widower, his wife was dead and gone,His home was near the school-house, and I ’spose he felt forlorn,So he’d come and brought the baby, though the reason why I knew—His hired girl had slipped away to hear the lecture too.And jest that very minute, when the room was still as death,And you might have heerd a pin drop as Miss Harper stopped for breath,
Joe Hale was setting close at hand, right in the foremost row,
And on his knees his little child, ’bout two year old or so:
Joe was a poor, lone widower, his wife was dead and gone,
His home was near the school-house, and I ’spose he felt forlorn,
So he’d come and brought the baby, though the reason why I knew—
His hired girl had slipped away to hear the lecture too.
And jest that very minute, when the room was still as death,
And you might have heerd a pin drop as Miss Harper stopped for breath,
That little toddling thing slid from off her father’s knee,Crept close up to the lecturer’s desk and said: “Does ’ou love me?”Poor Joe jest turned a fiery red, and tried to snatch the child;But Miss Harper she leaned over and looked at him and smiled;Then dropping all her papers, in the twinkling of an eye,She clasped the little one, who gave a wondering, happy cry,And laid her little curly head right down upon her breast,With both arms clinging round her neck, as if she’d found her rest!
That little toddling thing slid from off her father’s knee,
Crept close up to the lecturer’s desk and said: “Does ’ou love me?”
Poor Joe jest turned a fiery red, and tried to snatch the child;
But Miss Harper she leaned over and looked at him and smiled;
Then dropping all her papers, in the twinkling of an eye,
She clasped the little one, who gave a wondering, happy cry,
And laid her little curly head right down upon her breast,
With both arms clinging round her neck, as if she’d found her rest!
It’s as fresh now as a picter, though it happened months ago,How she held that little baby girl a whispering soft and low;Her eyes as bright and smiles a-coming and a-going,While all the sound that you could hear was jest the child a-crowing.
It’s as fresh now as a picter, though it happened months ago,
How she held that little baby girl a whispering soft and low;
Her eyes as bright and smiles a-coming and a-going,
While all the sound that you could hear was jest the child a-crowing.
Up to this time astonishment had kept the folks all still;But some one shouted out—“Three cheers and give ’em with a will!It’s plain enough Miss Harper has foundherproper speer,And man, the tyrant’s conquered! Now boys a rousing cheer!”
Up to this time astonishment had kept the folks all still;
But some one shouted out—“Three cheers and give ’em with a will!
It’s plain enough Miss Harper has foundherproper speer,
And man, the tyrant’s conquered! Now boys a rousing cheer!”
That meeting broke up in a tumult, but Joe was waiting there;He’s a manly, handsome fellow, and when I saw the pairGo walking off together, I sez, sez I, “It needs no witch to tellWhat’s coming next.” And warn’t I right? Folks laughed and talked a spell,But we all danced at the wedding! Law! how she settled down!There ain’t no better housewife than Mrs. Hale in all this town.
That meeting broke up in a tumult, but Joe was waiting there;
He’s a manly, handsome fellow, and when I saw the pair
Go walking off together, I sez, sez I, “It needs no witch to tell
What’s coming next.” And warn’t I right? Folks laughed and talked a spell,
But we all danced at the wedding! Law! how she settled down!
There ain’t no better housewife than Mrs. Hale in all this town.