How It Happened

I got lo thlnkln' of ber- both ber porenU dead mul i-mu' - And all her staters mnrrled olt, and noue but her and Jobn A-Ilvln' all alune there In tliut lonesonie sort 'o way, And hl m a blaraed old bachelor, contlrnieder ev'ry day! I'd knowed 'era all frooi cblldrea, and tbelr daddy frimi the time He setlleJ In the nelghborhood, and hadn't ary a dlrae Kr dollar, wben hemarrlcd, fer to tart liousekee-pln' on : - So I gt to thlnkln' of her- both her parenis dead and gone I Ifiot to thlnkln' of her, and a-wunderlu' wbat she'd done Tbatallher sisters kep' a-gettln' married one by one. And ber without no chances- and the best glrl of the pack Au old niftld, wllh lier hand, you inlght sar tled behlnd her baok- And mother, too, afore Bhe dled, she list to Jes' lak e on, When none of 'em was left, you know, but Kvallne and Jobn. And Jes' declare to k -cines "at the young men must be blind To not see what a wlfe they'd git lf they got Evallne! I got to thlnkln' of her; lu my greataffllctlon sbe Waa slch a comfort to uh. and so klud and nelghborly- She'd come, and leare her housework, for to help out llttle Jane, And talk of her owu mother 'at she'd never see agaln- Maybe sometlmes cry together- though, for tbe most part, he W'ould have tbechlld so rlconclled and happyliLn, 'at we Feit lonenomer'Q ever when sbe'd put her bonnet on And say rhe'd rallly haf !o be a-glttln back to Jobn ! I got to tlilnkln' of her, ai I say -and more and more 1M tlilnk of her depoudenoe, and the burdens 'at she lore- Her parentH boih k bein' dead, and all her Hlstei'H gou And married otf, and ber a-llvln' there ulone wlth John- You inlght suyjes' utollln'and a-slavln' out her Ufe For a man 'at hadn't prlde enough to get hlsse'f a wlfe - ' I ,i-sh aomeoue married Evallne and packed her offaOBM dtty ! - s i 1 uut tn thlnkln' ui her- aud it bappened thatuway.