t, and ze bread and ze meat; and he love my moder, and he love
Jeem, and he love Fred, and me he love.
"Zen my moder sing, but ce have not ze harp, and ce have not ze piano;
and my fader sing mit her; and much ze peoples he make mit ze brush; and
my moder ce help him, all ze time ce help him, and Jeem and Fred zey
help; zey grind ze tings vot he make ze peoples mit. Von time I help;
ven Fred bees gone, I vash ze brushes, and my moder say dot I have make
zem clean so better as Fred. And all ze time I rock ze baby in ze leetle
bed, and I sing ze song vot my moder make ze baby sleep mit."
"Did your father stay always good, Jakey, and did he never drink the
beer any more?"
"Oh! no," he answered, with an earnestness that chilled my very heart,
and made me feel that he had not yet told me half the sorrow shut up in
his little bosom; and while, with tears in my eyes, I tried to encourage
him to go on, I felt almost guilty, and was about deciding to probe his
little heart no more, when of his own accord he resumed.
"Von time my fader say dot he vill go to ze man mit ze pic-sure vot he
have make, and he vill get ze money; and my moder say dot ce vill go mit
him; but my fader say No, he vill go mit hees-self, and ven he have got
ze money, he vill come home to ze supper. But long time he not come.
Jeem he go in ze bed, and Fred he go in ze bed, and I go in ze leetle
bed, and my moder ce have ze baby mit her to ze fire.
"Zen long time my fader come to ze door, and vile he come, he say loud
ze vicked vords, and my moder know dot he have drunk ze beer. Quick ce
go to ze vindow, and ven ce see him, ce cry and ce bees afraid, and ce
not open ze door. Zen my fader tink he have not fine ze door, and he go
vay roun ze house, and tink he have fine ze door dare; and he strike,
and he pound, and all ze time he say loud ze vicked vords. Zen he come
back to ze door, and he strike it mit hees feets much times, and ven ze
door come open and he see my moder dare, he strike her dot ce fall on ze
floor mit ze baby. Ze baby cry, but my moder ce not speak, and ce not
cry. Zen my fader strike her much times mit hees feets, dot ce not open
ze door, and he go vay to get ze big knife, and he say dot he vill kill
her. Long time he not fine it; zen vile he come back he not see, and he
fall on ze floor, and some ze vay he get up and some ze vay he not get
up, and all ze time he say dot he vill kill, he vill, he vill! But all
ze time he not kill, he
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