FOR THE SAKE O’ THE BAIRNS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1348, 22 September 1886, Page 3

FOR THE SAKE O’ THE BAIRNS.

A correspondent sends us the following poetical paraphrase of the sad story of not a few who in these sad times suffer silently until sought out by the officers or members of benevolent organisations:— You ask us, sir— * How do we manage ?’ Why, near all our furniture’s gone, An’ we get a bit bread and sup coffee Sometimes, sir, and sometimes get none. It’s a good job for us the Committee Sends men like yourself, sir, to call With its he’p; and it’s only a pity We’ve got to be helped, sir, at all. Weil, I’ve searched for a job high and low, sir, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and here; It’s the same thing wherever we go, sir, The times are so quiet and queer You see how I’ve worn out my shoes, sir, A-tramping, and all to no good; A man cannot do as he’d choose, sir, I’d have gone farthero Suth if I could. A chap an’ his missus, you see, sir, Might keep up their head! for a while ; But a man with a fam’ly, like me, sir, Can’t see the bairns wanting a smile.

Like eno’ when the money was there, sir, An’ trade was as good as could be, Wo did’nt for bad times prepare, sir; But then we're but human, you see. So it’s just for the sake o’ the bairns, sir, For it’s they who are wanting the bread ; They cry when they wake ev’ry morn, sir, An’ they cry when we put ’em to bed. They're peevish and cross-like eno’, sir, When dinner lime comes, as it will; An’ it cuts their poor mother up, rough, sir. When there’s little their stomachs to fill. In the best o' times our’a was a pull, sir, Though as careful as poor folks could be, For at meal times the kitchen is full, sir— Seven bairns, and the missus and me._ An' now, when the dinner hour comes, sir, An’ there’s little for each you may guess, The eldest an’ me takes a walk, sir, An’ the table has two of us less.” Hdmakiti. Wakanai, September 21,1680.