Page 78

Mothers Cry

When it was nearly nine o'clock I called Danny and Artie to come and they wouldn't come but then Artie came and Danny hid himself and didn't come in until half past nine and he wouldn't get washed but went to bed all dirty like he was. After they were asleep I did the washing and then I went to sleep too.
The next day it was the same. I got up at half past six and I sewed till it was time to get breakfast for the children and send them to school and afterwards I cleaned the house and went out and bought the things we would need to eat and then I sewed again.
Lunch time Danny and Artie and jenny came to me and they said they each wanted a penny because all the other children had pennies at lunch time. I told them I couldn't give them pennies and I counted up and I thought that would make four pennies a day and that would be twenty eight cents a week and that was such a lot of money now. But they cried and nagged and they made me come with them to see all the other children buying candy at the candy store on the corner and so I gave them their pennies and while I was walking home I thought I'll get up at six o'clock in the morning instead of half past six so I'll be able to make two more corset covers a week and that would mean thirty cents more and that would pay for their pennies.
I made about eight dollars a week with the sewing. It wasn't much but I cooked things like rice and macaroni and potatoes and cabbage because they were cheap but we didn't have any meat now except sometimes I would get scraps for soup.
One day a lady came in and said could I make some drawers and petticoats for her little girl and I said yes. She brought me the goods and I made them very carefully and she gave