Till you supply the heart.
The Christmas gift I long for
You need not toil to buy;
O, give me back one thing I lack:
The love-light in your eye.

THE HUSBAND:

Of course I love you, and the children, too.
Be sensible, my dear. It is for you
I work so had to make my business pay;
There, now, run home, enjoy your holiday.

THE WIFE, TURNING AWAY:

He does not mean to wound me,
I know his heart is kind,
Alas, that men can love us,
And be so blind--so blind!
A little time for pleasure,
A little time for play,
A word to prove the life of love
And frighten care away--
Though poor my lot, in some small cot,
That were a holiday.


To preserve the family circle, the home must be made attractive. No
amount of practical wisdom, of Puritanic piety, nor mere kindly
treatment will hold a family of children together until they are strong