Just Folks

Mother's Excuses

          Mother for me made excuses
          When I was a little tad;
          Found some reason for my conduct
          When it had been very bad.
          Blamed it on a recent illness
          Or my nervousness and told
          Father to be easy with me
          Every time he had to scold.

          And I knew, as well as any
          Roguish, healthy lad of ten,
          Mother really wasn't telling
          Truthful things to father then.
          I knew I deserved the whipping,
          Knew that I'd been very bad,
          Knew that mother knew it also
          When she intervened with dad.

          I knew that my recent illness
          Hadn't anything to do
          With the mischief I'd been up to,
          And I knew that mother knew.
          But remembering my fever
          And my nervous temperament,
          Father put away the shingle
          And postponed the sad event.

          Now his mother, when I threaten
          Punishment for this and that,
          Calls to mind the dreary night hours
          When beside his bed we sat.
          Comes and tells me that he's nervous,
          That's the reason he was bad,
          And the boy and doting mother
          Put it over on the dad.

          Some day when he's grown as I am,
          With a boy on mischief bent,
          He will hear the timeworn story
          Of the nervous temperament.
          And remembering the shingle
          That aside I always threw,
          All I hope is that he'll let them
          Put it over on him, too.