With a smile and a kiss he went away;
At the gate he turned and waved his hand,
Then plunged once more in the sordid fray,
Whose strain she could not understand.

She really thought that she loved him well,
But she loved herself and children more,
And realized only when he fell
What all his friends had known before.

He had always hid his own distress,
And answered us with a brave "Not yet,"
For boys must play and girls must dress,
As do their mates in the social set.

At least she claimed that this was so,
And he too dearly loved them all
To spoil their place in the passing show,
And so rode on for a fatal fall.

He had earned enough for a simple life,
If only they a word had said,
So weary was he of the strife;
But they were dumb, and he … is dead!

Yes, he is gone, and they are here;
And now the purse he died to fill
Will keep them well for many a year,—
Of course submissive to "God's will"!

One victim more in the cruel race
With rivals he himself despised,
For children who can ne'er replace
The father whom they sacrificed.