"May I help you, Mama?" Little Susie said,

As she clasped her chubby hands, and tossed her tiny head.

"Not right now," her mother said, "you must go out and play,

Mama is so busy, dear; you’ll just get in my way."

"Mama, let me help you; please Mother, let me try."

"But I don't need you, Susie, go now, and don’t you cry."

"Mama, now that I am eight, I'm tall and grown up, see!

May I help you in the kitchen, so you can talk with me"

"Not now, I’m in a hurry; there is a matinee at two,

I'll try to plan a day next week to spend some time with you."

"Mama, I am older now, I am twelve years old and past;

I'm glad to be grown up, so I can work with you, at last."

"Sue, you don't know how to help, and I must rush, you know,

The ladies' club meets tonight and I'm compelled to go."

"Oh, where on earth could Susie be? It must be almost three;

She’s never left this house before without consulting me.

Susie's but a little girl, she'll be sixteen come May;

We've always been so good to her, why did she run away?

We bought the things she wanted, and gave her freedom too;

She always had the liberty to choose what she would do.

This note, I found upstairs, just now, ‘I’ve gone away with Jim,

Jim loves me, Mom; he cares for me, and I can talk to him.’

Oh, where on earth did I go wrong? Who is this awful man?

And why our darling left with him, I just can't understand!"