You see I worked for Arthur Fouche, he said, Until the year before he died; I knew That worthless son of his who lived with him, Born when his mother was past bearing time, So born a weakling. When he came from college He married soon and came to mother's hearth, And brought his bride. I heard the old man say: "A man should have his own place when he marries, Not settle in the family nest"; I heard The old man offer him a place, or offer To buy a place for him. This baby boy Ran quick to mother, cried and asked to stay. What happened then? What always happens. Soon This son began to edge upon the father, And take the reins a little, Arthur Fouche Was growing old. And at the last the son Controlled the bank account and ran the farms; And Mrs. Fouche gave up her place at table To daughter-in-law, no longer served or poured The coffee--so you see how humble beggars Become the masters, it is always so. Now this I know: When this boy came from school And brought his wife back to the family place, Old Arthur Fouche had twenty thousand dollars On saving in the bank, and lots of money Loaned out on mortgages. But when he died He owed two thousand dollars at the bank. Where did the money go? Why, for ten years When Arthur Fouche and son were partners, I Saw what went on, and saw this boy buy cattle When beef was high, sell cattle when it was low, And lose each year a little. And I saw This boy buy buggies, autos and machinery, And lose the money trading. So it was, This worthless boy had nothing in his head To run a business, which used up the fortune Of Arthur Fouche, and strangled Arthur Fouche, As vines destroy an oak tree. Well, you know When Arthur Fouche's will was opened up They found this son was willed most everything-- It's always so. The children who go out, And make their way get nothing, and the son Who stays at home by mother gets the swag. And so this son was willed the family place And sold it to that chiropractor--left For California to remake his life, And died there, after wasting all his life, His father's fortune, too. So, now to show you How age breaks down a mind and dulls a heart, I'll tell you what I heard: This Elenor Murray Was eighteen, just from High School, and one day She came to see her grandfather and talked. The old man always said he loved her most Of all the grandchildren, and Mrs. Fouche Told me a dozen times she thought as much Of Elenor Murray as she did of any Child of her own. Too bad they didn't show Their love for her. I was in and out the room Where Elenor Murray and her grandfather Were talking on that day, was planing doors That swelled and wouldn't close. There was no secret About this talk of theirs that I could see, And so I listened.