Common Angels, Little Town

You never talked about Ruth much, Granddad. "No, but not a day went by I didn't think of her. She was our firstborn, way too young to go." I met her today. She seemed happy as a lark. "Always was, Donald. She even died with a smile on her face. That night at the school house program she sang 'Alice Blue Gown' and played the piana. Said she had a belly ache on the way home. We didn't think that much about it. But she didn't feel like going to school the next day. I didn't think that much about it either, I don't know why. Later that afternoon, when she started sweating and moaning we called Doc Good. He came as soon as he could. Your grandma thought she smelled liquor on his breath. I didn't."