I bargained with Life for a penny, And Life would pay no more, However I begged at evening When I counted my scanty store;For Life is just an employer, He gives you what you ask, But once you have set the wages, Why, you must bear the task. I worked for a menial's hire, Only to learn, dismayed, That any wage I had asked of Life, Life would have paid.

— Jessie B. Rittenhouse

I worked for a menial’s hire, Only to learn, dismayed, That any wage I had asked of Life, Life would have willingly paid.

— Jessie B. Rittenhouse