In the story, "The Sorrows of Gin," Amy Lawton is a fourth-grade girl, who is an only child. Mr. and Mrs. Lawton are social butterflies, who have much time for work, drinking and socializing but very little time for Amy. It is often left in the care of the housekeeper. Rosemary, a relatively new housekeeper, is a lonely religious woman, who speaks to Amy of loneliness and alcoholism. Rosemary convinces Amy to pour, her father's gin down the kitchen sink so the Lawton's won't drink so much. Amy is convinced her father will not miss the gin and takes Rosemary's advice.
Rosemary goes away on a trip. When the housekeeper returns, she is disheveled and reeks of stale alcohol and is fired. The Lawtons have terrible luck with housekeepers and can't seem to keep.....
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