Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1848-05-12
DEAF UNCLE JEFFREY,

rCoucluded from first page.

and you know that you have your own Pri'
vate ends in it ALL
'What ends can have = asked Fanny.
T .Why, Miss Carr, if | must speak the
plain truth--and am plain spoken per-
son, you know, not much given to flattcry-
| must say that see clearly enough what
you are aiming at. When one party is
foolish and the other is artful, it does NOT |
need much discrimination TO see what Is Ill
the wind I
What do you mean, ma'am 2 exclaimed
the little old maid in agony.
what, | mean, Miss Carr, is this: that
YOU see that my uncle is silly old man,
and rich, and you being clever and poor,
you think that you may be able 10 catch
him in a match You think that it would
be better thing to be Mrs. Jeffrey, and
keep your carriage, than even to live the
idle life which you are now doing
'The idle life which now lead ? OK
claimed the little old maid Il, who toll in
labors which have no end through all the
weary days, without either thanks or wages.
and now to be accused of this y
You see that my uncle is half fool.
aud you think that you can jiggle him into
marrying you. But | tell you once more
that will not stand by and sec such things
done in my house !; so ust have the good
ness to tie up your things, and take your
departure in half an hour-and very glad
shall be when you are clearly gone, for
see how artful you are, and there is no
knowing where the mischief may end
Fanny Carr burst into an agony of tears
Mr.. Jeffrey is not the weak man you
think him, but clear headed and strong
minded enough to detect me, if were the
artful creature you accuse me of being.
But will 60. | will not stay to be accused
of eating the bread of idcncss, or practis.
ing sublerfuges; no, will go and beg ra,h.
er than that Anything is better than that !;
only--only don't laugh at him any more,
poor gentleman, for if he were to find it
out he would feel it, for he is not so simple
as you think. dear poor gentleman
'Hey2 hey9 what does she say : asked
uncle Jeff.
20, my dear uncle Jeffrey, don't mind
her. She is an ungrateful creature, after
all the kindness which we have shown
her, to be weary of paying you the few little
intentions | had enjoined upon her. But,
my dear uncle, have sent her away No
body shall slight you in my house, so have
sent her away
Hugh = said deaf uncle jeff.
The little old maids eyes were drown.
ed with tears--whatever poets may say in
rhyme of the superlative beauty of blood.
shot orbs, and their red curtains and all that,
we have always been accustomed to con.
slider those sort of things amazingly becom.
ing. But it happened that our little heroine
forgot to consult her looking glass upon this
occasion, and consequently her eyes be-.
came something like the Red Sea. The
poor little body proceeded as expeditously
as might be to lay her scanty wardrobe as
straigRtly as possible in a wooden box,
which was both small enough and large
enough; to collect her needles and her
knitting; few letters carefully tied up
with piece of faded red ribbon, the dates
Of which proved chronologically that the
paper had been made full twenty years ago,
all Of them written in masculine hand,
like that of school usher, and dated as
many years back to look very particular
ly at and sigh over little morsel of sandy
hair, to stroke her favorite pussy for the
last time, and then 10 take her clog, her
reticule and her umbrella ; to look at an old
summer house to gather two or three
leaves from nm old tree and then to pass
thro' those inhospitable doors into the wide,
bleak and cold world, alone-alone.
There are some hearts like some vegetables,
they take root any where, no matter how unia-
vprable the soil, or how blighting the atmosphere.
Thus it was with the little old maid In spite
of dersion and scorn and buffeting, her feelings
had grown to the inanimatc stone walls that
surrounded her, simply because they had moth
ing else to cling to and il the mere impulse Of
a loving nature could thus attach her to repel.
ing and repulsve nature, how tonderly might
she have loved what was really loveable!
Poor Fanny Carr, with the liberal, large and
jncxhaustiblc sum of somewhere about five sh!.
lings in her pocket, looked mentally round for a
shelter for her head, and having bethought her.
self of one Of Mrs Pokenham's discarded SER
wants, who had married and settled, determined
upon seeking shelter there.
In a little cottage by the roadside, as clean as
those dear cottages of England always are, with
a neatly trimmed garden without luxuriant in
summer blossomngs and with the whtest OF
white curtains within, and the reddest of red
floors, and the brightest of round tables and the
most Respondent of tire-places, sat the little old
maid dressed as neatly as il fairy hands had
been her tirewoman, and working at needle as
blithely as birds perform their daily task of sing.
ing. What though her five shillings was very
nearly exhausted she could earn almost six
pence day, and that was independence, and
independence was happiness.
There came great dust whilst the little old
maid was thus delving for happiness and six
pence a day, and noise of carriage wheels and
looking up TO see what might be coming, she
saw plain, respectable, grave, steady brown.
visaged carriage and pair, with coachman in
brown livery seated in the box behind, and 10
and behold, it stopped at the cottage door where
she was working! and so the little old maid
jumped up, and threw down her cotton and her
scissors, and FASTENED to tell them it was all a
mistaks, when, to her particular astonishment
she saw deaf uncle Jeffrey getting down the
steps, and walking across the cottage garden
and coming in at The door. And having gone
thus far, the deaf old gentleman took hold of he,
diminutive hand in his gigantic paw and gave i,
squeeze which almost made the little old maid
cry out, which, however, she did not do. for la
dies Of all sizes seldom cry ont at squeeze Of
the hand, generally bearing that sort Of pain yer,
philosophically, and then uncle Jeffrey proceed
ed to draw one of the brightly rubbed wooden
bottomed chairs to himself, for his own particu
lar use. and to sit down upon it close to the lit
tie old maid.
Hone you are well, uncle Jeffery,' shoute,
the little old maid 1T is very kind Of you L
como and see me. hope you are WELL
quite well, thank YOU replied uncle Jeflery
and now tell me what you think has brough
me to see your