Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1854-07-28
MIsCELLAN NY
From pisssn'. Household Word.
MISS FURBEY.

wU.|F INNNANNN NNAAH WV f'''eaHNf
F,rhev offered to take me OF NV guardians
hands ard ins,ruc, me (as Useful branch Of
sis,a,ion) in her business Of miliiuer and
drcssmakcr.
Miss Furbey kep, litllc shop beside Bow
church, near S,ratford, (she has been dead 50
many years, aud everything is 80 changed
grs1 then, that i, can be DO harm 20 mcu'
lion I'D Her house was an Old lumsic-dowu
ts1smcui ol laih and plaster, stuck all over
with lulc indculalicus like the marks Of giant
facsr.nails-so old, indeed, that timid cl7cH
'--ru-brs cloudy laitice windows might once
have bsbclj thc company Of Puritan soldiers
who ransackcd ,he old church opposite, and
rllea sacrilrgious bonfire among It's graves.
Yo1 went down two sters to get into The
rho7. not forgetting n sioop upon the ihrcsh-
hold. and n ihc sun h1d hccn shining in the
s.-5cl. vou -csrel for a minute or two to
have plunged into total darkness, and hld to
shut your cycs and oFcn them 5Eaiu before
500 oaull see the dusty rounds of white chip
,hai hun. uron ihc walls, or the enormous
Back s.lk coal-scutilc boanrt. which she kcp,
ttsrc as relic Of bsr own apprenticeship
..rs
30 vas no, a chcerfaI place for child TO
J.-n, DE world in % sme'g mouldy and
woody, aul if. o. raro chance, sunbeam
ever crrrt IN thsrs,i j, seemed more foil OF bu.
.y mo,cs than D, was elsewhere. On wintry
evenings the one vrctehed. CAT. double wick
rI candle iu tbs window lrls had not reach
,Iiao,e parts thcnl made The place 90 dismal
Ga, would as soon have sat in one Of ihc
church vaults opposite. ] used TO De- son,in-
Q, frr sho? 90 sagil 10 every now and then bot
I could never attend to u enough before I
could cc, hack Co nov seat boo the back rarloy
--I sct dozen or two Of stitches, ig had q
lo-- crus,ej wick again, or there vas a thief
Boz r.or 30 vas ru',crins md dropping he
,syav uron ,hc white sheets OF paper that
rGrI,le window shov,hcarl. Th1, candle
alone was enough 20 make 90, wish myself a,
home again.
Ny fellow arprr1tcc was a BIG sl'ycDly
.for the name Of Tuuutc'T Miss Furhcy
I.G ru,I me, going home with her ou,sijcth thc
Wrmf-d coach, ,ha, TuauigliT was good
-E enough. bot So c.dly a, times, ,ha, she
Jf rr, uov vha, ,u 90 with her Do, Tun-
r.HF.vhcn uc were going 60 bed iha, night,
sand such things about Mss Furbey, that
cried half the night TO think into what hands
lhlJ fallen. She said lhat she vase spite
a.cl ua.l, a uua,, Paui Ply, a screw
ave. AMI "a ihrcf 'oo; ycs, ih.gt' lu
consequence OF which, went about boz great
fear osN.ss Furhcy for some time, hourly
expecting her TO throw or her disguise ard
become a Brovnurr. Bot she continued so
long in the same mood, and treated ne with
such reutcucss and consideration, that my
fear gradually wore away.
She Kept no servant, bot she never put Ms
90 any mcuial work. Tunnlelif said-"A
good reason why she knew well that she
CTanricliD wouldn't do it." An hour or
tao before We were up, 90 summer mornings
have heard her moving about the house
.-I when we came down, everything was 10
order. Only once, for many weeks, did ]
catch hcr iu a white aighlcsp with broad irlls
polishing the frc-irous with a pair Of leather
glove. uu. She told me that dress making
was ,oo scJcnlry ior her, and ,ba, Il she did
rr, Co other work, she should Be IN. But
this was an excuse tor no, keeping a servant
and quite believed She was a screw.
TanuicliT said ! was beginning to find her
ua,. bu, soon found OCT that Tuuu.eliT her,
.sIE bad 90 objection to keeping a ascUan,,so
long as /, cost her nothing. Before breakias,
Sic would ask me to 60 half mile or more
down a back lane into the marshes, to buy
Igra couple orucw-laid eggs at cOv.kecP-
ere lcrc, with a particular caution TO feel
them Gr.t.ard ascertain that th,y were warm.
Those She would cook herself, aud spread
t.,m over her toast, arJ cOolIy eat ;be whole
.a thc presence Of myself aud Miss FuT5ry.
U.r excuse was tba, She never hai any aP-
r.a,g ola morning, and that without some
such IuIs relish, she should ca, nothing, and
s5 1y the foundation ola weak constitution.
Taar.cUF was often getting money from
unknown sources, and bringing q, forth, gen
caUy 10 coPpcrs. with a request tha, would
r1 and bay her something which she iancied.
Sometimes il was hot roll, or a tea-cakc,
era dried fish. sometimes It was grapcs-
slightly damaged, buta great many for pen
uy-a, q grOc cr's long way down the road.
Faror near, early or late, aere an the same
to TunuicliT What she wanted mus, be
brought. and II was aiitle behind time, /
was rrumJlct at ior my pains. When she
complained Of Miss Fubey behind her back, ,
81 id seem to mo strange that she did no,
ufrk Of how she sen, me about herself, bu,
never dared to refuse TO 90.
TuunicliH's knowledge Of the world, her
notions Of how she ought to be treated, her
powers of ridicule and couicmp' Ior ~ha' she
shouldh have respected, made me afraid OF her
/ believed that Miss Furbey would think
twice before provoking her. Indeed, ! know
that she once caught her in tie bookings sIass
making grimaees, and shaking her fsi be-
hiud her back, and never said a word, pre-
tending tha, abe had 90, seen any,hing.-
When we were an sitting atvork by candle
T-l, ,. ,t. ..,l,,, hobind tbs shor Tunni-