Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-01-08

their poor mother dled-MisS Maria and Miss
Georgina
"They had no playmates for the Squire
wouldn't let 'em have any if he knew it. They
weren't dressed like other children The boys
always wore the same corduroyS, except cloth
OH Sundays and then they wore these until
they were too short in the arms and the legs
by half yard. The poor young ladies were
in the same way always cotton gowns and
common straw bonnets, and their hair cut short
like boys, until they were quite big girls They
used to creep into church ashamed, for they
knew they were gentlefolks, and not like being
so shabby.
"They never went to school the Squire
could not bear the idea of the expense First
he Taught them himself !; then he found that
took too much time ; SO he hired a curate in
the next parish, curious sort of snuffy old
man to teach boys and girls. But they only
made fun of him, and did not learn much, |
doubt, except Charles Then he got cheap
gOverness for the ladies but she did not like
the living, and married Bob Cannon the fores-
ter. | believe the Squire loved his children
dearly but he was SO busy saving up money
j for them, and he was so severe with them
about every trife, and always ecturing them
about one thing or another, that they feared
too much to love him.
! Lord SplattcrdaSh says, am told, that
all children are alike He would not have said
so if he had known my young masters-Ru-
! pert, and Charles, and Norman. Rupert was
prond naturally. He could not do what his
! father did I've seen him cry with shame and
veXation when the Squire has taken him with
! us to market to drive the old phaton and he
/ has heard his father dSputing about a groat
/ in the bill with the innkeeper For we used
| 10 take our own chaif with sprinkling of oats
! in bag, aud feed outside the town, near a
haystack, in fine weather, and stood out all the
! time. In wet weather we were obliged to put
up at an inn /; and then we had to bear with
a deal of sauce because Squire Sknfnt, as
they called him., was known never to spend
penny if he could help it. He'd go five miles
round, and creep over any hedge on horse
back, to avoid turnpike. Many time at
crowded fair we have been turned out by land
lords, saying i can't afford to take in folks
that neither eat nor drink
| . Bnt for all that the Squire was not bad
man to the poor-far from it and would come
down handsome at times, by fits and starts. if
there was any case Of distress But his whole
mind seemed to I've eat up with the notion of
saving fortunes for his children. He used con-
tinualIy to say, You see they're five of them:
and my fathers behaved so cruel to me that
there be very little for them, Robin, when I'm
gone
Now, when Master Rupert grew to about
fifteen and the two young ladies thirteen, al
though they were kept SO close, they got to
hear many things making them think that their
father was not so poor he always said; for
servants will talk At that time not one sim
gle bit of furniture had been bought since the
old lawyer died. The carpets were worn out
and patched one with another, like patch
work quilt. In the living-rooms they made up
with odd sets of chairs, and he'd patch the bro
ken windows with paper himself They got
rid Of servants until they had only two odsh
women in the house beside the farm servants
They used to dine at one o'clock in what was
the servants hail. on long deal table and
I've known them sit down day after day to
dish of potatoes, chosen from the best of those
kept for the pigs (the best of all went to mar
kct(, with one egg and one rasher of bacon a.
piece. and dry brown bread The hitches and
hams and all that could be were locked up in
the storerOom, and the Squire kept the KEYS
and gave out daily what he thought was want
ed. AS for the young ladies, when they We're
big enough, they were dressed to their mothers
dresses as long as they wOuld last | have
seen them shivering in cold October day for
want Of shawl or cloak when he had three
or four locked up in the great wardrobe but
the Squire said it was too soon to begin warm
clothes in October. No matter what kind of
weather, we never began fires until the ninth
of November
Zone Saturday just before Christmas---t
was Master Rupert's seventeenth birthday
not that they kept any birthdays-the Squire
went to Christmas fair with me to sell lot of
bulIocks, the best he ever had, fed on the sum
mer's grass in the park. An hour after we
were gone Master Rupert called his brothers
and sisters into the hall that was never used,
and there he had got a roaring fire in the CRATE
| Old Jenny Crookt, who told me the story, said
he shouted out like mailman, Look here,
children, / have got orders to give you treat
on my birthday Here's wine And SO there
were several cobwebbed bottles He must
have broken into the vault. Here are fowls
and turkeys ready for the grdron Georgy
Molly, and You, Dame Crookit help to make
a good hroil and while you are doing that,
will show you Somethng' He went out of
the room, and returned dressed in a complete
set of new clothes, like farmers son riding to
market He was very tall and strong of his
age, and handsome Grand he did look, with
a red flush OH his cheek and strange, wild
look in his eye. The children shouted with
pleasure and surprise. Then says he, Dame
Crookit, ] am going on a journey-a long
journey. The king has sent for me, and
must give You all feast such as we read of
in story-books before | go.' So they al! set
to work, and cooked feasted, and laughed
and rejoiced and he the loudest of them ALL
When they had done, he called in all the la
borers that were in the cattle yards and round
the house, and made them drink his health and
pleasant journey.
Z. DriIlk hn cnil tho rrira r,.ont hurt