The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1867-05-21
MISCELLANY.
MY G. Grandmother's Snuff Box.
By ANNE vALLERY

OF uncommon Deauty her bright, lutelli
gent eye, and fine brown hair almost un
besprinkled with gray, combined with Q
certain vivacity Of demeanor, yet live il
my memory, associated with an old fash.
ioncd lace cap, and gaily lowered calico
dress for ordinary days, or on great nc.
casions, well preserved black silk. My
grandmother was unusually intelligent /;
in her youth she had claims to being Il
belle, and to wealth, ms abundant relics,
snch as a scarlet broadcloth cloak and
stiff fowcred brocade, that had been her
wedding gown, showed.
But alas all have their weaknesses.
and my gran1mother was not without
hers. In her youth she was n prudent,
saving woman, and thus q1aliiy, in ex-
treme old age, degenerated into miserli-
ness and boarding; she had also a great
degree of secretveness, and actually bid
away many things so securely that she
could hardly find them again herself.
She had for many years survived her
husband. My father, David IIar;, was
their only child. At the time of grard-
fathers death he was seeking his fortune
in the far Wes; but sickness and mis-
fortune followed him, and he returned
home a few months after his fathers
decrease, with his young wife, and two
Children. myself, named Eunice for my
grandmother, and my brother Jo". NV
father, of course, remained on the old
t rm, my grandmother residing with him.
She had her own suit of rooms in which
| early took especial delight That old.
fashioned parlor, how fresh it lives in my
memory, though certainly rosewood and
brocatelle gave it none of its charms. IL
was a spacious room, with three windows.
with green shutters and full patch cur.
tains. A red and brown carpet covered
the foor a card table, grim sofa and
stiff wooden chairs were ranged against
the wall, and on the high maptel shelf
shells and row Of grim black profies
kept each other company. The deep
closet in the room held beside bags and
bundles of wonderful contents, rows of
shelves on which were arranged old fash
loned glass ware, queer metal tea pots,
and black and white tea set. pictured
with Il curly headed boy ovcrturning a
hive OF bees. But the crownng beauty
of this room was the ancient " Franklin"
that, when hcaped with pine knots, .ilf.
fused ruddy glow that fairly danced on
the ceiling and illuminated the whole
parlor with its warm heart shine.
This was my grandmother's especial
domain. How often have seen her sit
ting there tapping with her forefnger the
snuif-box which is the subject of our
s.etch. She had several comparatively
insignificant; but this one is a wonder
in its way. 1t is very large of polished
ebony color, with curious bright red and
green pictures upon the top; it was the
apple OF grandmOthcr's eye, and seldom
were other handst an ers allow ed to touch
It, | have mentioned the old laeys Sc
cretivcness this was shown in dispusis
tim OF legacy Of three thousand dollar
that reached her soon after her husbands
death; she never allowed my father To
know where it was invested. She would
go away yearly TO visit widowed neice,
and receive her interest, but would never
disclose where the principal WAS placed
Well, we grew up, Joe and |. Nv
mother was an invalid, so ], a stout
apple checked girl, worked in the old
farm kitchen, my good butter and light
loaves ellcitlns even my grand parents
approval.
Joe was slender, and it was our darling
hope to send him to college. When
was sixteen, our grandmother died. She
was away on yeary visit to her neicc,
Mrs. Neil, when she was stricken with
paralysis, and was dead when my father
arrived. Mrs. Neil said she spoke with
difficulty, but SAID a short time befrre
her death: "Tell Dayid's folks left
them all could, d,-give these beads to
Eunlce, and tell her not TO forget me "
She also gave Mrs. Neil her yarn bag
and five dollars in money. My father
brought back his mother to Greensde and
buried her with her hu band, bit strange
to say, when her affairs were settle only
fifty dcllars were found the legacy had
disappeared. and with it The deed of the
old place and also my grandmoiher's we'd
ding dress and favorite snuff box. We
hunted in vain, it remained an unsolyed
mystery.
l thought it all over one morning five
years after. as stood at the table making
pies for Thanksgiving. Things had gone
on badly for the past five five years.
Crops had been poor; father and Joe
had both been sick mother was more
than ever an invalid. | did all could,
sold butter and cheese, dried apples, and
made wooen yarn; but we were in debt
several hundred dollars and that was not
the worst Of it. The widow of a former
owner of our place, now surviving in
state of decrepitude, as she had signed no
deed as she asserted, put in her claim for
the right of dover, and on the morrow
the lawyer was coming to define her
claims. We looked sick and worried,
but mother said, "Dayid don't fret, the
Lord will provide"
Poor Joe was at home, out of funds to
ursue his studies. What could dol
For two nights had dreamed of Grand
mother smiling grimly, and pointing to
the door of her room, that had remained
just as she had left it, for we had plenty
without.