Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-01-11

4 AN'hSNO"A BbNAT
You don't mean" began the mild
widow.
THAT Mrs. Daniel Dabney and Mrs.
Everard Elberson let their old aunt 90
to the poor-house2" said Mary Miller.
eyes, it is quite true. Mrs. Daniel leads
society in San Francisco, I am told, and
Mrs. Elberson is grand lady in Bridge
port with a reception day and servants
in livery. What could they do with
half crazy old aunt, who takes snuff and
talks uncertain grammarl Poor Miss
Abby She has wandered back to her
old home. She was eighty last birthday,
and things are all misty and vague to
her."
"But what shall we dop said Mrs.
Miller, in accents OF oerplexity. "a
crazy woman here-'t INIT seem Just
right, Molly, does iti's
''lll take her back, after she has
rested little, and had cup of tea"
said Mary, cheerily.
"But perhaps she won't go.n
ooh, yes, she will, :" said Mary. "Poor
Miss Abby! She is as gentle as child"
Her words pro7ed to be correct. Miss
Abby Dabney suffered herself to be led
unretuonstratingly back to Tewkstown
| poor-house, where the matron read her q
shrill-voiced lecture, and declared she
should not be allowed another grain of
snuff if she couldn't behave better. Old
Miss Abby smiled deprecatingly.<
They are peculiar people here" she
said. 81 think, my dear" to Mary Mil
Ter, they forget sometimes l am lady.
But it takes all sorts, don't you see, to
make world"
The next night, however, just as Mary
and her mother were sitting down to tea,
Miss Abby once more appeared, in the
midst of gentle shower of rain.
81 hope l don't inconvenience any
body" She said, meekly. "But that
woman at Tewkstown has cut off my al
lowance of snuff, and, after all, there's
no place like home"
And once more Mary Miller patiently
walked back with the poor old crone to
the poorhouse. The matron was infuri-
ated this time.
1T amt in human natur' to stand
this" she declared. "Ill put her in the
jug"
The jug2" repeated Mary, in surprise.
'1t's room, down cellar, where we
shut up the troublesome cases." said the
matron. II can't stand this running
away business, and won'tp
The jug, perhaps, proved efficacious,
for old Miss Abby Dabney did not ap.
pear again for week. At the expiration
of that period, however, she crept noise
lessly in, just at dusk, and seated herself
like silent shadow in the chimney cor
ner.
"It is so good to be at home again"
said she, rubbing her wrinkled hands.
II somehow seem to get lost of late.
Elnathan is gone, and Betsey is gone,
and I'm left here all alone Yes, q
cup of tea, please-sugar and no milk.
They never remember how like nv tea
at Tewkstown. This is good; and but
ter on my bread, tool We don't get but
ter at Tewkstown."
Mary burst into tears.
"Mother," said She "Miss Abby shall
not go back to Tewkstown-she shall
stay here Mother, how should l feel if
you were wandering friendleSs and alone
through the world ~
"But, my dear"
"She shall sleep in her own old room,
out of the Kitchen" persisted Mary.
"Shell be no more care than canary
bird. Oh, mother, do consentl She
will think then that she is still in her
own home. Oh, it, you know how dreary
it is at that poor-house, with the grass
all tramped out, and piles of clam-shells
lying around the door, and not SO much
as dandelion or daisy to be seen."
And Mrs. Miller yielded to Mary's tear
full solicitations.
"Do as you please, my child" said
she.
The Tewkstown authorities were but
too glad to be rid of the poor old incubus; !;
and Miss Abby Dabney settled down into
! her old home, as contentedly and un-
questioningly as if she had never left it.
She ate and drank but little; she talked
still less, and seemed to regard Mrs.
Miller and Mary as guests, who had come
to visit the old farm.
"1'he Widow Miller and her darter
must be rich folks, to undertake to sup
port old Miss Abby" sneered one neigh
Dor.
"She was well enough provided for at
the poor-house," said another.
81 never yet saw farm succeed that
was worked by women-folks," jeered a
third.
"There'll be the biggest kind of a
smash-up presently" observed number
four. "And an auction sale of every
thing; and I'll be on hand--for don't
deny that them little Alderney cows is
the cunningest creeturs ! ever set eyes
on, and good mixers into the bargain"
But time wore on, aud there was no
fluttcr of any red flag over the porch
On the contrary matters throve, and
Mary Miller declared, joyously, that
farming was great deal more profta-
! BILE business than working in the factory,
and she only wished that she had found
it out before"
Until one gray, autumnal evening,
Mary and her mother came back from a
brisk walk to the village and found a
stalwart, sunbrowned man sitting oppo-
site to Miss Abby, by the red glow of
the fire.
The old woman rose up, in an odd. un-
certain way.
Ladies'" she said, fumbling in her old
snuff-box, "this ismy nephew, Cyrus Du-
brey-he as ran away from home twenty
nine years ago come Michaelmas Day,
and we all supposed was dead. Cyrus,
these are the ladies who are so good as to
visit me here / don't quite recollect
their names; but then, my memory amt
as good as it used to be; and, after all,
it don't matter much. Nothing matters
much nowadaysl"
And Miss Abby sat down and fell into