. Recollections of Auton House .. . generation. She sat up till midnight ironing our collars and plaiting our ruf-fles, while her parboiled thumbswere bleeding from the cracks whichcold and constant washing had pro-duced. She never had a good squarenights rest for thirty years. For our sakes she had the worstform of dyspepsia — eating her mealsso irregularly, and at unheard-ofhours. If necessary, she swept upafter us twenty times a day withouta whimper. She slept on the edgeof the bed until she became a callousold woman. She warded off manya maternal castigation, and meeklyallowed all of us to
. Recollections of Auton House .. . generation. She sat up till midnight ironing our collars and plaiting our ruf-fles, while her parboiled thumbswere bleeding from the cracks whichcold and constant washing had pro-duced. She never had a good squarenights rest for thirty years. For our sakes she had the worstform of dyspepsia — eating her mealsso irregularly, and at unheard-ofhours. If necessary, she swept upafter us twenty times a day withouta whimper. She slept on the edgeof the bed until she became a callousold woman. She warded off manya maternal castigation, and meeklyallowed all of us to pile on herback, to sop her scanty front hairwith water, twist it into curls and frizzles and comb it to death,while she, poor soul! was nodding from sheer exhaustion, and en-during these indignities without a murmur. And what did she dofor herself ? She may have laid up her wages, but we did nt knowanything about that. She was content with one dull-colored gown,and one apron for week days, and a Sunday one for other 22 RECOLLECTIONS OF AUTON HOUSE. If she ever had a lover we children must have frightened himaway. She had a brother Ellerey, who was a truckman, and asister-in-law with one little stiff arm, whom she called Euby, andAnna Maria, her niece, who was pretty, and had weak eyes, anda pair of prunella shoes — and that was all. The rest of her life andthe rest of her thoughts were devoted to us. And in return for itwe provoked her, and plagued her, and combed her hair all out, andalmost worried her life out, until she was thin enough to blow away,and weary enough to lie down and die. If there is but one saintin heaven Debrah is that one. If love, and devotion, and dutyever bring their own reward there is a halo of glory about ourDebrahs head which can never fade away. She came from Tiv-erton, and her complexion was sallow. It is singular how an old nurse like this is indissolubly connectedin the memory with every act of ones youthful life. Reminiscencesof
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