Judy Apprentice
Summary: Judy is sent to finishing school, but attempts a daring escape after months of being trained to becoming a dainty docile young woman. After she escapes, she wants to become apprentice to a carpenter.but only boys can be apprentices. Can she do it? And an adventure comes her way later.
Judith Ana Maria Silver. That would be my name. Understandably, it has been shortened to simply Judy, except when Father thinks I've done summat bad and that's when he says my full name right before giving me a mother Fletcher of a pater noster, or a beatin'. Which is rare, considering my father is quite docile of a man, very quiet really. He never says anything hardly, and even in an argument, his words are few. But then he comes up with something drastic and his words are powerful.
Maybe tha's cuz he has little to say, what with him and my two brothers workin' the fields all day. HE usually finds some task or other to work on alone, however.
Ye see, we grew up on this here farm, raisin' a few horses an' cows. I was borne here and I lived here all me thirteen year on this little plot of land not two acres big, in the England countryside. Ever since 1665, when I been borne 'ere.
But anyhoo, I'm losing me train of thought. I was trying to begin me story, and it's a mother fletcher of a long one.
When I was thirteen years old..
It all began on a day that I recall was quite warm, even though it was cloudy, and rain was threatenin' to break loose and raise hell over the small farm we lives on.
I recall this day perfectly, because I had been pelting me older brother with mud from a puddle. I remember like it was yesterday, because the mud was of the prefect texture for makin' mudballs and flinging them at me brother, whose name was, and still is, William Asa Jonathan Silver.
Understandably, it was shortened to Will. I called him Willy though, because I knew he hated that.
Anyhow.
I was throwin' mud at him again, when Mother called me inside, tellin' me Father wished ter speak with me.
I thought I was in fer another yellin'. I was, it turns out, in a manner of speaking.
I walked over to Father.
'Judy,' he said to me.
'Here it comes,' I thought, sucking in me breath.
'Yes Father?'
'I've decided that..I'm goin' into town tomorrow to sell the ol' cow. And..emm.yer mother and I have saved some money, and we've decided to.send you to finishing school.'
The words hit me like a rock. 'but-but why would you do such a thing?'
'Well, William's goin' to school next year, an' Isaac [Henry George Silver- my brother younger by two years] will go when he's sixteen. But we've decided maybe ye need..some finishin'.'
Well, I suppose my father were right, what with me being how I am, no manners, dirty, can't talk proper, don't know how ter cook or sew or play no instruments.
Or read.
Or write.
And my parents don't have a lot of money, so if they want me to get an education, or at least what finishin' school offers, I should take it right?
And if they're giving that much for me, maybe I really do need some.finishin'.
Still, I felt like I'd been run over by a boulder...if not our dog. Who is fat, let me jes say that.
I said nothing.
'You may go,' Father said.
You may go? YOU MAY GO? Tha's all he has ter say? After having me leave tomorrow? And tellin' me today? The school is in London, three days from here, and tha's by fancy carriage, Willy's always said.
Not only that, but I only have 'til dark today to say goodbye.
To the farm.
The animals.
The horses, especially Fangor.
And the woods.
And the fields near us.
And me family.
And the pond.
And the sky.
And the birds nestin' in the big oak by the barn.
And the owl that lives in the barn with her babies.
And the foxes in the holes in the woods.
And everything that I've known me whole life. I've been here so long, and sure, I may have lived nowheres else, but this was home. And what about boardin' school.
I'll be with lots of other people that I don't know.
Rich people.
Beautiful people.
Two categories I definitely do not fit into.
We can immediately strike out rich. And beautiful? BAA!
With my unruly black hair, and green eyes that make me look like the mangy cat that lives in the barn next to the cow pen, and me being all skinny and pale, in dirty clothes, often meself being caked with mud or with grass stains an what not.
We can definitely strike out beautiful too.
It's like my life is endin' before it's had a chance to begin.
And there's no hope of me getting' out. At least I don't think.
Summary: Judy is sent to finishing school, but attempts a daring escape after months of being trained to becoming a dainty docile young woman. After she escapes, she wants to become apprentice to a carpenter.but only boys can be apprentices. Can she do it? And an adventure comes her way later.
Judith Ana Maria Silver. That would be my name. Understandably, it has been shortened to simply Judy, except when Father thinks I've done summat bad and that's when he says my full name right before giving me a mother Fletcher of a pater noster, or a beatin'. Which is rare, considering my father is quite docile of a man, very quiet really. He never says anything hardly, and even in an argument, his words are few. But then he comes up with something drastic and his words are powerful.
Maybe tha's cuz he has little to say, what with him and my two brothers workin' the fields all day. HE usually finds some task or other to work on alone, however.
Ye see, we grew up on this here farm, raisin' a few horses an' cows. I was borne here and I lived here all me thirteen year on this little plot of land not two acres big, in the England countryside. Ever since 1665, when I been borne 'ere.
But anyhoo, I'm losing me train of thought. I was trying to begin me story, and it's a mother fletcher of a long one.
When I was thirteen years old..
It all began on a day that I recall was quite warm, even though it was cloudy, and rain was threatenin' to break loose and raise hell over the small farm we lives on.
I recall this day perfectly, because I had been pelting me older brother with mud from a puddle. I remember like it was yesterday, because the mud was of the prefect texture for makin' mudballs and flinging them at me brother, whose name was, and still is, William Asa Jonathan Silver.
Understandably, it was shortened to Will. I called him Willy though, because I knew he hated that.
Anyhow.
I was throwin' mud at him again, when Mother called me inside, tellin' me Father wished ter speak with me.
I thought I was in fer another yellin'. I was, it turns out, in a manner of speaking.
I walked over to Father.
'Judy,' he said to me.
'Here it comes,' I thought, sucking in me breath.
'Yes Father?'
'I've decided that..I'm goin' into town tomorrow to sell the ol' cow. And..emm.yer mother and I have saved some money, and we've decided to.send you to finishing school.'
The words hit me like a rock. 'but-but why would you do such a thing?'
'Well, William's goin' to school next year, an' Isaac [Henry George Silver- my brother younger by two years] will go when he's sixteen. But we've decided maybe ye need..some finishin'.'
Well, I suppose my father were right, what with me being how I am, no manners, dirty, can't talk proper, don't know how ter cook or sew or play no instruments.
Or read.
Or write.
And my parents don't have a lot of money, so if they want me to get an education, or at least what finishin' school offers, I should take it right?
And if they're giving that much for me, maybe I really do need some.finishin'.
Still, I felt like I'd been run over by a boulder...if not our dog. Who is fat, let me jes say that.
I said nothing.
'You may go,' Father said.
You may go? YOU MAY GO? Tha's all he has ter say? After having me leave tomorrow? And tellin' me today? The school is in London, three days from here, and tha's by fancy carriage, Willy's always said.
Not only that, but I only have 'til dark today to say goodbye.
To the farm.
The animals.
The horses, especially Fangor.
And the woods.
And the fields near us.
And me family.
And the pond.
And the sky.
And the birds nestin' in the big oak by the barn.
And the owl that lives in the barn with her babies.
And the foxes in the holes in the woods.
And everything that I've known me whole life. I've been here so long, and sure, I may have lived nowheres else, but this was home. And what about boardin' school.
I'll be with lots of other people that I don't know.
Rich people.
Beautiful people.
Two categories I definitely do not fit into.
We can immediately strike out rich. And beautiful? BAA!
With my unruly black hair, and green eyes that make me look like the mangy cat that lives in the barn next to the cow pen, and me being all skinny and pale, in dirty clothes, often meself being caked with mud or with grass stains an what not.
We can definitely strike out beautiful too.
It's like my life is endin' before it's had a chance to begin.
And there's no hope of me getting' out. At least I don't think.
