Part 17 (1/2)

First, it was ”Ladies come to see,” and each of them had a house under the shade of a tree, and spent most of the time in visiting and in taking care of their respective families. Dumps had started out with Cherubim for her little boy; but he proved so refractory, and kept her so busy catching him, that she decided to play he was the yard dog, and content herself with the dolls for her children. Riar, too, had some trouble in _her_ family; in pa.s.sing through the yard, she had inveigled Hester's little two-year-old son to go with them, and now was desirous of claiming him as her son and heir--a position which he filled very contentedly until Diddie became ambitious of living in more style than her neighbors, and offered Pip (Hester's baby) the position of dining-room servant in her establishment; and he, lured off by the prospect of playing with the little cups and saucers, deserted Riar for Diddie. This produced a little coolness, but gradually it wore off, and the visiting between the parties was resumed.

After ”ladies come to see” had lost its novelty, they made little leaf-boats, and sailed them in the ditch. Then they played ”hide the switch,” and at last concluded to try a game of hide-and-seek. This afforded considerable amus.e.m.e.nt, so they kept it up some time; and once, when it became Dumps's time to hide, she ran away to the gin-house, and got into the pick-room. And while she was standing there all by herself in the dark, she thought she heard somebody breathing. This frightened her very much, and she had just opened the door to get out, when a negro man crawled from under a pile of dirty cotton, and said,

”Little missy, fur de Lord's sake, can't yer gimme sump'n t' eat?”

Dumps was so scared she could hardly stand; but, notwithstanding the man's haggard face and hollow eyes, and his weird appearance, with the cotton sticking to his head, his tone was gentle, and she stopped to look at him more closely.

”Little missy,” he said, piteously, ”I'se er starvin' ter def. I ain't had er mouf'l ter eat in fo' days.”

”What's the reason?” asked Dumps. ”Are you a runaway n.i.g.g.e.r?”

”Yes, honey; I 'longs ter ole Tight-fis' Smith; an' he wanted ter whup me fur not gittin' out ter de fiel' in time, an' I tuck'n runned erway fum 'im, an' now I'm skyeert ter go back, an' ter go anywhar; an' I can't fin' nuf'n t' eat, an' I'se er starvin' ter def.”

”Well, you wait,” said Dumps, ”an' I'll go bring yer the picnic.”

”Don't tell n.o.body 'boutn my bein' hyear, honey.”

”No, I won't,” said Dumps, ”only Diddie; she's good, an' she won't tell n.o.body; an' she can read an' write, an' she'll know what to do better'n me, because I'm all the time such a little goose. But I'll bring yer sump'n t' eat; you jes wait er little minute; an' don't yer starve ter def till I come back.”

Dumps ran back to the ditch where the children were, and, taking Diddie aside in a very mysterious manner, she told her about the poor man who was hiding in the gin-house, and about his being so hungry.

”An' I tol' 'im I'd bring 'im the picnic,” concluded Dumps; and Diddie, being the gentlest and kindest-hearted little girl imaginable, at once consented to that plan; and, leaving Tot with the little negroes in the woods, the two children took their baskets, and went higher up the ditch, on pretence of finding a good place to set the table; but, as soon as they were out of sight, they cut across the grove, and were soon at the gin-house. They entered the pick-room cautiously, and closed the door behind them, The man came out from his hiding-place, and the little girls emptied their baskets in his hands.

He ate ravenously, and Diddie and Dumps saw with pleasure how much he enjoyed the nice tarts and sandwiches and cakes that Mammy had provided for the picnic.

”Do you sleep here at night?” asked Diddie.

”Yes, honey, I'se skyeert ter go out anywhar; I'se so skyeert uv Tight-fis' Smith.”

”He's awful mean, ain't he?” asked Dumps.

”Dat he is, chile,” replied the man; ”he's cruel an' bad.”

”Then don't you ever go back to him,” said Dumps. ”You stay right here an' me'n Diddie'll bring you ev'y-thing ter eat, an' have you fur our n.i.g.g.e.r.”

The man laughed softly at that idea, but said he would stay there for the present, anyway; and the children, bidding him good-bye, and telling him they would be sure to bring him something to eat the next day, went back to their playmates at the ditch.

”Tot,” said Diddie, ”we gave all the picnic away to a poor old man who was very hungry; but you don't mind, do you? we'll go back to the house, and Mammy will give you just as many cakes as you want.”

Tot was a little bit disappointed, for she had wanted to eat the picnic in the woods; but Diddie soon comforted her, and before they reached the house she was as merry and bright as any of them.

The next morning Diddie and Dumps were very much perplexed to know how to get off to the gin-house without being seen. There was no difficulty about obtaining the provisions; their mother always let them have whatever they wanted to have tea-parties with, and this was their excuse for procuring some slices of pie and cake, while Aunt Mary gave them bread and meat, and Dougla.s.s gave them some cold b.u.t.tered biscuit with ham between.

They wrapped it all up carefully in a bundle, and then, watching their chances, they slipped off from Tot and the little darkies, as well as from Mammy, and carried it to their guest in the pick-room. He was truly glad to see them, and to get the nice breakfast they had brought; and the little girls, having now lost all fear of him, sat down on a pile of cotton to have a talk with him.

”Did you always b'long to Mr. Tight-fis' Smith?” asked Diddie.

”No, honey; he bought me fum de Powell 'state, an' I ain't b'longst ter him no mo'n 'boutn fo' years.”

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”BRINGIN' 'IM THE PICNIC.”]

”Is he got any little girls?” asked Dumps.