Diddie, Dumps, and Tot (Plantation Child-Life) | Page 6

they continually do cry."
And her papa was so amused at the idea that he said he thought so too;
and thus the puzzling question of the names was decided, and the little
wooly poodles were called Cherubim and Seraphim, and became great
pets in the household.
CHAPTER II
CHRISTMAS ON THE OLD PLANTATION
CHRISTMAS morning, 1853, dawned cold and rainy, and scarcely had
the first gray streak appeared when the bolt of the nursery was quietly
turned, and Dilsey's little black head peered in through the half-open
door.
"Chris'mus gif', chil'en!" she called out, and in a twinkling Diddie,
Dumps and Tot were all wide awake, and climbing over the side of the
bed. Then the three little sisters and Dilsey tip-toed all around to
everybody's rooms, catching "Chris'mus gif';" but just as they were
creeping down-stairs to papa and mamma two little forms jumped from
behind the hall door, and Riar and Chris called out, "Chris'mus gif'!"
and laughed and danced to think they had "cotch de white chil'en."
As soon as everybody had been caught they all went into the
sitting-room to see what Santa Clause had brought, and there were
eight stockings all stuffed full! Three long, white stockings, that looked
as if they might be mamma's, were for the little girls, and three coarse
woolen stockings were for the little nigs; and now whom do you
suppose the others were for? Why, for Mammy and Aunt Milly, to be
sure! Oh, such lots of things-- candies and nuts, and raisins and fruits in
every stocking; then there was a doll baby for each of the children.
Diddie's was a big china doll, with kid feet and hands, and dressed in a
red frock trimmed with black velvet. Dumps's was a wax baby with
eyes that would open and shut; and it had on a long white dress, just

like a sure-enough baby, and a little yellow sack, all worked around
with white.
Tot was so little, and treated her dollies so badly, that "Old Santa" had
brought her an India-rubber baby, dressed in pink tarlatan, with a white
sash.
Dilsey, Chris, and Riar each had an alabaster baby, dressed in white
Swiss, and they were all just alike, except that they had different
colored sashes on.
And Diddie had a book full of beautiful stories, and Dumps had a slate
and pencil, and Tot had a "Noah's ark," and Mammy and Aunt Milly
had red and yellow head "handkerchiefs," and Mammy had a new pair
of "specs" and a nice warm hood, and Aunt Milly had a delaine dress;
and 'way down in the toes of their stockings they each found a
five-dollar gold piece, for Old Santa had seen how patient and good the
two dear old women were to the children, and so he had "thrown in"
these gold pieces.
How the little folks laughed and chatted as they pulled the things out of
their stockings! But pretty soon Mammy made them put them all away,
to get ready for breakfast.
After breakfast the big plantation bell was rung, and the negroes all
came up to the house. And then a great box that had been in the
store-room ever since the wagons got back from the river, three weeks
before, was brought in and opened, and Mrs. Waldron took from it
dresses and hats, and bonnets and coats, and vests and all sorts of
things, until every pair of black hands had received a present, and every
pair of thick lips exclaimed,
"Thankee, mistis! thankee, honey; an' God bless yer!"
And then Chris, who had been looking anxiously every moment or two
towards the quarters, cried out,
"Yon' dey is! I see um! Yon' dey come!"

And down the long avenue appeared the funniest sort of a procession.
First came Aunt Nancy, the "tender," with her head handkerchief tied in
a sharp point that stuck straight up from her head; and behind her, two
and two, came the little quarter negroes, dressed in their brightest and
newest clothes, All were there-- from the boys and girls of fourteen
down to the little wee toddlers of two or three, and some even younger
than that; for in the arms of several of the larger girls were little bits of
black babies, looking all around in their queer kind of way, and
wondering what all this was about.
The procession drew up in front of the house, and Diddie, Dumps and
Tot went from one end of it to the other distributing candies and apples,
and oranges and toys; and how the bright faces did light up with joy as
the little darkies laughed and chuckled, and I dare say would have
jumped up and clapped their hands but for Aunt Nancy, who was
keeping a