Oiled Calico

[Illustration]

A few days after the disaster in the family chapel, my mother's cousin,
Mrs. Bray, came to see us, bringing her daughter Lucy. Their home had
been in Henrico County, but Mr. Bray had "the western fever." My mother
and Aunt Eliza Carter said so in my hearing before the Brays' visit, and
when they arrived I was surprised to see him looking so well and strong
and that he had a hearty appetite. They were on their way to Ohio,
travelling in their own carriage, and having also along with them a huge
covered wagon, drawn by four fine horses, and packed full of furniture.
This wagon was rolled into an empty carriage-house and kept there,
locked up, while they stayed.

They had planned to spend Sunday with us, just to say "Good-by," and to
move on, on Monday. On Saturday night, Cousin Mary Bray was taken ill,
and before morning the tiniest baby I ever saw was born. It was very
weak, too, and cried like a kitten all the time it was awake. The mother
had to be kept perfectly quiet. The dogs were sent to "the quarters,"
and everybody went about on tiptoe and talked in whispers. It was very
dreadful until Monday morning, when an enchanting change was made in
domestic arrangements.

The house was a rambling building, with three separate staircases--none
of them back stairs--and two wings, besides what I made my father laugh
by calling "the tail," in which was "the chamber." Cousin Mary Bray's
room was in the second story of the south wing, which was connected by a
corridor with the main house. In the north wing was a lumber room that
had once been used as a bedroom, and had a good fireplace. Mam' Chloe
set a couple of men to pile trunks, old chairs, bedsteads, and the like,
in one corner, and two maids to sweeping and cleaning up the dust; and
when half of the room was empty and "broom-clean," had a fire kindled,
and our playthings and ourselves taken over to that end of the house. In
the corner farthest from the fire were heaped a mattress, a feather-bed,
some old blankets and comfortables, and this became, forthwith, our
favorite resort. Even Mary 'Liza entered into the fun of climbing upon
the pile that let us sink down, _down_, ever so far, and, pulling the
blankets over us, making believe that we were in a big covered wagon,
and going to Ohio. Our dolls, and a few other toys, went with us, and we
munched ginger cakes and apples, and played that it was night and we
were to sleep in the wago