ther, said, eagerly,

"Now don't you see here, papa?"

And Major Waldron read, "He was the son of a _distinguished
navigator_." Then, making Diddie spell the words in the book, he
explained to her her mistake, and said he would like to have her
apologize to Miss Carrie for being so rude to her.

This Diddie was very willing to do, and her father went with her to the
sitting-room to find Miss Carrie, who readily forgave Diddie for her
rebellion, and Dumps and Tot for interfering with her discipline. And
that was a great deal more than Mammy did, when she saw the state of
their shoes and stockings, and found that they had been wading in the
ditch.

She slapped the little darkies, and tied red-flannel rags wet with
turpentine round the children's necks to keep them from taking cold, and
scolded and fussed so that the little girls pulled the cover over their
heads and went to sleep, and left her quarrelling.

CHAPTER XIII.

A PLANTATION MEETING AND UNCLE DANIEL'S SERMON.

"Are you gwine ter meetin', Mammy?" asked Diddie one Sunday evening, as
Mammy came out of the house attired in her best flowered muslin, with an
old-fashioned mantilla (that had once been Diddie's grandmother's)
around her shoulders.

"Cose I gwine ter meetin', honey; I'se er tryin' ter sarve de Lord, I
is, caze we ain't gwine stay hyear on dis yearth all de time. We got ter
go ter nudder kentry, chile; an' efn yer don't go ter meetin', an' watch
an' pray, like de Book say fur yer ter do, den yer mus' look out fur
yerse'f wen dat Big Day come wat I hyears 'em talkin' 'bout."

"Can't we go with you, Mammy? We'll be good, an' not laugh at 'em
shoutin'."

"I dunno wat yer gwine loff at 'em shoutin' fur; efn yer don't min' de
loff gwine ter be turnt some er deze days, an' dem wat yer loffs at
hyear, dem's de ones wat's gwine ter do de loffin' wen we gits up
yon'er! But, let erlone dat, yer kin go efn yer wants ter; an' efn
yer'll make has'e an' git yer bunnits, caze I ain't gwine wait no gret
wile. I don't like ter go ter meetin' atter hit starts. I want ter hyear
Brer Dan'l's tex', I duz. I can't neber enj'y de sermon doutn I hyears
de tex'."

You may be sure it wasn't long before the children were all ready, for
they knew Mammy would be as good as her word, and would not wait for
them. When they reached the church, which was a very nice wooden
building that Major Waldron had had built for that purpose, there was a
large crowd assembled