let them stay much longer.

"I know de reason dey so late, Miss Diddie," said Riar; "dey got dat
new mule Sam in de lead in one de wagins and Unker Bill say he know he
gwine cut up, f'um de look in he's eyes."

"Uncle Bill don't know everything," answered Diddie. "There are six
mules in the wagon, and Sam's jest only one of 'em; I reckon he can't
cut up much by hisself; five's more 'n one, ain't it?"

"I do b'lieve we've been out hyear er hun-der-d hours," said Dumps,
yawning wearily; and just then Dilsey and Chris came running towards the
gate, waving their arms and crying,

"Hyear dey come! hyear dey come!" and, sure enough, the great
white-covered wagons came slowly down the road, and Major Waldron on
Prince, his black horse, riding in advance.

He quickened his pace when he caught sight of the children; for he was
very fond of his little daughters, and had been away from them two
weeks, trading in New Orleans. He rode up now to the fence, and lifting
Tot to the saddle before him, took her in his arms and kissed her.

Diddie and Dumps scrambled down from the gate-posts and ran along by the
side of Prince to the house, where their mamma was waiting on the porch.
And oh! such a joyful meeting! such hugging and kissing all around!

Then the wagons came up, and the strong negro men began taking out the
boxes and bundles and carrying them to the store-room.

"Hand me out that covered basket, Nelson," said Major Waldron to one of
the men; and, taking it carefully to the house, he untied the cover, and
there lay two little _white woolly puppies_--one for Diddie, and one for
Dumps.

The little girls clapped their hands and danced with delight.

"Ain't they lovely?" said Dumps, squeezing hers in her arms.

"Lubly," echoed Tot, burying her chubby little hands in the puppy's
wool, while Diddie cuddled hers in her arms as tenderly as if it had
been a baby.

Mammy made a bed for the doggies in a box in one corner of the nursery,
and the children were so excited and so happy that she could hardly get
them to bed at all; but after a while Tot's blue eyes began to droop,
and she fell asleep in Mammy's arms, murmuring, "De booful itty doggie."

"De booful itty doggies," however, did not behave very well; they cried
and howled, and Dumps insisted on taking hers up and rocking him to
sleep.

"Hit's er gittin' so late, honey," urged Mammy, "let 'um stay in de box,
an' go ter bed now, like good chil'en."

"I know I ain'