rls loved them, particularly "Mammy," who had nursed their mother, and
now had entire charge of the children; and Aunt Milly, a lame yellow
woman, who helped Mammy in the nursery; and Aunt Edy, the head
laundress, who was never too busy to amuse them. Then there was Aunt
Nancy, the "tender," who attended to the children for the field-hands,
and old Uncle Snake-bit Bob, who could scarcely walk at all, because he
had been bitten by a snake when he was a boy: so now he had a little
shop, where he made baskets of white-oak splits for the hands to pick
cotton in; and he always had a story ready for the children, and would
let them help him weave baskets whenever Mammy would take them to the
shop.

Besides these, there were Riar, Chris, and Dilsey, three little negroes,
who belonged to the little girls and played with them, and were in
training to be their maids by-and-by.

Diddie, the oldest of the children, was nine years of age, and had a
governess, Miss Carrie, who had taught her to read quite well, and even
to write a letter. She was a quiet, thoughtful little girl, well
advanced for her age, and ladylike in her manners.

Dumps, the second sister, was five, full of fun and mischief, and gave
Mammy a great deal of trouble on account of her wild tomboyish ways.

Tot, the baby, was a tiny, little blue-eyed child of three, with long
light curls, who was always amiable and sweet-tempered, and was petted
by everybody who knew her.

Now, you must not think that the little girls had been carried to the
font and baptized with such ridiculous names as Diddie, Dumps, and Tot:
these were only pet names that Mammy had given them; but they had been
called by them so long that many persons forgot that Diddie's name was
Madeleine, that Dumps had been baptized Elinor, and that Tot bore her
mother's name of Eugenia, for they were known as Diddie, Dumps, and Tot
to all of their friends.

The little girls were very happy in their plantation home. 'Tis true
they lived 'way out in the country, and had no museums nor toy-shops to
visit, no fine parks to walk or ride in, nor did they have a very great
variety of toys. They had some dolls and books, and a baby-house
furnished with little beds and chairs and tables; and they had a big
Newfoundland dog, Old Bruno; and Dumps and Tot both had a little kitten
apiece; and there was "Old Billy," who once upon a time had been a
frisky little lamb, Diddie's special pet; but now he was a vicious old