unt Esmerelda?" Hortense asked, pointing to a bright
rounded utensil hanging above the kitchen table.

Aunt Esmerelda looked.

"Dat's a grater, chile. I grates cheese an' potatoes an' cabbage an'
things wid dat."

She took down the grater.

"On dis side it grates things small and on dis side big."

She hung it in its place again.

"It looks wicked to me," said Hortense. "I shouldn't like to meet it
wandering around the house at night."

"Laws, chile, how yo' talks," Aunt Esmerelda exclaimed startled. "Yo'
gives me de fidgets. Wheh yo' git ideas like dat?"

"Things look that way," said Hortense. "Some look friendly and some
unfriendly. There's the cat and the teakettle. They aren't friendly.
They say all sorts of sly things. Sometime I'm going to hear what they
are. The grater would run after you and scrape you on his sharp sides
if he could."

Aunt Esmerelda shook her head uneasily. From time to time she stared at
Hortense.

"Yo's a curyus chile," she muttered. "I don' know what yo' ma means
a-bringin' yo' up disaway, scaihin' po' ole Aunt Esmerelda. Lan's
sakes, if I ain't done forgit de pertatahs! An' dey's all in de
stoh'room!"

"Where's that?" Hortense asked much interested.

"In de basement," said Aunt Esmerelda, "an' it's powahful dark down
deh."

"I'll go with you," said Hortense eagerly. "I'd like to see it."

Aunt Esmerelda lighted a candle and, taking a large pan, opened the
door leading to the basement.

It was a large basement, and the candle was not sufficient to light its
more remote corners. They passed a huge dark furnace with its arms
stretching out on all sides like a spider's legs. In front of it was a
coal bin, large and black.

Aunt Esmerelda opened the door of the storeroom. Within were barrels
and boxes, and hanging shelves laden with row upon row of preserves in
jars and regiments of jelly glasses, each with its paper top and its
white label.

Aunt Esmerelda filled her pan with potatoes from the barrel and led the
way from the storeroom. Closing the door, she led the way back
upstairs.

A sudden noise of something falling and of little scurrying feet led
her to stop abruptly. Hortense drew close to her. Aunt Esmerelda was
shaking, and by the light of the candle Hortense could see the whites
of her eyes gleaming as she looked all about her.

They started again for the cellar stairs. When they had reached the
furnace, a sudden gust of wind blew out the candle. In a far co