about obtaining the provisions; their mother always let them have
whatever they wanted to have tea-parties with, and this was their excuse
for procuring some slices of pie and cake, while Aunt Mary gave them
bread and meat, and Douglass gave them some cold buttered biscuit with
ham between.

They wrapped it all up carefully in a bundle, and then, watching their
chances, they slipped off from Tot and the little darkies, as well as
from Mammy, and carried it to their guest in the pick-room. He was truly
glad to see them, and to get the nice breakfast they had brought; and
the little girls, having now lost all fear of him, sat down on a pile of
cotton to have a talk with him.

"Did you always b'long to Mr. Tight-fis' Smith?" asked Diddie.

"No, honey; he bought me fum de Powell 'state, an' I ain't b'longst ter
him no mo'n 'boutn fo' years."

[Illustration: "BRINGIN' 'IM THE PICNIC."]

"Is he got any little girls?" asked Dumps.

"No, missy; his wife an' two chil'en wuz bu'nt up on de steamboat gwine
ter New 'Leans, some twenty years ergo; an' de folks sez dat's wat makes
'im sich er kintankrus man. Dey sez fo' dat he usen ter hab meetin' on
his place, an' he wuz er Christyun man hisse'f; but he got mad 'long er
de Lord caze de steamboat bu'nt up, an' eber sence dat he's been er
mighty wicked man; an' he won't let none er his folks sarve de Lord; an'
he don't 'pyear ter cyar fur nuffin' 'cep'n hit's money. But den, honey,
he ain't no born gemmun, nohow; he's jes only er oberseer wat made 'im