to "keep them quiet," as Dumps said; and such romps and games as they
would have in the old nursery!

There were two rooms included in the nursery-- one the children's
bedroom and the other their playroom, where they kept all their toys
and litter; and during the winter bright wood fires were kept up in
both rooms, that the children might not take cold, and around both
fireplaces were tall brass fenders that were kept polished till they
shone like gold. Yet, in spite of this precaution, do you know that
once Dilsey, Diddie's little maid, actually caught on fire, and her
linsey dress was burned off, and Aunt Milly had to roll her over and
over on the floor, and didn't get her put out till her little black
neck was badly burned, and her little wooly head all singed. After
that she had to be nursed for several days. Diddie carried her her
meals, and Dumps gave her "Stella," a china doll that was perfectly
good, only she had one leg off and her neck cracked; but, for all
that, she was a great favorite in the nursery, and it grieved Dumps
very much to part with her; but she thought it was her "Christian
juty," as she told Diddie; so Aunt Milly made Stella a new green
muslin dress, and she was transferred to Dilsey.

There was no railroad near the plantation, but it was only fifteen
miles to the river, and Major Waldron would go down to New Orleans
every winter to lay in his year's supplies, which were shipped by
steamboats to the landing and hauled from there to the plantation. It
was a jolly time for both white and black when the wagons came from
the river; there were always boxes of fruits and candies and nuts,
besides large trunks which were carried into the store-room till
Christmas, and which everybody knew contained Christmas presents for
"all hands." One winter evening in 1853, the children were all