came up to the house. And then a great box that had been in the
store-room ever since the wagons got back from the river, three weeks
before, was brought in and opened, and Mrs. Waldron took from it
dresses and hats, and bonnets and coats, and vests and all sorts of
things, until every pair of black hands had received a present, and
every pair of thick lips exclaimed,

"Thankee, mistis! thankee, honey; an' God bless yer!"

And then Chris, who had been looking anxiously every moment or two
towards the quarters, cried out,

"Yon' dey is! I see um! Yon' dey come!"

And down the long avenue appeared the funniest sort of a procession.
First came Aunt Nancy, the "tender," with her head handkerchief tied
in a sharp point that stuck straight up from her head; and behind her,
two and two, came the little quarter negroes, dressed in their
brightest and newest clothes, All were there-- from the boys and girls
of fourteen down to the little wee toddlers of two or three, and some
even younger than that; for in the arms of several of the larger girls
were little bits of black babies, looking all around in their queer
kind of way, and wondering what all this was about.

The procession drew up in front of the house, and Diddie, Dumps and
Tot went from one end of it to the other distributing candies and
apples, and oranges and toys; and how the bright faces did light up
with joy as the little darkies laughed and chuckled, and I dare say
would have jumped up and clapped their hands but for Aunt Nancy, who
was keeping a sharp eye upon them, and who would say, as every present