they lived in a big white house on a cotton plantation in Mississippi.
The house stood in a grove of cedars and live-oaks, and on one side
was a flower-garden, with two summer-houses covered with climbing
roses and honey-suckles, where the little girls would often have
tea-parties in the pleasant spring and summer days. Back of the house
was a long avenue of water-oaks leading to the quarters where the
negroes lived.

Major Waldron, the father of the children, owned a large number of
slaves, and they loved him and his children very dearly. And the
little girls 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 lady-like in her manners.