my "low-lived, onladylike ways," and
warned me of her solemn intention to "tell my mother on me," the next
time such a disgraceful thing happened. I did not mind the lecture. I
knew Mam' Chloe, and she (Heaven rest her white, faithful soul in the
Kingdom where the bond are free!) knew me, I verily believe, better than
the mother that bore me.

Toilet and tirade ended, she slid me, as she might a proscribed book,
through a crack in the side-door into the dining room, where Uncle Ike,
her husband, was in waiting. He, in turn, smuggled me behind my mother's
back to the side-table, there being no room for us children at the main
board that day.

None of the dozen grown-up diners noticed me, or that Mary 'Liza,
sitting prim and dainty on her side of our table, had her doll by her in
another chair, and interrupted her meal, once in a while, to caress her
or to re-arrange her curls and skirts. I affected not to see the
pantomime, which I chose to assume was enacted for my further
exasperation. I was apparently as indifferent to Uncle Ike's shameless
partiality in loading my plate with choice tidbits, such as a gizzard, a
merry-thought, or a cheese-cake, while Mary 'Liza had to ask twice for
what she wanted. What was not tasteless was bitter to my palate. I
wondered, dully, why the sight of the doll-baby and the fuss her owner
made over her, turned me sick. As soon as I could get away, I slipped
down, and out at the friendly side-door, and went to find Musidora.
There was a new bond of union between us. She had no beautiful sister, I
no beautiful daughter. Sitting down upon the hot step, before the
kitchen yard, I hugged her hard and cried a little over her, in a brief,
stormy way. The tears hurt me, as they came, and did not ease the hot
ache in my chest or the lump in my throat.

At this juncture, when my misery was at its height, I heard Mary 'Liza
in the chamber behind me, cooing to, and hushing her doll-baby, with
tones and words copied faithfully from my mother's talk over my
brother's cradle.

"Wouldn't you like to rock her a little while?" she called presently. "I
wouldn't mind if you'd promise not to touch her. Sometimes your hands
are not clean, you know."

I set my jaws savagely outside of my leaping tongue, not moving or
looking up when I felt her standing close by me. Musidora had dropped
from my lap, and lay, face downward, on the step. Mary 'Liza picked her
up, and brushed the dust from her inexpressive vi