e winter was always a great season with the children; Mammy would let
them have so many candy-stews, and they parched "goobers" in the
evenings, and Aunt Milly had to make them so many new doll's clothes, 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
woolly 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 gathered at the big gate, on the
lookout for the wagons. Diddie was perched upon one gate-post and Dumps
on the other, while Tot was sitting on the fence, held on by Riar, lest
she might fall. Dilsey and Chris were stationed 'way down the road to
catch the first glimpse of the wagons. They were all getting very
impatient, for they had been out there nearly an hour, and it was now
getting so late they knew Mammy would not