in the years to come; and on this occasion, as there were quite a number of the families from the adjacent plantations present, she was horrified to see Dumps eating as heartily, and with as evident satisfaction, as if she had been alone in the nursery at home.  Diddie, too, had taken her second piece of barbecued squirrel, and seemed to be enjoying it very much, when a shake of Mammy’s head reminded her of the impropriety of such a proceeding; so she laid aside the squirrel, and minced delicately over some less substantial food.  The frowns and nods, however, were thrown away upon Dumps; she ate of everything she wanted until she was fully satisfied, and I grieve to say that her papa encouraged her in such unladylike behavior by helping her liberally to whatever she asked for.

But after the dinner was over, and after the darkies had played and danced until quite late, and after the ladies and gentlemen had had several very interesting games of euchre and whist, and after the little folks had wandered about as much as they pleased—­ swinging on grape-vines and riding on “saplings,” and playing “base” and “stealing goods,” and tiring themselves out generally—­ and after they had been all duly stowed away in the spring-wagon and had started for home, then Mammy began at Dumps about her unpardonable appetite.

“But I was hungry, Mammy,” apologized the little girl.

“I don’t cyer ef’n yer wuz,” replied Mammy; “dat ain’t no reason fur yer furgittin’ yer manners, an’ stuffin’ yerse’f right fo’ all de gemmuns.  Miss Diddie dar, she burhavt like er little lady, jes kinter foolin’ wid her knife an’ fork, an’ nuber eatin’ nuffin’ hardly; an’ dar you wuz jes ir pilin’ in shotes an’ lams an’ squ’ls, an’ roas’n yurs, an’ pickles an’ puddin’s an’ cakes an’ watermillions, tell I wuz dat shame fur ter call yer marster’s darter!”

And poor little Dumps, now that the enormity of her sin was brought home to her, and the articles eaten so carefully enumerated, began to feel very much like a boa-constrictor, and the tears fell from her eyes as Mammy continued: 

“I done nust er heap er chil’en in my time, but I ain’t nuber seed no white chile eat fo de gemmuns like you duz.  It pyears like I can’t nuber larn you no manners, nohow.”

“Let de chile erlone, Sis Rachel,” interposed Uncle Bob; “she ain’t no grown lady, an’ I seed marster he’p’n uv her plate hisse’f; she nuber eat none too much, consid’n hit wuz de Fourf uv July.”

“Didn’t I eat no shotes an’ lambs, Uncle Bob?” asked Dumps, wiping her eyes.

“I don’t b’lieve yer did,” said Uncle Bob.  “I seed yer eat er squ’l or two, an’ er few fish, likely; an’ dem, wid er sprinklin’ uv roas’n yurs an’ cakes, wuz de mos’ wat I seed yer eat.”

“An’ dat wuz too much,” said Mammy, “right befo’ de gemmuns.”

But Dumps was comforted at Uncle Bob’s moderate statement of the case, and so Mammy’s lecture lost much of its intended severity.