CHAPTER XIV
DIDDIE AND DUMPS GO VISITING
IT was some time in June that, the weather being fine, Mammy gave the
children permission to go down to the woods beyond the gin-house and
have a picnic.
They had a nice lunch put up in their little baskets, and started off
in high glee, taking with them Cherubim and Seraphim and the doll
babies. They were not to stay all day, only till dinner-time; so they
had no time to lose, but set to playing at once.
First, it was "ladies come to see," and each of them had a house under
the shade of a tree, and spent most of the time visiting and in taking
care of their respective families. Dumps had started out with Cherubim
for her little boy; but he proved so refractory, and kept her so busy
catching him, that she decided to play he was the yard dog, and
content herself with the dolls for her children. Riar, too, had some
trouble in her family; in passing through the yard, she had inveigled
Hester's little two-year-old son to go with them, and now was desirous
of claiming him as her son and heir-- a position which he filled very
contentedly until Diddie became ambitious of living in more style than
her neighbors, and offered Pip (Hester's baby) the position of
dining-room servant in her establishment; and he, lured off by the
prospect of playing with the little cups and saucers, deserted Riar
for Diddie.
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