Diddie, Dumps, and Tot
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Louise Clarke Pyrnelle >> Diddie, Dumps, and Tot
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DIDDIE, DUMPS, AND TOT
OR
PLANTATION CHILD-LIFE
by
LOUISE-CLARKE PYRNELLE
TO MY DEAR FATHER
DR. RICHARD CLARKE
OF SELMA, ALABAMA
MY HERO AND MY BEAU
IDEAL OF A GENTLEMAN
I DEDICATE THIS BOOK
WITH THE LOVE OF HIS
DAUGHTER
PREFACE
IN writing this little volume, I had for my primary object the idea of
keeping alive many of the old stories, legends, traditions, games,
hymns, and superstitions of the Southern slaves, which, with this
generation of negroes, will pass away. There are now no more dear old
"Mammies" and "Aunties" in our nurseries, no more good old "Uncles" in
the workshops, to tell the children those old tales that have been
told to our mothers and grandmothers for generations-- the stories
that kept our fathers and grandfathers quiet at night, and induced
them to go early to bed that they might hear them the sooner.
Nor does my little book pretend to be any defence of slavery. I know
not whether it was right or wrong (there are many pros and cons on the
subject); but it was the law of the land, made by statesmen from the
North as well as the South, long before my day, or my father's or
grandfather's day; and, born under that law a slave-holder, and the
descendant of slave-holders, raised in the heart of the cotton
section, surrounded by negroes from my earliest infancy, "I KNOW
whereof I do speak"; and it is to tell of the pleasant and happy
relations that existed between master and slave that I write this
story of Diddie, Dumps, and Tot.
The stories, plantation games, and Hymns are just as I heard them in
my childhood. I have learned that Mr. Harris, in Uncle Remus, has
already given the "Tar Baby"; but I have not seen his book, and, as
our versions are probably different, I shall let mine remain just as
"Chris" told it to the "chil'en."
I hope that none of my readers will be shocked at the seeming
irreverence of my book, for that intimacy with the "Lord" was
characteristic of the negroes. They believed implicitly in a Special
Providence and direct punishment or reward, and that faith they
religiously tried to impress upon their young charges, white or black;
and "heavy, heavy hung over our heads" was the DEVIL!
The least little departure from a marked-out course of morals or
manners was sure to be followed by, "Nem' min', de deb'l gwine git
yer."
And what the Lord 'lowed and what he didn't 'low was perfectly well
known to every darky. For instance, "he didn't 'low no singin' uv
week-er-day chunes uv er Sunday," nor "no singin' uv reel chunes"
(dance music) at any time; nor did he "'low no sassin' of ole
pussons."
The "chu'ch membahs" had their little differences of opinion. Of
course they might differ on such minor points as "immersion" and
"sprinklin'," "open" or "close" communion; but when it came to such
grave matters as "singin' uv reel chunes," or "sassin' uv ole
pussons," Baptists and Methodists met on common ground, and stood
firm.
Nor did our Mammies and Aunties neglect our manners. To say "yes" or
"no" to any person, white or black, older than ourselves was
considered very rude; it must always be "yes, mam," "no, mam"; "yes,
sir," "no, sir"; and those expressions are still, and I hope ever will
be, characteristic of Southerners.
The child-life that I have portrayed is over now; for no hireling can
ever be to the children what their Mammies were, and the strong tie
between the negroes and "marster's chil'en" is broken forever.
So, hoping that my book (which claims no literary merit) will serve to
amuse the little folks, and give them an insight into a childhood
peculiar to the South in her palmy days, without further preface I
send out my volume of Plantation Child-life.
LOUISE-CLARKE PYRNELLE.
COLUMBUS, GA.
_________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
I. DIDDIE, DUMPS, AND TOT
II. CHRISTMAS ON THE OLD PLANTATION
III. MAMMY'S STORY
IV. OLD BILLY
V. DIDDIE'S BOOK
VI. UNCLE SNAKE-BIT BOB'S SUNDAY-SCHOOL
VII. POOR ANN
VIII. UNCLE BOB'S PROPOSITION
IX. AUNT EDY'S STORY
X. PLANTATION GAMES
XI. DIDDIE IN TROUBLE
XII. HOW THE WOODPECKER'S HEAD AND THE ROBIN'S BREAST CAME TO BE RED
XIII. A PLANTATION MEETING, AND UNCLE DANIEL'S SERMON
XIV. DIDDIE AND DUMPS GO VISITING
XV. THE FOURTH OF JULY
XVI. "'STRUCK'N UV DE CHIL'EN"
XVII. WHAT BECAME OF THEM
_________________________________________________________________
DIDDIE, DUMPS AND TOT
CHAPTER I
DIDDIE, DUMPS AND TOT
THEY were three little sisters, daughters of a Southern planter, and
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.
Dumps, the second sister, was five, full of fun and mischief, and gave
Mammy a great deal of trouble on account of her wild tomboyish ways.
Tot, the baby, was a tiny, little blue-eyed child of three, with long
light curls, who was always amiable and sweet-tempered, and was petted
by everybody who knew her.
Now, you must not think that the little girls had been carried to the
font and baptized with such ridiculous names as Diddie, Dumps, and
Tot: these were only pet names that Mammy had given them; but they had
been called by them so long that many persons forgot that Diddie's
name was Madeleine, that Dumps had been baptized Elinor, and that Tot
bore her mother's name of Eugenia, for they were known as Diddie,
Dumps and Tot to all of their friends.
The little girls were very happy in their plantation home. 'Tis true
they lived 'way out in the country, and had no museums nor toy-shops
to visit, no fine parks to walk or ride in, nor did they have a very
great variety of toys. They had some dolls and books, and a baby-house
furnished with little beds and chairs and tables; and they had a big
Newfoundland dog, Old Bruno; and Dumps and Tot both had a little
kitten apiece; and there was "Old Billy," who once upon a time had
been a frisky little lamb, Diddie's special pet; but now he was a
vicious old sheep, who amused the children very much by running after
them whenever he could catch them out-of-doors. Sometimes, though, he
would butt them over and hurt them and Major Waldron had several times
had him turned into the pasture; but Diddie would always cry and beg
for him to be brought back and so Old Billy was nearly always in the
yard.
Then there was Corbin, the little white pony that belonged to all of
the children together, and was saddled and bridled every fair day, and
tied to the horse-rack, that the little girls might ride him whenever
they chose; and 'twas no unusual sight to see two of them on him at
once, cantering down the big road or through the grove.
And, besides all these amusements, Mammy or Aunt Milly or Aunt Edy, or
some of the negroes, would tell them tales; and once in a while they
would slip off and go to the quarters, to Aunt Nancy the tender's
cabin, and play with the little quarter children. They particularly
liked to go there about dark to hear the little negroes say their
prayers.
Aunt Nancy would make them all kneel down in a row, and clasp their
hands and shut their eyes: then she would say, "Our Father, who art in
heaven," and all the little darkies together would repeat each
petition after her; and if they didn't all keep up, and come out
together, she would give the delinquent a sharp cut with a long switch
that she always kept near her. So the prayer was very much interrupted
by the little "nigs" telling on each other, calling out "Granny" (as
they all called Aunt Nancy), "Jim didn't say his 'kingdom come.'"
"Yes I did, Granny; don't yer b'lieve dat gal; I said jes' much
'kingdom come' ez she did."
And presently Jim would retaliate by saying,
"Granny, Polly nuber sed nuf'n 'bout her 'cruspusses.'"
"Lord-ee! jes' lis'n at dat nigger," Polly would say. "Granny, don't
yer min' 'im; I sed furgib us cruspusses, jes' ez plain ez anybody,
and Ginny hyeard me; didn't yer, Ginny?"
At these interruptions Aunt Nancy would stop to investigate the
matter, and whoever was found in fault was punished with strict and
impartial justice.
Another very interesting time to visit the quarters was in the morning
before breakfast, to see Aunt Nancy give the little darkies their
"vermifuge." She had great faith in the curative properties of a very
nauseous vermifuge that she had made herself by stewing some kind of
herbs in molasses, and every morning she would administer a
teaspoonful of it to every child under her care; and she used to say,
"Ef'n hit want fur dat furmifuge, den marster wouldn't hab all dem
niggers w'at yer see hyear."
Now, I don't know about that; but I do know that the little darkies
would rather have had fewer "niggers" and less "furmifuge;" for they
acted shamefully every time they were called upon to take a dose. In
the first place, whenever Aunt Nancy appeared with the bottle and
spoon, as many of the children as could get away would flee for their
lives, and hide themselves behind the hen-coops and ash-barrels, and
under the cabins, and anywhere they could conceal themselves.
But that precaution was utterly useless, for Aunt Nancy would make
them all form in a line, and in that way would soon miss any
absentees; but there were always volunteers to hunt out and run down
and bring back the shirkers, who, besides having to take the
vermifuge, would get a whipping into the bargain.
And even after Aunt Nancy would get them into line and their hands
crossed behind their backs, she would have to watch very closely, or
some wicked little "nig" would slip into the place of the one just
above him, and make a horrible face, and spit, and wipe his mouth as
if he had just taken his dose; and thereby the one whose place he had
taken would have to swallow a double portion, while he escaped
entirely; or else a scuffle would ensue, and a very animated
discussion between the parties as to who had taken the last dose; and
unless it could be decided satisfactorily, Aunt Nancy would administer
a dose to each one; for, in her opinion, "too much furmifuge wuz
better'n none."
And so you see the giving of the vermifuge consumed considerable time.
After that was through with she would begin again at the head of the
line, and making each child open its mouth to its fullest extent, she
would examine each throat closely, and, if any of them had their
"palates down," she would catch up a little clump of hair right on top
of their heads and wrap it around as tightly as she could with a
string, and then, catching hold of this "top-knot," she would pull
with all her might to bring up the palate. The unlucky little "nig" in
the meanwhile kept up the most unearthly yells, for so great was the
depravity among them that they had rather have their palates down than
up. Keeping their "palate locks" tied was a source of great trouble
and worriment to Aunt Nancy.
The 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 wooly 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 let them stay much longer.
"I know de reason dey so late, Miss Diddie," said Riar, "dey got dat
new mule Sam in de lead in one de wagins, and Unker Bill say he know
he gwine cut up, f'um de look in he's eyes."
"Uncle Bill don't know everything," answered Diddie. "There are six
mules in the wagon, and Sam's jest only one of 'em; I reckon he can't
cut up much by hisself; five's more'n one, ain't it?"
"I do b'lieve we've been out hyear er hun-der-d hours," said Dumps,
yawning wearily; and just then Dilsey and Chris came running towards
the gate, waving their arms and crying,
"Hyear dey come! hyear dey come!" and, sure enough, the great
white-covered wagons came slowly down the road, and Major Waldron on
Prince, his black horse, riding in advance.
He quickened his pace when he caught sight of the children; for he was
very fond of his little daughters, and had been away from them two
weeks, trading in New Orleans. He rode up now to the fence, and
lifting Tot to the saddle before him, took her in his arms and kissed
her.
Diddie and Dumps scrambled down from the gate-posts and ran along by
the side of Prince to the house, where their mamma was waiting on the
porch. And oh! such a joyful meeting! such hugging and kissing all
around!
Then the wagons came up, and the strong negro men began taking out the
boxes and bundles and carrying them to the storeroom.
"Hand me out that covered basket, Nelson," said Major Waldron to one
of the men; and taking it carefully to the house, he untied the cover,
and there lay two little white woolly puppies-- one for Diddie, and
one for Dumps.
The little girls clapped their hands and danced with delight.
"Ain't they lovely?" said Dumps, squeezing hers in her arms.
"Lubly," echoed Tot, burying her chubby little hands in the puppy's
wool, while Diddie cuddled hers in her arms as tenderly as if it had
been a baby.
Mammy made a bed for the doggies in a box in one corner of the
nursery, and the children were so excited and so happy that she could
hardly get them to bed at all; but after a while Tot's blue eyes began
to droop, and she fell asleep in Mammy's arms, murmuring, "De booful
itty doggie."
"De booful itty doggies," however, did not behave very well; they
cried and howled, and Dumps insisted on taking hers up and rocking him
to sleep.
"Hit's er gittin' so late, honey," urged Mammy, "let 'um stay in de
box, an' go ter bed now, like good chil'en."
"I know I ain't, Mammy," replied Dumps. "You mus' think I ain't got no
feelin's ter go ter bed an' leave 'im hollerin'. I'm er goin' ter rock
'im ter sleep in my little rockin'-cheer, an' you needn't be er
fussin' at me nuther."
"I ain't er fussin' at yer, chile; I'm jes' 'visin' uv yer fur yer
good; caze hit's yer bed-time, an' dem puppies will likely holler all
night."
"Then we will sit up all night," said Diddie, in her determined way.
"I'm like Dumps; I'm not going to bed an' leave 'im cryin'."
So Mammy drew her shawl over her head and lay back in her chair for a
nap, while Diddie and Dumps took the little dogs in their arms and sat
before the fire rocking; and Chris and Dilsey and Riar all squatted on
the floor around the fender, very much interested in. the process of
getting the puppies quiet.
Presently Dumps began to sing:
"Ef'n 'ligion was er thing that money could buy,
O reign, Marse Jesus, er reign;
De rich would live, an' de po' would die,
O reign, Marse Jesus, er reign.
Chorus
O reign, reign, reign, er my Lord,
O reign, Marse Jesus, er reign:
O reign, reign, reign, er my Lord,
O reign, Marse Jesus, er reign.
But de Lord he 'lowed he wouldn't have it so.
O reign, Marse Jesus, er reign;
So de rich mus' die jes' same as de po',
O reign, Marse Jesus, er reign."
This was one of the plantation hymns with which Mammy often used to
sing Tot to sleep, and all the children were familiar with the words
and air; so now they all joined in the singing, and very sweet music
it was. They had sung it through several times, and the puppies,
finding themselves so outdone in the matter of noise, had curled up in
the children's laps and were fast asleep, when Diddie interrupted the
chorus to ask:
"Dumps, what are you goin' ter name your doggie?"
"I b'lieve I'll name 'im 'Papa,'" replied Dumps, "because he give 'im
ter me."
"'Papa,' indeed!" said Diddie, contemptuously; "that's no name for a
dog; I'm goin' ter name mine after some great big somebody."
"Lord-ee! I tell yer, Miss Diddie; name 'im Marse Samson, atter de man
w'at Mammy wuz tellin' 'bout totin' off de gates," said Dilsey.
"No yer don't, Miss Diddie; don't yer name 'im no sich," said Chris;
"le's name im' Marse Whale, w'at swallered de man an' nuber chawed
'im."
"No, I sha'n't name him nothin' out'n the Bible," said Diddie,
"because that's wicked, and maybe God wouldn't let him live, just for
that; I b'lieve I'll name him Christopher Columbus, 'cause if he
hadn't discovered America there wouldn't er been no people hyear, an'
I wouldn't er had no father nor mother, nor dog, nor nothin'; an',
Dumps, sposin' you name yours Pocahontas, that was er beau-ti-ful
Injun girl, an' she throwed her arms 'roun' Mr. Smith an' never let
the tomahawks kill 'im."
"I know I ain't goin' to name mine no Injun," said Dumps, decidedly.
"Yer right, Miss Dumps; now yer's er talkin'," said Riar; "I wouldn't
name 'im no Injun; have 'im tearin' folks' hyar off, like Miss Diddie
reads in de book. I don't want ter hab nuffin 'tall ter do wid no
Injuns; no, sar! I don't like' dem folks."
"Now, chil'en de dogs is 'sleep," said Mammy, yawning and rubbing her
eyes; "go ter bed, won't yer?"
And the little girls, after laying the puppies in the box and covering
them with an old shawl, were soon fast asleep. But there was not much
sleep in the nursery that night; the ungrateful little dogs howled and
cried all night. Mammy got up three times and gave them warm milk, and
tucked them up in the shawl; but no sooner would she put them back in
the box than they would begin to cry and howl. And so at the
breakfast-table next morning, when Dumps asked her papa to tell her
something to name her puppy, Diddie gravely remarked,
"I think, Dumps, we had better name 'um Cherubim an' Seraphim, for
they continually do cry."
And her papa was so amused at the idea that he said he thought so too;
and thus the puzzling question of the names was decided, and the
little wooly poodles were called Cherubim and Seraphim, and became
great pets in the household.
CHAPTER II
CHRISTMAS ON THE OLD PLANTATION
CHRISTMAS morning, 1853, dawned cold and rainy, and scarcely had the
first gray streak appeared when the bolt of the nursery was quietly
turned, and Dilsey's little black head peered in through the half-open
door.
"Chris'mus gif', chil'en!" she called out, and in a twinkling Diddie,
Dumps and Tot were all wide awake, and climbing over the side of the
bed. Then the three little sisters and Dilsey tip-toed all around to
everybody's rooms, catching "Chris'mus gif';" but just as they were
creeping down-stairs to papa and mamma two little forms jumped from
behind the hall door, and Riar and Chris called out, "Chris'mus gif'!"
and laughed and danced to think they had "cotch de white chil'en."
As soon as everybody had been caught they all went into the
sitting-room to see what Santa Clause had brought, and there were
eight stockings all stuffed full! Three long, white stockings, that
looked as if they might be mamma's, were for the little girls, and
three coarse woolen stockings were for the little nigs; and now whom
do you suppose the others were for? Why, for Mammy and Aunt Milly, to
be sure! Oh, such lots of things-- candies and nuts, and raisins and
fruits in every stocking; then there was a doll baby for each of the
children. Diddie's was a big china doll, with kid feet and hands, and
dressed in a red frock trimmed with black velvet. Dumps's was a wax
baby with eyes that would open and shut; and it had on a long white
dress, just like a sure-enough baby, and a little yellow sack, all
worked around with white.
Tot was so little, and treated her dollies so badly, that "Old Santa"
had brought her an India-rubber baby, dressed in pink tarlatan, with a
white sash.
Dilsey, Chris, and Riar each had an alabaster baby, dressed in white
Swiss, and they were all just alike, except that they had different
colored sashes on.
And Diddie had a book full of beautiful stories, and Dumps had a slate
and pencil, and Tot had a "Noah's ark," and Mammy and Aunt Milly had
red and yellow head "handkerchiefs," and Mammy had a new pair of
"specs" and a nice warm hood, and Aunt Milly had a delaine dress; and
'way down in the toes of their stockings they each found a five-dollar
gold piece, for Old Santa had seen how patient and good the two dear
old women were to the children, and so he had "thrown in" these gold
pieces.
How the little folks laughed and chatted as they pulled the things out
of their stockings! But pretty soon Mammy made them put them all away,
to get ready for breakfast.
After breakfast the big plantation bell was rung, and the negroes all
came up to the house. And then a great box that had been in the
store-room ever since the wagons got back from the river, three weeks
before, was brought in and opened, and Mrs. Waldron took from it
dresses and hats, and bonnets and coats, and vests and all sorts of
things, until every pair of black hands had received a present, and
every pair of thick lips exclaimed,
"Thankee, mistis! thankee, honey; an' God bless yer!"
And then Chris, who had been looking anxiously every moment or two
towards the quarters, cried out,
"Yon' dey is! I see um! Yon' dey come!"
And down the long avenue appeared the funniest sort of a procession.
First came Aunt Nancy, the "tender," with her head handkerchief tied
in a sharp point that stuck straight up from her head; and behind her,
two and two, came the little quarter negroes, dressed in their
brightest and newest clothes, All were there-- from the boys and girls
of fourteen down to the little wee toddlers of two or three, and some
even younger than that; for in the arms of several of the larger girls
were little bits of black babies, looking all around in their queer
kind of way, and wondering what all this was about.
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