i eesti nc ERLE LILES nL Cn ee
NEGRO LIFE IN AMERICA.

but smoked on in sublime tranquillity, regarding her movements
obliquely out of the corner of her eye, but apparently intent only
on the operations around her.

Miss Ophelia commenced opening a set of drawers.

“ What is this drawer for, Dinah ?” she said.

“Tt’s handy for most anything, missis,” said Dinah. So it
appeared to be, from the variety it contained. Miss Ophelia
Palled out first a fine damask table-cloth stained with blood, having

evidently been used to envelope some raw meat.

“ What's this, Dinah? You don’t wrap up meat im your
mistress’s best table-cloths ?”

“© Lor, missis, no; the towels was all a missin’—so I jest
did it. I laid out to wash that ar—that’s why I put it thar.”

« Shiftless !’’ said Miss Ophelia to herself, proceeding to tumble
over the drawer, where she found a nutmeg-grater and two or
three nutmegs, a Methodist hymn-book, a couple of soiled Madras
handkerchiefs, some yarn and knitting-work, a paper of tobacco
and a pipe, a few crackers, one or two gilded china-saucers with
some pomade in them, one or two thin old shoes, a piece of flan-
nel carefully pinned up inclosing some small white onions, several
damask table-napkins, some coarse crash towels, some twine and
darning-needles, and several broken papers, from which sundry
sweet herbs were sifting into the drawer.

“Where do you keep your nutmegs, Dinah ?” said Miss
Ophelia, with the air of one who prayed for patience.

“ Most anywhar, missis; there's some in that cracked teacup,
up there, and there’s some over in that ar cupboard.”

“Here are some in the grater,” said Miss Ophelia, holding
them up.

“Laws, yes, I put ‘em there this morning—I likes to keep my
things handy,” said Dinah. ‘‘ You Jake! what are you stop-
ping for! You'll cotch it! Be still, thar!” she added, with a
dive of her stick at the criminal.

“What's this?” said Miss Ophelia, holding up the saucer of
pomade.

«Laws, it’s my har grease; I put it thar to have it handy.”

“Do you use your mistress’s best saucers for that ?”

“Law! it was cause I was driv, and in sich a hurry; I was
gwine to change it this very day.”

“ Here are two damask table-napkins.”
we table-napkins I put thar, to get em washed out, some

y.

“Don’t you have some place here on purpose for things to be
washed ?” ‘

“Well, Mas'r St. Clare got dat ar chest, he said, for dat; but
I likes to mix up biscuit and hey my things on it some days,
and then it an’t handy a liftin’ up the lid.”

“Why don’t you mix your biscuits on the pastry-table, there ?”

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