Tempest and Sunshine | Page 4

which kept the cold out if they did not let the light in.
Scattered about the yard, which was very large, were corn cribs, hay
racks, pig troughs, carts, wagons, old plows, horses, mules, cows, hens,
chickens, turkeys, geese, negroes, and dogs, the latter of which rushed
ferociously at Mr. Wilmot, who was about to beat a retreat from so
uninviting quarters, when one of the negroes called out, "Ho, marster,
don't be feared, 'case I'll hold Tiger." So Wilmot advanced with some
misgivings toward the negro and dog.
He asked the negro if his master were at home.
"No, sar, marster's done gone away, but Miss Nancy, she's at home. Jist
walk right in thar, whar you see the pile of saddles in the entry."
Accordingly, Mr. Wilmot "walked in where the pile of saddles were,"
and knocked at a side door. It was opened by a very handsome young
girl, who politely asked the stranger to enter. He did so and found
within a mild-looking, middle-aged lady, whose dark eyes and hair
showed her at once to be the mother of the young lady who had opened
the door for him.
Mrs. Middleton, for she it was, arose, and offering her hand to the
stranger, asked him to be seated in the large stuffed chair which stood
before the cheerful blazing fire. In a few moments he had introduced
himself, told his business and inquired for Mr. Middleton.
"My husband is absent," said Mrs. Middleton, "but he will be at home
tonight and we shall be glad to have you remain with us till tomorrow
at least, and as much longer as you like, for I think Mr. Middleton will
be glad to assist you in getting a school."
Mr. Wilmot accepted the invitation and then looked round the room to
see if the interior of the house corresponded with the exterior, It did not,
for the room, though large, was very comfortable. The floor was
covered with a bright-colored home-made carpet. In one corner stood a
bed, the counterpane of which was as white as snow, and the curtains of
the windows were of the same hue. In another corner was a small
bookcase, well filled with books and on a stand near a window were

several house plants.
He concluded that the books and the plants were the property of the
young lady, whom Mrs. Middleton introduced to him as her eldest
daughter Julia. She was an intelligent-looking girl, and Mr. Wilmot
instantly felt interested in her, but when he attempted to converse with
her, she stole quietly out of the room, leaving her mother to entertain
the visitor.
At last supper was brought in by old Aunt Judy, who courtesied so low
to the "young marster," that she upset the coffee pot, the contents of
which fell upon a spaniel, which lay before the fire. The outcries of the
dog brought Miss Julia from the kitchen, and this time she was
accompanied by her younger sister, Fanny, who together with Julia and
Aunt Judy, lamented over the wounded animal.
"I didn't go to do it, sartin, Miss July," said Aunt Judy, "Lor' knows I
didn't."
"Who said you did, you black thing, you?" said Julia, who in her grief
for her favorite, and her anger at Aunt Judy, forgot the stranger, and her
bashfulness, too. "You were careless, I know you were," she continued,
"or you never could have tipped the coffee over in this manner."
"Never mind, sister," said Fanny, "never mind; of course, Aunt Judy
didn't mean to do it, for she likes Dido as well as we do."
"Lor' bless Miss Fanny's sweet face, that I do like Dido," said Aunt
Judy.
"Yes, that you do," repeated Julia mockingly, "just as though you could
like anything."
Here Mrs. Middleton interposed and ordered Julia and Fanny to take
their seats at the table, while Judy cleared away all traces of the disaster.
Julia complied with an ill-grace, muttering something about "the
hateful negroes," while Fanny obeyed readily, and laughingly made
some remark to Mr. Wilmot about their making so much ado over a

dog, "but," said she, "we are silly girls, and of course do silly things.
Probably we shall do better when we get old like you--no, like mother,
I mean."
Here she stopped, blushing deeply at having called Mr. Wilmot old,
when in fact she thought him quite young, and very handsome--in short,
"just the thing." She thought to herself, "There, I've done it now! Julia
and I have both introduced ourselves to him in a pretty light, but it's
just like me--however, I'll not say another word tonight!"
The little incident of the coffee pot gave Mr. Wilmot something of an
insight into the character and disposition of the two girls. And