What Might Have Been Expected | Page 6

through the woods. Her old friends were around her,
and though she knew them all so well, she could not stop to spend any
time with them. There were the oaks--the black-oak with its shining
many-pointed leaves, the white-oak with its lighter green though
duller-hued foliage, and the chestnut-oak with its long and thickly
clustered leaves. Then there were the sweet-gums, fragrant and
star-leaved, and the black-gum, tough, dark, and unpretending. No little
girl in the county knew more about the trees of her native place than
Kate; for she had made good use of her long rides through the country
with her father. Here were the chincapin-bushes, like miniature
chestnut-trees, and here were the beautiful poplars. She knew them by
their bright leaves, which looked as though they had been snipped off
at the top with a pair of scissors. And here, right in front of her, was
Uncle Braddock. She knew him by his many-colored dressing-gown,
without which he never appeared in public. It was one of the most
curious dressing-gowns ever seen, as Uncle Braddock was one of the
most curious old colored men ever seen. The gown was not really as
old as its wearer, but it looked older. It was composed of about a
hundred pieces of different colors and patterns--red, green, blue, yellow,
and brown; striped, spotted, plain, and figured with flowers and vines.
These pieces, from year to year, had been put on as patches, and some
of them were quilted on, and some were sewed, and some were pinned.
The gown was very long and came down to Uncle Braddock's heels,
which were also very long and bobbed out under the bottom of the
gown as if they were trying to kick backward. But Uncle Braddock
never kicked. He was very old and he had all the different kinds of

rheumatism, and walked bent over nearly at right-angles, supporting
himself by a long cane like a bean-pole, which he grasped in the middle.
There was probably no particular reason why he should bend over so
very much, but he seemed to like to walk in that way, and nobody
objected. He was a good old soul, and Kate was delighted to see him.
"Uncle Braddock!" she cried.
The old man stopped and turned around, almost standing up straight in
his astonishment at seeing the young girl alone in the woods.
"Why, Miss Kate!" he exclaimed, as she came up with him, "what in
the world is you doin' h'yar?"
"I've been gathering sumac," said Kate, as they walked on together,
"and Harry's gone off, and I couldn't wait any longer and I'm just as
glad as I can be to see you, Uncle Braddock, for I was beginning to be
afraid, because its getting dark so fast, and your dressing-gown looked
prettier to me than all the trees when I first caught sight of it. But I
think you ought to have it washed, Uncle Braddock."
"Wash him!" said Uncle Braddock, with a chuckle, as if the suggestion
was a very funny joke; "dat wouldn't do, no how. He'd wash all to bits,
and the pins would stick 'em in the hands. Couldn't wash him, Miss
Kate; it's too late for dat now. Might have washed him before de war,
p'raps. We was stronger, den. But what you getherin sumac for, Miss
Kate? If you white folks goes pickin it all, there won't be none lef' soon
fur de cull'ed people, dat's mighty certain."
"Why, I'm picking it for the colored people," said Kate, "at least for one
colored person."
"Why don't you let 'em pick it the'rselves?" asked the old man.
"Because Aunt Matilda can't do it," said Kate.
"Is dat sumac fur Aunt Matilda?" said Uncle Braddock.

"Yes, it is," said Kate, "and Harry's been gathering some, and we're
going to pick enough to get her all she wants. Harry and I intend to take
care of her now. You know they were going to send her to the
alms-house."
"Well, I declar!" exclaimed the old man. "I neber did hear de like o' dat
afore. Why, you all isn't done bein' tuk care of you'selves." Kate
laughed, and explained their plans, getting quite enthusiastic about it.
"Lem me carry dat bag," said Uncle Braddock. "Oh no!" said Kate,
"you're too old to be carrying bags."
"Jis lem me hab it," said he; "it's trouble enuf fur me to get along,
anyway, and a bag or two don't make no kind o' dif'rence."
Kate found herself obliged to consent, and as the bag was beginning to
feel very heavy for her, and as it did not seem to make the slightest
difference, as he had said, to Uncle Braddock, she was very glad to be
rid of it.
But when at last