St Nicholas [serial] . to enjoy the sugar-grinding season, therewere many times when, at a funny story, Yuyuwould snicker so loud and so contagiously thatboth she and Mimi would have to leave thedining-room in disgrace. But presently thetwo children would come back together,— littlemistress and little maid,— quite restored toorder. Yuyu would dutifully help Mimi backinto her seat, push her into place, and quietlyfolding her slim brown hands on the back ofher chair, bite both lips until they were quiteout of sight, and look at the ceiling. They were happy children, and there wasscarcely an expe
St Nicholas [serial] . to enjoy the sugar-grinding season, therewere many times when, at a funny story, Yuyuwould snicker so loud and so contagiously thatboth she and Mimi would have to leave thedining-room in disgrace. But presently thetwo children would come back together,— littlemistress and little maid,— quite restored toorder. Yuyu would dutifully help Mimi backinto her seat, push her into place, and quietlyfolding her slim brown hands on the back ofher chair, bite both lips until they were quiteout of sight, and look at the ceiling. They were happy children, and there wasscarcely an experience in their young lives inwhich both had not had a share. Indeed,Yuyu declared that she distinctly ricollected the day they had first met, although, as wehave seen, she was asleep on that memorableoccasion. But Yuyu was not to be embarrassed by alittle thing like that. Did nt people often re-member what happened in their sleep ? Certny I ricollecs, des as well as ef itwas istidday, when ole Granny Milly fetched. to stand behind a little ladys chair at table. 97 98 AN OLD-TIME CHRISTMAS GIFT. [Dec. me over to my little mistus, all wrapped upin a big shawl. I did nt let on, des caze Iwas too busy talkin to a angel. So she lovedto tell the story. Yuyus grandmother had told her that whenbabies smiled in their sleep it was because theywere talking to the angels, and she easilyimagined that the story she had heard wasa memory. It even pleased her inventive fancy,sometimes, to describe the angel who was sup-posed to have talked with her on that great day. He was a beauteous white-feathered angelwid a full-moon light behin his head, an a golharp in his han, she would say to the planta-tion children, who loved to listen. And sometimes they would question her, aswhen one asked: An what did a little tar-baby like you haveto say to a angel ? The speaker was herself black, and so therewas no discourtesy in this hint of her color. I did nt say much. I was born wid man-ners, I was. Bu
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