48 TKUE BEAR STORIES. 



the boy so happy with his sable and woolly 

 little friends. Reese was simply mean! 



Before a month the little black boys be- 

 gan to walk erect, carry stick muskets, 

 wear paper caps, and march up and down 

 before the door of the big log "hotel" like 

 soldiers. 



But the cutest trick they learned was 

 that of waiting on the table. With little 

 round caps and short white aprons, the 

 little black boys would stand behind the 

 long bench on which the guests sat at the 

 pine board table and pretend to take orders 

 with all the precision and solemnity of 

 Southern negroes. 



Of course, it is to be confessed that they 

 often dropped things, especially if the least 

 bit hot; but remember we had only tin 

 plates and tin or iron dishes of all sorts, 

 so that little damage was done if a dish 

 did happen to fall and rattle down on the 

 earthen floor. 



Men came from far and near and often 



