The young man ran off and summoned the whole household, who soon crowded on the lawn in front of the piazza.
Meanwhile, the peddler brought many paper boxes from his cart and laid them on the floor. One, however, he opened, and laid on a chair before Miss Fronde. This was filled with fine laces, fichus and pocket handkerchiefs, in smaller, separate boxes.
“Yes,” said Miss Fronde, “these are certainly very pretty. I will take some of them. Now show my people something that will please them—in bright colors.”
The peddler bowed, and opened the larger boxes on the floor, displaying gorgeous splendors in shawls, skirts, neckties, head handkerchiefs, aprons, gown patterns and vest patterns, in red, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple, or all blended, a spectacle that almost took away the breath as well as dazzled the eyes of the delighted darkies.
“Now choose what you will as parting presents, for I shall be going away in a day or two,” said Miss Fronde.
And the darkies thanked her in a tumultuous chorus of delight, and took her at her word—largely at her word—for they had boundless faith in their mistress’ fabulous wealth.
Hera chose prints and ginghams of the most brilliant colors to make gowns and frocks for herself and children, besides shawls and handkerchiefs of rainbow hues. Pompous, Nace and Puck rivaled each other in the fiery flames of red and yellow of the bandannas and scarfs, neckties, gloves and vest patterns of their selection.
The children were decorated and delighted with imitation coral and gilt beads, and dressed dolls and gayly painted drums.
Only Ceres groaned disapproval of the whole proceeding. “It was all wanity an’ wexation ob de speerits,” she said. “It was de scalirt ’oman at Babylon. It was de beas’ wiv seven horns. An’ dey was all gwine doun inter de bottomless pit ob de outer darkness.”
And when urged to buy something she picked out the darkest grays and browns and rustiest blacks she could find in shawls and skirts and gown patterns for her own lugubrious wearing.