"And is that all?"
"No, Miss Daisy, 'tain't just all; the women comes up to the house—it's to the overseer's house now—and every one gets a bowl o' flour, more or less, 'cordin' to size of family—and a quart of molasses, and a piece o' pork."
"And what do they do to make the time pleasant?" I asked.
"Some on 'em's raised eggs and chickens; and they brings 'em to the house and sells 'em; and they has the best dinner. Most times they gets leave to have a meetin'."
"A prayer-meeting?" I said.
"Laws, no, Miss Daisy! not 'cept it were Uncle Darry and his set. The others don't make no count of a prayer-meetin'. They likes to have a white-folks' meetin' and 'joy theirselves."
I thought very much over these statements; and for the next
two weeks bowls of flour and quarts of molasses, as Christmas doings, were mixed up in my mind with the question, how I was to shine? or rather, alternated with it; and plans began to turn themselves over and take shape in my thoughts.
"Margaret," said I, a day or two before Christmas, "can't the people have those meetings you spoke of without getting leave of Mr. Edwards?"
"Can't have meetin's, no how!" Margaret replied decidedly.