"Lawd o' mussy! Jest look at dat lazy nigger! Grief!" she exclaimed as she entered, "Grief, yer lazy good-for-nuthin' nigger, is yer gwine ter let dem sweet-taters burn clar up?" And seizing the collar of a negro man who sat nodding by the stove, she gave him a sound shaking. He opened his eyes, grinned and got up slowly, looking a little sheepish as he did so. At that moment the woolly head of Jin, the baby's little black nurse, was poked in at the door. "Daddy," she cried, "Miss May say as how she want you to come an' tie up her Malcasum rose, whar dem boys is done pull down." And Jin bestowed a withering look upon the culprits, who were already digging their fingers into the remnants of a meat-pie, and disappeared, followed by her father. "Mammy Delphy," said Joe, when they were out under the vines again and Mammy had recommenced her work, "what made you name Uncle Grief, _Grief_? That's a mighty funny name, _ain't_ it, boys?" "Well, chillun," said Mammy, plucking away at the chicken, "dat's so; it _is_ a curus name like; me'n de ole man--he dead an' gone, chillun, long fo' you was born;--me'n de ole man 'sulted long time 'bout dat chile's name an' he war goin' on six months old fo' we name him at all." "Well, how _did_ you happen to call him Grief?" insisted Joe. "Yes, honey, yes. 'Twar a long time ago, chile, when Mas' Will--dat's _yer_ pa (she nodded towards Joe) war a little fellow, heap littler'n you, heap littler, an' Mas' Charley--dat's _yer_ pappy (to the other two) war a baby. I war nussen _him_ long o' Grief an' Grief warn't name yet. Miss May--dat's yer all's Gramma whar died las' year--she use to come out to de back steps an' watch dem two babies nussen', Grief an' Mas' Charley bof at de same time in my lap; an' Mas' Will an' Jerry--dat's my little boy what war jes' 'bout his age--a-playing in de back-yard, an' sometime she laugh an' cry all at de same time an' she say: 'We is all one fam'ly, Delphy!' she say. Law's, chillun, dem _was_ times! _You_ don't know nuthin' 'bout dem times. Disher house was full up all de time wid comp'ny; gran' comp'ny, what dress all de time in silk an' go walkin' 'bout under de trees an' ridin' 'bout over de prairie in de day time; and mos' every night dey call my ole man in to play de fiddle an' den, laws, how dem young folks dance! An' ole Mas' an' ole Mis' an' all de young ladies an gentlemen use to come down to de cabins--_dey_ was all burnt up, time o' de war--an' sakes, honey! de hosses an' de cayages an' de niggers an' disher big plantation, all shinin' wid corn an' cotton! Dem _was_ times!" And Mammy's old eyes lighted up as she went back to her youth and the glory of her family, for she still speaks with pride of her "fam'ly." "But Grief, Mammy?" said Jim.