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Updated: June 4, 2025
"It's a house afire!" declared Phillis Armatage. "Where can there be a house in that direction?" Rose Bunker asked. "Isn't that fire beyond the cabins, Russ?" Russ suddenly sprang to action. He wheeled from the window and ran along the hall to the stairway. "Russ! Russ! Where are you going?" demanded his sister. "Tell Daddy and Mr. Armatage. I know what house is afire.
Armatage, as the little Bunkers knew, was an old school friend of Daddy Bunker's; but one whom he had not seen for a long time. "Why," said Mr. Armatage, who was a slender man with graying hair and a darker mustache, "Charley was only a boy when I last saw him." He was a very jovial man, and red-faced. Rose thought him handsome, and told Mother Bunker so. "No, Charley was only a sapling then.
Mother Bunker demanded of Daddy, when she had run downstairs again. "Do you know? They should be in bed." "They were in the library earlier in the evening," Mrs. Armatage said. "I think they were writing again." "Writing?" repeated Mother Bunker. "Making more of those signs to set up at the burned house?" Mr. Armatage chuckled. "Those won't do much good. Sneezer never could read writing."
The children all nine of them spent much of their time in Mammy June's room. The old colored woman had ways of keeping them interested and quiet that Mrs. Armatage proclaimed she could not understand. Mother Bunker understood the charm Mammy worked far better. Mammy June loved children, high and low, rich and poor, good and bad, just so they were children. Therefore, Mammy June could manage them.
At first, when the dogs came baying to the spot, Russ and Rose were even more frightened than before. The dogs' voices sounded very savage. But soon Bobo smelled the children out and leaped, whining, against the door of the cabin. He was doing that when Daddy Bunker and Mr. Armatage and the negroes reached the clearing. "The creature is in that hut," said Daddy Bunker.
When he appeared, his face very red and tear-streaked, Russ and Phillis pulled him to his feet. "Where's the fox?" demanded Vi, still very much excited. "Is that a fox?" demanded Laddie, panting. "Yes," said Phillis Armatage. "That fox has got five pairs of eyes, then," grumbled Laddie. "She's got four pups," cried Frane, Junior. "I'm going to run and tell father," and he ran away up the hill.
"There's a fire!" gasped out Russ, his breath almost gone. "There's a fire!" "Upstairs?" demanded Mr. Armatage, whirling toward the stairway. "Oh, no, sir! No, sir!" cried Russ, stopping him. "It's down the hill. I saw it from the window." "The quarters?" demanded the planter. "No, sir. It looks like Mammy June's. It's a great red flame shooting right up about where her cabin is."
"Lawsy me, childern!" cried Mammy June. "Has you come to see how I is? I sure has got good friends, I sure has! An' if Ebenezer Caliper Spotiswood Meiggs was back home yere where he b'longs, there wouldn't be a happier ol' woman in all Georgia no, sir! "For Mistah Armatage say he's gwine have me another house built before spring. And it'll be a lot mo' fixy than my ol' house yes, sir!
More of the cars with guests from the party arrived, and a chain of men to the stream was formed. Almost at once Mr. Armatage and Daddy Bunker fought their way out of the burning cabin through the smoke, and they bore between them the screaming old woman. Mammy June was badly frightened. "You're all right now, Mammy," declared Mr. Armatage, when he and Mr.
Armatage tried in every way to make the stay of their guests at the Meiggs Plantation as pleasant as possible. After the celebration at the quarters the white folks came home, and there at the big house a fine party was soon under way. People had come in their cars from far and near and the house was brilliantly lighted on the first two floors.
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