She knew him by his many-colored dressing-gown, without which he never appeared in public.

It was one of the most curious dressing-gowns ever seen, as Uncle Braddock was one of the most curious old colored men ever seen.

The gown was not really as old as its wearer, but it looked older.

It was composed of about a hundred pieces of different colors and patterns--red, green, blue, yellow, and brown; striped, spotted, plain, and figured with flowers and vines.

These pieces, from year to year, had been put on as patches, and some of them were quilted on, and some were sewed, and some were pinned.