Part 14 (1/2)

”I ain't neber hyeard boutn dat,” said the old man. ”Efn he do, or efn he don't, I can't say, caze I ain't neber hyeard; but de bes' way is fur ter keep 'way fum 'em.”

”Well, I bet he do,” said Dumps. ”I jes bet he tells M-O-O-O-R-E S-T-O-R-I-E-S than anybody. An', Uncle Bob, efn he tells the deb'l sump'n 'boutn three little white girls an' three little n.i.g.g.e.rs runnin'

erway fum they teacher an' wadin' in er ditch, then I jes b'lieve _he made it up_! Now that's jes what I b'lieve; an' can't you tell the deb'l so, Uncle Bob?”

”Who? Me? Umph, umph! yer talkin' ter de wrong n.i.g.g.e.r now, chile! I don't hab nuffin te do wid 'im mysef! I'se er G.o.d-fyearn n.i.g.g.e.r, I is; an', let erlone dat, I keeps erway fum dem jay birds. Didn' yer neber hyear wat er trick he played de woodp.e.c.k.e.r?”

”No, Uncle Bob,” answered Diddie; ”what did he do to him?”

”Ain't yer neber hyeard how come de woodp.e.c.k.e.r's head ter be red, an'

wat makes de robin hab er red breas'?”

”Oh, I know 'bout the robin's breast,” said Diddie. ”When the Saviour was on the cross, an' the wicked men had put er crown of thorns on him, an' his forehead was all scratched up an' bleedin', er little robin was settin' on er tree lookin' at him; an' he felt so sorry 'bout it till he flew down, an' tried to pick the thorns out of the crown; an' while he was pullin' at 'em, one of 'em run in his breast, an' made the blood come, an' ever since that the robin's breast has been red.”

”Well, I dunno,” said the old man, thoughtfully, scratching his head; ”I dunno, dat _mout_ be de way; I neber hyeard it, do; but den I ain't sayin' tain't true, caze hit mout be de way; an' wat I'm er stan'in' by is _dis_, dat _dat_ ain't de way I hyeard hit.”

”Tell us how you heard it, Uncle Bob,” asked Diddie.

”Well, hit all come 'long o' de jay bird,” said Uncle Bob. ”An' efn yer got time fur ter go 'long o' me ter de shop, an' sot dar wile I plats on dese baskits fur de oberseer's wife, I'll tell jes wat I hyearn 'boutn hit.”

Of course they had plenty of time, and they all followed him to the shop, where he turned some baskets bottom-side up for seats for the children, and, seating himself on his accustomed stool, while the little darkies sat around on the dirt-floor, he began to weave the splits dexterously in and out, and proceeded to tell the story.

CHAPTER XII.

HOW THE WOODp.e.c.k.e.r'S HEAD AND THE ROBIN'S BREAST CAME TO BE RED.

”Well” began Uncle Bob, ”hit wuz all erlong er de jay bird, jes ez I wuz tellin' yer. Yer see, Mr. Jay Bird he fell'd in love, he did, 'long o'

Miss Robin, an' he wuz er courtin' her, too; ev'y day de Lord sen', he'd be er gwine ter see her, an' er singin' ter her, an' er cyarin' her berries an' wums; but, somehow or udder, she didn't pyear ter tuck no s.h.i.+ne ter him. She'd go er walkin' 'long 'im, an' she'd sing songs wid 'im, an' she'd gobble up de berries an' de wums wat he fotch, but den w'en hit come ter marry'n uv 'im, she wan't dar.

”Well, she wouldn't gib 'im no kin' er 'couragement, tell he got right sick at his heart, he did; an' one day, ez he wuz er settin' in his nes'

an' er steddin how ter wuck on Miss Robin so's ter git her love, he hyeard somebody er laughin' an' talkin', an' he lookt out, he did, an'

dar wuz Miss Robin er prumurradin' wid de Woodp.e.c.k.e.r. An' wen he seed dat, he got pow'ful mad, an' he 'low'd ter hisse'f dat efn de Lord spar'd him, he inten' fur ter fix dat Woodp.e.c.k.e.r.

”In dem times de Woodp.e.c.k.e.r's head wuz right black, same ez er crow, an'

he had er topknot on 'im like er rooster. Gemmun, he wuz er han'sum bird, too. See 'im uv er Sunday, wid his 'go-ter-meetin'' cloze on, an'

dar wan't no bird could totch 'im fur looks.

”Well, he an' Miss Robin dey went on by, er laffin' an' er talkin' wid one ernudder; an' de Jay he sot dar, wid his head turnt one side, er steddin an' er steddin ter hisse'f; an' by'mby, atter he made up his min', he sot right ter wuck, he did, an' he fix him er trap.

”He got 'im some sticks, an' he nailt 'em cross'n 'is do' same ez er plank-fence, only he lef' s.p.a.ce 'nuff twix' de bottum stick an' de nex'

one fur er bird ter git thu; den, stid er nailin' de stick nex' de bottum, he tuck'n prope it up at one een wid er little chip fur ter hole it, an' den jes res' tudder een 'gins de side er de nes'. Soon's eber he done dat, he crawlt out thu de crack mighty kyeerful, I tell yer, caze he wuz fyeared he mout er knock de stick down, an' git his own se'f cotch in de trap; so yer hyeard me, mun, he crawlt thu mighty tick'ler.

”Atter he got thu, den he santer 'long, he did, fur ter hunt up de Woodp.e.c.k.e.r; an' by'mby he hyeard him peckin' at er log; an' he went up ter him kin' er kyeerless, an' he sez, 'Good-mornin',' sezee; 'yer pow'ful busy ter day.'

”Den de Woodp.e.c.k.e.r he pa.s.s de kempulmence wid 'im, des same ez any udder gemmun; an' atter dey talk er wile, den de Blue Jay he up'n sez, 'I wuz jes er lookin' fur yer,' sezee; 'I gwine ter hab er party ter-morrer night, an' I'd like fur yer ter come. All de birds'll be dar, Miss Robin in speshul,' sezee.

”An' wen de Woodp.e.c.k.e.r hyearn dat, he 'lowed he'd try fur ter git dar.

An' den de Jay he tell him good-mornin', an' went on ter Miss Robin's house. Well, hit pyeart like Miss Robin wuz mo' cole dan uzhul dat day, an' by'mby de Jay Bird, fur ter warm her up, sez, 'Yer lookin' mighty hansum dis mornin',' sezee. An' sez she, 'I'm proud ter hyear yer say so; but, speakin' uv hansum,' sez she, 'hev yer seed Mr. p.e.c.k.e.rwood lately?'

”Dat made de Blue Jay kint er mad; an' sezee, 'Yer pyear ter tuck er mighty intrus' in 'im.'