o breakin' dishes now;
No stealin' an' no lies."
An' since I is a great big boy,
Dey 'spects me to act wise.

BAT! BAT![48]

Bat! Bat! Come un'er my hat,
An' I'll give you a slish o' bacon.
But don't bring none y[=o]' ole bedbugs,
If you don't want to git fersaken.

[48] A superstition that it is good luck to catch a bat in one's hat if
he doesn't get bedbugs by so doing.

RANDSOME TANTSOME

Randsome Tantsome!--Gwine to de Fair?
Randsome Tantsome!--W'at you gwineter wear?
"Dem shoes an' stockin's I'se bound to wear!"
Randsome Tantsome a-gwine to de Fair.

ARE YOU CAREFUL?

Is you keerful; w'en you goes down de street,
To see dat y[=o]' cloze looks nice an' neat?
Does you watch y[=o]' liddle step 'long de way,
An' think 'bout dem words dat you say?

RABBIT HASH

Dere wus a big ole rabbit
Dat had a mighty habit
A-settin' in my gyardin,
An' eatin' all my cabbitch.
I hit 'im wid a mallet,
I tapped 'im wid a maul.
Sich anudder rabbit hash,
You's never tasted 'tall.

WHY THE WOODPECKER'S HEAD IS RED

Bill Dillix say to dat woodpecker bird:
"W'at makes y[=o]' topknot red?"
Says he: "I'se picked in de red-hot sun,
Till it's done burnt my head."

BLESSINGS

The chivalry of the Old South rather demanded that all friends should be
invited to partake of the meal, if they chanced to come calling about
the time of the meal hour. This ideal also pervaded the lowly slave
Negro's cabin. In order that this hospitality might not be abused, the
Negroes had a little deterrent story which they told their children.
Below are the fancied Blessings asked by the fictitious Negro family, in
the story, whose hospitality had been abused.

BLESSING WITH COMPANY PRESENT

Oh Lawd now bless an' b[=i]n' us,
An' put ole Satan 'h[=i]n' us.
Oh let y[=o]' Sperit m[=i]n' us.
Don't let none hongry f[=i]n' us.

BLESSING WITHOUT COMPANY

Oh Lawd have mussy now upon us,
An' keep 'way some our neighbors from us.
For w'en dey all comes down upon us,
Dey eats m[=o]s' all our victuals from us.

ANIMAL PERSECUTORS

I went up on de mountain,
To git a bag o' co'n.
Dat coon, he sicked 'is dog on me,
Dat 'possum blowed 'is ho'n.

Dat gobbler up an' laugh at me.
Dat pattridge giggled out.
Dat peacock squall to bust 'is sides,
To see me runnin