use and entertain them. One
evening Dumps and Tot stole off from Mammy, and ran as fast as they
could clip it to the laundry, with a whole armful of their dollies'
clothes, to get Aunt Edy to let them "iun des er 'ittle," as Tot said.

"Lemme see wat yer got," said Aunt Edy; and they spread out on the table
garments of worsted and silk and muslin and lace and tarlatan and calico
and homespun, just whatever their little hands had been able to gather
up.

"Lor', chil'en, ef yer washes deze fine close yer'll ruint 'em," said
Aunt Edy, examining the bundles laid out; "de suds'll tuck all de color
out'n 'em; s'posin' yer jes press 'em out on de little stool ober dar
wid er nice cole iun."

"Yes, that's the very thing," said Dumps; and Aunt Edy folded some
towels, and laid them on the little stools, and gave each of the
children a cold iron. And, kneeling down, so as to get at their work
conveniently, the little girls were soon busy smoothing and pressing the
things they had brought.

"Aunt Edy," said Dumps, presently, "could'n yer tell us 'bout Po' Nancy
Jane O?"

"Dar now!" exclaimed Aunt Edy; "dem chil'en nuber is tierd er hyearn'
dat tale; pyears like dey like hit mo' an' mo' eb'y time dey hyears
hit;" and she laughed slyly, for she was the only one on the plantation
who knew about "Po' Nancy Jane O," and she was pleased because it was
such a favorite story with the children.

"Once pun er time," she began, "dar wuz er bird name' Nancy Jane O, an'
she wuz guv up ter be de swif'es'-fly'n thing dar wuz in de a'r. Well,
at dat time de king uv all de fishes an' birds, an' all de little
beas'es, like snakes an' frogs an' wums an' tarrypins an' bugs, an' all
sich ez dat, he wur er mole dat year! an' he wuz blin' in bof 'is eyes,
jes same like any udder mole; an', somehow, he had hyearn some way dat
dar wuz er little bit er stone name' de gol'-stone, way off fum dar, in
er muddy crick, an' ef'n he could git dat stone, an' hol' it in his
mouf, he could see same ez anybody.

"Den he 'gun ter steddy how wuz he fur ter git dat stone.

"He stedded an' _he stedded_, an' pyeard like de mo' he stedded de mo'
he couldn' fix no way fur ter git it. He knowed he wuz blin', an' he
knowed he trab'l so slow dat he 'lowed 'twould be years pun top er years
befo' he'd git ter de crick, an' so he made up in 'is min' dat he'd let
somebody git it fur 'im. Den, bein' ez he wuz de king, an' could grant
any kin' er wush, he sont all roun' thu