'ca'se dey
mourn out, "Oo-_oo_-o-o-o!" an' de owls dey mourn out, "You-_you_-o-o-o!"
De eyes ob dat li'l black Mose dey as big as de white chiny plate whut
set on de mantel by side de clock, an' de sun jes a-settin'!

So dat all right. Li'l black Mose he scrooge back in de corner by de
fireplace, an' he 'low he gwine stay dere till he gwine _to_ bed. But
bimeby Sally Ann, whut live up de road, draps in, an' Mistah Sally Ann,
whut is her husban', he draps in an' Zack Badget an' de school-teacher
whut board at Unc' Silas Diggs's house drap in, an' a powerful lot ob
folks drap in. An' li'l black Mose he seen dat gwine be one s'prise
party, an' he right down cheerful 'bout dat.

So all dem folks shake dere hands an' 'low "Howdy," an' some ob dem say:
"Why, dere's li'l Mose! Howdy, li'l Mose?" An' he so please he jes grin
an' grin, 'ca'se he ain't reckon whut gwine happen. So bimeby Sally Ann,
whut live up de road, she say, "Ain't no sort o' Hallowe'en lest we got
a jack-o'-lantern." An' de school-teacher, whut board at Unc' Silas
Diggs's house, she 'low, "Hallowe'en jes no Hallowe'en _at_ all 'thout
we got a jack-o'-lantern." An' li'l black Mose he stop a-grinnin', an'
he scrooge so far back in de corner he 'most scrooge frough de wall. But
dat ain't no use, 'ca'se he ma say, "Mose, go on down to de
pumpkin-patch an' fotch a pumpkin."

"I ain't want to go," say li'l black Mose.

"Go on erlong wid yo'," say he ma, right commandin'.

"I ain't want to go," say Mose ag'in.

"Why ain't yo' want to go?" he ma ask.

"'Ca'se I's afraid ob de ghosts," say li'l black Mose, an' dat de
particular truth an' no mistake.

"Dey ain't no ghosts," say de school-teacher, whut board at Unc' Silas
Diggs's house, right peart.

"'Co'se dey ain't no ghosts," say Zack Badget, whut dat 'feared ob
ghosts he ain't dar' come to li'l black Mose's house ef de
school-teacher ain't ercompany him.

"Go 'long wid your ghosts!" say li'l black Mose's ma.

"Wha' yo' pick up dat nonsense?" say he pa. "Dey ain't no ghosts."

An' dat whut all dat s'prise-party 'lows: dey ain't no ghosts. An' dey
'low dey mus' hab a jack-o'-lantern or de fun all spiled. So dat li'l
black boy whut he name is Mose he done got to fotch a pumpkin from de
pumpkin-patch down de hollow. So he step outen de shanty an' he stan' on
de doorstep twell he get he eyes pried open as big as de bottom ob he
ma's washtub, mostly, an' he say, "Dey ain't no ghosts." An' he put one
foot