ex' water-hole,' ses Sculpat.

"`But I'll eat dem too,' ses Little Hahsie.

"Ou' Sculpat he yust lift his head clear o' de water, an' he stick it
straight up, and he laugh as quiet an as ghosty as if dat's de richest
ting he's ever hear. `Oh! you yust go on an' eat 'em,' ses he. `Do go
on an' eat 'em--an' by dat time your little tummy 'll be swell' an'
swell' till you's all blowed up like a poisoned pup. Ho, yis! you start
in an' eat 'em, do!' an Ou' Sculpat he laugh like he's never a-gun' to
stop.

"Dat make Little Hahsie dat huffy he fair snift agen. `You might laugh
some mo',' ses he. `Why don't you go on an' laugh some mo'? You' moufs
big enough, an' you's ugly enough.'

"`But I ain't half as ugly as you'd be if you eat all de water-weeds, or
dropped in an' tried to ketch de little twinkly fis'es,' ses Sculpat;
an' he laugh agen worser an' ghostier dan ever.

"Dat stir up Little Hahsie till he's fair clawin' mad, but yust when you
tink he's 'gun to begin to ploppin' out bad words, right den he seem to
wilt down into quiet, an' his face straighten out all de wrinkles like a
boy when you gi'es him sixpence for sweets. He tinks dere's anoder way,
an' all he ses is--`All right, Sculpat. Good mawnin',' and he offs, an'
he don't turn round needer, nor let on at all when he hear Ou' Sculpat
laughin' some mo' behind him. He on'y grin an' grin.

"But 'stead o' goin' home he goes off to see Ou' Waxa, de Honey-bird.
`I wants some honey,' ses he.

"`So does I,' ses Waxa; `an' wouldn't I like to get some too!'

"`But ain't you got none?' ses Little Hahsie, wid his bofe years cocked
straight up wid s'prise. `Ain't you got yust a leetle teenty bit? Yust
a scrape o' honey'll do me.'

"`Dere's de place where de honey was,' ses Waxa, showin' him de hole in
de tree. `I 'specs dere's all de scrape you wants--but I don't know
about de honey.'

"`De drippin's 'll do. What you's dropped 'll do me,' ses Hahsie. `Ou'
Sculpat he ain't never taste honey yet, so he won't know de diffrence of
a bit o' dirt or two. De calabas' I'll put it in'll look big all de
same, weder dere's lots o' honey inside it or on'y one drop,'--an' wid
dat he pulls out a big calabasie wid a long bottle neck, an' 'gins to
scrape up de drippin's what Ou' Waxa drop when she pull de bits o' de
comb out o de tree.

"Well, it come de nex' day, an' Ou' Sculpat was dere in de water-hole,
feelin' de weeds agen his mouf an' not takin' de trouble to m