se'f a little house, an' your sister Wilhelmina
can bring you some scoff every mawnin', an' you'll yust have a fine ole
time wid no ole daddy to boss you.'

"Well, wasn't young Seeunkie s'prise, an' didn't he sniff an' he snivel.
But it ain't no use, he ha' to stop. An' when it come ahternoon too,
an' he go up home an' he howl an he prowl, it still ain't no manner o'
use eeder, for de ole man just pops out ahter him an' shambok him away
agen.

"`Now, what's all dat for?' scream ole Missis Ratel. `Didn't he show
you de tree, an hain't you eat de sweet gum yourse'f?'

"`I did,' ses ole Ratel. `Dat's yust it. If I hadn't a-eat it I
mightn't a-know'd. But I put rock aloes yuice on de honey dat was in de
bag under de bed last night, an' dis sweet gum f'm de t'orn tree was
yust a-stingin' wid aloes yuice dis mawnin'. If young Seeunkie's smart
enough to steal his daddy's honey, an' try to fool him, den he's big
enough an' smart enough to look out for hisse'f f'm now on. Dere's lots
o' country out o' doors for him to dig in.'

"Well, ole Missis Ratel she rage an' she ramp, but it ain't no manner o'
use. De ole man stick to what he say, an' young Seeunkie hatto go, all
'cause he couldn't leave any honey alone, not even his ole daddy's.

"So," concluded the old Hottentot, "now you knows why de Ratel is yust
so dead gone on honey--it's in de blood, an' you cahnt get dat out
nohow. An' ahter dat, don't you Kleinkies ever go stealin' your ole
daddy's honey, else you'll be gettin' de same way." With which
debatable threat Old Hendrik resumed his course to the mealie lands
beyond.

End of Project Gutenberg's Old Hendrik's Tales, by Arthur Owen Vaughan

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