viyaan's
tail--you can see it yet."

"But how _did_ old Bobbyjohn get that kink in his tail? You never told
us that, Ou' Ta'," protested Annie.

The old Hottentot smiled to the little girl, and then straightway sighed
to himself. "If you little folks only knowed de Taal," said he
plaintively. "It don't soun' de same in you' Englis' somehow." He
shook his head sadly over English as the language for a Hottentot story
handed down in the Boer tongue. He had been long enough in the service
of this "English" family (an American father and Australian mother) to
know enough of the language for bald use; though, being a Hottentot, he
had never mastered the "th," as a Basuto or other Bantu might have done,
and was otherwise uncertain also--the pronunciation of a word often
depending upon that of the words next before and after it. But English
was not fond enough, nor had diminutives enough, for a kitchen tale as a
house Kaffir loves to tell it.

None the less, his eyes brightened till the smile danced in his face as
his words began. "Ou' Wolf--well, Ou' Wolf, he'd a seen a lot less
trouble if he ha'n't had sich a wife, for Ou' Missis Wolf she yust had a
temper like a meer-cat. Folks use' to won'er how Ou' Wolf manage' wid
her, an' Ou' Jackalse use' to say to him, `Allah man! if she was on'y my
wife for about five minutes she'd fin' out enough to tink on as long's
she keep a-livin'.' An' den Ou' Jackalse, he'd hit 'is hat back on to
de back of his head an' he'd step slouchin' an' fair snort agen
a-grinnin'.

"But Ou' Wolf ud look behind to see if his missis was hearin', an' den
he'd shake his head, an' stick his hands in his pockets an' walk off an
tink. He'd see some mighty tall tinkin' yust up over his head, but he
couldn' somehow seem to get a-hold of it.

"Well, one mawnin' Missis Wolf she get up, an' she look on de hooks an'
dere ain't no meat, an' she look in de pot an' dere ain't no mealies.
`Allah Crachty!' says she, `but dat Ou' Wolf is about de laziest skellum
ever any woman wore herse'f out wid. I'll ketch my deat' of him afore
I's done.'

"Den she look outside, an' dere she seen Ou' Wolf a-settin' on de stoop
in de sun. He was yust a-waitin', sort o' quiet an' patient, for his
breakfas', never dreamin' nothin' about bein' banged about de yead wid a
mealie ladle, when out flops Missis Wolf, an' fair bangs him a biff on
one side his head wid de long spoon. `You lazy skellum!' ses she, an'
bash she la