r whoppin'. Hit's er plum fool ez won't spar' dere own
hinder parts on er 'count uv er few words."

"George Washington didn't," said Bernard.

"I wish he had," added Eugenia. "Aunt Chris made me read about him and
his old cherry tree when I told her the red rooster was setting, because
I didn't want her to kill him."

"Ma asked me once if I had been fishin' when she told me to clean out
the spring," said Nicholas thoughtfully, "an' I said yes."

"What did she say?" asked Bernard.

"Nothin'. She whacked me on the head."

Just then Betsey came in with her baby in her arms, and Moses shuffled
aside to give place to her, cowed by an admonishing glance from his
mother-in-law.

"Bless de Lord!" exclaimed Uncle Ish, lifting his withered, old hands.
"Ef dar ain' anur er Betsey's babies! How many is de, Mose?"

Moses scratched his head and shrank into the corner.

"I ain' done straighten 'em out yit, Unk Ish," he returned slowly.
"'Pears like soon es I done add 'em all up anur done come, an' I has ter
kac'late f'om de bottom agin. I ain' got no head fer figgers, nohow.
Betsey, she lays dat dar's ten uv 'em, but ter save my soul I can't mek
out mo'n eight."

"Dar's nearer er dozen," rejoined Betsey with offended pride, "dar's
nearer er dozen 'cordin' ter de way I count."

"Dar now!" cried Aunt Verbeny. "I ain' never trus' no nigger's
cac'lations yit, en I ain' gwine ter now. When I wants countin', I want
white folks' countin'."

"Dey tell me," said Delphy, glancing sternly at the head on Betsey's
knee, "dat de quality don' set demse'ves up on er pa'sel er chillun no
mo'. De time done gone by. My Mahaly, she went up ter some outlandish
place wid er wild Injun name, like Philadelphy, en she sez de smaller de
fambly de mo' stuck up is de heads er it. She sez ef Ole Miss had gone
up dar a-puttin' on airs 'case er her fifteen chillun, she wouldn't
never have helt up 'er head no mo'. Mahaly, she ain' mah'ed no man, she
ain't. She sez en ole maid in Philadelphy des' looks right spang over
all de heads, she's so sot up."

"'Tain' so yer," said Aunt Verbeny feelingly. "'Tain' so yer. Hit seems
like de 'oman nairy a man is laid claim ter ain' wuth claimin'. Ain' dat
so, bro' Ish?"

But Uncle Ish only grunted in retort, his head nodding drowsily. The
tremulous tracery the wood-fire cast upon his face gave it an expression
of dumb intensity which adumbrated all the pathos and the patience of
his race.

"Mahaly wuz er like