has knowed
dem what say dey go fur enough down to find a place to warm dey
hands--but dat ain't de tale I'm tellin'.

"A long time ago, dey was a prairie-dog what was left a widder, an' she
had a big fambly to keep up. 'Oh, landy!' she say to dem dat come to
visit her in her 'fliction, 'what I gwine do to feed my chillen?'

"De most o' de varmints tell Miz. Prairie-Dog dat de onliest way for her
to git along was to keep boarders. 'You got a good home, an' you is a
good manager,' dey say; 'you bound to do well wid a boardin'-house.'

"Well, Miz. Prairie-Dog done sent out de runners to run, de fliers to
fly, de crawlers to crawl, an' tell each an' every dat she sot up a
boardin'-house. She say she got room for one crawler and one flier, an'
dat she could take in a whole passel o' runners.

"Well, now you knows a flier 's a bird--or hit mought be a bat. Ef
you was lookin' for little folks, hit mought be a butterfly. Miz.
Prairie-Dog ain't find no fliers what wants to live un'neath de ground.
But crawlers--bugs an' worms an' sich-like--dey mostly does live
un'neath de ground, anyhow, an' de fust pusson what come seekin'
house-room with Miz. Prairie-Dog was Brother Rattlesnake.

"'I dest been flooded out o' my own house,' Mr. Rattlesnake say; 'an' I
like to look at your rooms an' see ef dey suits me.'

"'I show you de rooms,' Miz. Prairie-Dog tell 'im. 'I bound you gwine
like 'em. I got room for one crawler, an' you could be him; but--'

"Miz. Prairie-Dog look at her chillen. She ain't say no more--dest look
at dem prairie-dog gals an' boys, an' say no more.

"Mr. Rattlesnake ain't like bein' called a crawler so very well; but he
looks at dem rooms, an' 'low he'll take 'em. Miz. Prairie-Dog got
somethin' on her mind, an' 'fore de snake git away dat somethin' come
out. 'I's shore an' certain dat you an' me can git along,' she say,
'ef--ef--ef you vow an' promish not to bite my chillen. I'll have yo'
meals reg'lar, so dat you won't be tempted.'

"Old Mr. Rattlesnake' powerful high-tempered--yas, law, he sho' a mighty
quick somebody on de trigger. Zip! he go off, dest like dat--zip!
Br-r-r! 'Tempted!' he hiss at de prairie-dog woman. He look at dem
prairie-dog boys an' gals what been makin' mud cakes all mornin' (an'
dest about as dirty as you-all is after you do de same). 'Tempted,' he
say. 'I should hope not.'

"For, mind you, Brother Rattlesnake is a genterman, an' belongs to de
quality. He feels hisself a heap t