be de way; an' wat I'm er stan'in' by
is _dis_, dat _dat_ ain't de way I hyeard hit."

"Tell us how you heard it, Uncle Bob," asked Diddie.

"Well, hit all come 'long o' de jay bird," said Uncle Bob. "An' efn yer
got time fur ter go 'long o' me ter de shop, an' sot dar wile I plats on
dese baskits fur de oberseer's wife, I'll tell jes wat I hyearn 'boutn
hit."

Of course they had plenty of time, and they all followed him to the
shop, where he turned some baskets bottom-side up for seats for the
children, and, seating himself on his accustomed stool, while the little
darkies sat around on the dirt-floor, he began to weave the splits
dexterously in and out, and proceeded to tell the story.

CHAPTER XII.

HOW THE WOODPECKER'S HEAD AND THE ROBIN'S BREAST CAME TO BE RED.

"Well" began Uncle Bob, "hit wuz all erlong er de jay bird, jes ez I wuz
tellin' yer. Yer see, Mr. Jay Bird he fell'd in love, he did, 'long o'
Miss Robin, an' he wuz er courtin' her, too; ev'y day de Lord sen', he'd
be er gwine ter see her, an' er singin' ter her, an' er cyarin' her
berries an' wums; but, somehow or udder, she didn't pyear ter tuck no
shine ter him. She'd go er walkin' 'long 'im, an' she'd sing songs wid
'im, an' she'd gobble up de berries an' de wums wat he fotch, but den
w'en hit come ter marry'n uv 'im, she wan't dar.

"Well, she wouldn't gib 'im no kin' er 'couragement, tell he got right
sick at his heart, he did; an' one day, ez he wuz er settin' in his nes'
an' er steddin how ter wuck on Miss Robin so's ter git her love, he
hyeard somebody er laughin' an' talkin', an' he lookt out, he did, an'
dar wuz Miss Robin er prumurradin' wid de Woodpecker. An' wen he seed
dat, he got pow'ful mad, an' he 'low'd ter hisse'f dat efn de Lord
spar'd him, he inten' fur ter fix dat Woodpecker.

"In dem times de Woodpecker's head wuz right black, same ez er crow, an'
he had er topknot on 'im like er rooster. Gemmun, he wuz er han'sum
bird, too. See 'im uv er Sunday, wid his 'go-ter-meetin'' cloze on, an'
dar wan't no bird could totch 'im fur looks.

"Well, he an' Miss Robin dey went on by, er laffin' an' er talkin' wid
one ernudder; an' de Jay he sot dar, wid his head turnt one side, er
steddin an' er steddin ter hisse'f; an' by'mby, atter he made up his
min', he sot right ter wuck, he did, an' he fix him er trap.

"He got 'im some sticks, an' he nailt 'em cross'n 'is do' same ez er
plank-fence, only he lef' space 'nuff twix' de bot