she's dead, then you wrote a story, 'cause she's
livin' as anybody."

"You said the spoon choked her to death," said Diddie.

"Well, hit nuver killed her, anyhow," said Dumps; "hit jes only give her
spasums; an' now you've gone and put me all out; what was I sayin'?"

"When she was er playin' one day," prompted Diddie.

"Oh yes," continued Dumps, "when she was er playin' one day on the side
uv the creek with her little sister, she got ter fightin' an' pinchin'
an' scrougin', an' the fus thing she knowed, she fell kersplash in the
creek, and got drownded. An' one time her mammy tol' 'er not nuber ter
clim' up on the fender, an' she neber min' 'er, but clum right upon the
fender ter git an apple off'n the mantel-piece; an' the fender turned
over, an' she fell in the fire an' burnt all up. An' another time, jes
er week after that, she was er foolin' 'long--"

"Dumps, what are you talkin' 'bout?" again interrupted Diddie. "She
couldn't be er foolin' long o' nothin' ef she's dead."

"But she ain't dead, Diddie," persisted Dumps.

"Well, you said the fire burned her up," retorted Diddie.

"I don't care ef hit did," said Dumps; "she nuver died bout hit; an' ef
you're goin' ter keep sayin' she's dead, then I sha'n't tell yer no
mo'."

"Go on, then," said Diddie, "and I won't bother you."

"Well, one time," continued Dumps, "when she was er foolin' 'long o'
cow, what she had no business, the cow run his horns right through her
neck, an' throwed her way-ay-ay up yon'er; an' she nuver come down no
mo', an' that's all."

"But, Dumps, what become of her?" asked Diddie.

"I dunno what become uv her," said Dumps. "She went ter hebn, I reckon."

"But she couldn't go ter hebn ef she's so bad," said Diddie; "the angel
wouldn't let her come in."

"The cow throwed her in," said Dumps, "an' the angel wan't er lookin',
an' he nuver knowed nuthin' 'bout it."

"That's er mighty funny story," said Diddie; "but I'll let it stay in
the book--only you ain't finished it, Dumps, Hyear's fo' mo' lines of
paper ain't written yet."

"That's all I know," replied Dumps. And Diddie, after considering
awhile, said she thought it would be very nice to wind it up with a
piece of poetry. Dumps was delighted at that suggestion, and the little
girls puzzled their brains for rhymes. After thinking for some time,
Diddie wrote,

"Once 'twas a little girl, and she was so bad,"

and read it aloud; then said, "Now, Dumps, sposin' you make up th