entrance upon their new
life.

"My heart was teched f'om de fus't, baby," said mammy, presently,
wiping her eyes; "b-b-b-but look heah, honey, I'd--I'd be wuss'n a
hycoprite ef I let dat noble ole black 'oman, de way you done specified
'er, stan' fur me. Y-y-yer got ter change all dat, honey. Dey warn't
nothin' on top o' dis roun' worl' what fetched me 'long wid y' all but
'cep' 'caze I des _nachelly love yer_, an' all dat book granjer what you
done laid on me I _don' know nothin' 't all about it_, an' yer got ter
_teck it orf_, an' write me down like I is, des a po' ole nigger wha'
done fell in wid de Gord-blessedes' white folks wha' ever lived on dis
earth, an'--an' wha' gwine _foller_ 'em an' _stay by 'em_, don' keer
which-a-way dee go, so long as 'er ole han's is able ter holp 'em. Yer
got ter change all dat, honey.

"But Blink! De laws-o'-mussy! Maybe hit's 'caze I been hatched 'im an'
raised 'im, but look ter me like he ain't no _dis_grace ter de story, no
way. Seem like he sets orf de book. Yer ain't gwine say nothin' 'bout
Blink bein' a frizzly, is yer? 'Twouldn't do no good ter tell it on
'im."

"I didn't know it, mammy."

"Yas, indeedy. Po' Blink's feathers done taken on a secon' twis'." She
spoke, with maternal solicitude. "I d'know huccome he come dat-a-way,
'caze we 'ain't nuver is had no frizzly stock 'mongs' our chickens.
Sometimes I b'lieve Blink tumbled 'isse'f up dat-a-way tryin' ter
wriggle 'isse'f outn de morgans. I hates it mightily. Look like a
frizzly can't put on grandeur no way, don' keer how mannerly 'e hol'
'isse'f."

The progress of the new story, which mammy considered under her especial
supervision, was now her engrossing thought.

"Yer better walk straight, Blink," she would exclaim--"yer better walk
straight an' step high, 'caze yer gwine in a book, honey, 'long wid de
aristokercy!"

One day Blink walked leisurely in from the street, returning, happily
for mammy's peace of mind, before he had been missed. He raised his
wings a moment as he entered, as if pleased to get home, and mammy
exclaimed, as she burst out laughing:

"Don't you come in heah shruggin' yo' shoulders at me, Blink, an'
puttin' on no French airs. I believe Blink been out teckin' French
lessons." She took her pet into her arms. "Is you crave ter learn
fureign speech, Blinky, like de res' o' dis mixed-talkin' settle_mint_?
Is you 'shamed o' yo' country voice, honey, an' tryin' ter ketch a
French crow? No, he a