"Yer can't kill 'em 'zackly, but yer kin run 'em inter sum uth'r creet'r, dat is ef de conjur pill wurk." "Mammy," began both children at once. "Hole on,--jes one ax at er time--let de lady have de fus time, caze you'se Mammy's man. Now den, ax yer sayso, Ma'y Van." "Did Miss Gully turn to a hen?" "She done bin eat up long ergo ef she did," then turning to Willis, "Whut's Mammy's man got ter ax?" "I want to know how Abe turned to a goose." "Abe didn't hatt'r turn ter no goose ertall, caze de Lawd done alreddy born'd him er goose.--Come on now, an' less play in de yard." III JACK O' LANTERN AND THE GLOW WORM "Mammy, you cut m' Jack-my-Lantern for me." Willis was struggling to carve features in a huge pumpkin. "I tole yer ter let Zeek make dat foolish lookin' thing," grumbled Phyllis, faithfully striving however to cut the pumpkin according to Willis's instructions. "Make Mary Van one too," he demanded. "I got one," and Mary Van blew into the kitchen door with a gust of chilly wind, "and Papa's made a pretty one for you too, Willis--ain't you glad?" "Whut you all think dem Jacky-Lanterns is enyhow?" Phyllis asked with an air of mystery. "They are--" Willis hesitated, "they are--funny pretties," he finished. "Dey ain' nuthin' funny 'bout er show nuff Jack-my-Lantern, I kin tell yer dat fur sartin an' sho!" Her face assumed a grave expression, "and--take keer, boy, Kitty'll spill hot greese on yer," making a dive at Willis in time to save the cook from stumbling. "Come on out er dis hyah kitchen,--'tain' no place fur chillun no how." "Mammy, less go over to Mary Van's and get m' Jack-my-Lantern," coaxed Willis, as Phyllis directed the way toward the nursery. "Nor, yer doan need hit tell dark. Jack-my-Lanterns doan come out 'cep'in' at night. Leastways fokes doan see em." "Jack-my-Lanterns ain't anything but big old pumpkins, are they, Mammy Phyllis?" Mary Van asked to reassure herself. "Dat dey is," the old nurse's expression grew fearful and cunning. "Dey's de wuss sorter hants--dat's whut dey is." This ended the contention of going to Mary Van's. "You memb'rs," she began after an ominous silence, "ole man Gully's hant, doan yer?" "Old Langshan rooster, Mammy?" Willis whispered. "Dat's de ve'y hant--yas suh--ole lady Gully ain't skeercely in her grave 'fo' dat rooster hant start ter gwine down in de cellar--an' peckin' 'roun' like he huntin' fur sumthin'. "Abe tell de boys he seen de ole man take er bag er gole down dar onct, an' he 'speck old Langshan know whar he berry hit--but howsumev'r dat is--one thing wus sho'--dat rooster peck in one cornder er dat celler, tell dem boys pis'n him." The children moved closer to Phyllis. "Mammy, did he come back in another rooster?"