"Dey ain' all drap out yit, 'caze she ain' loss all her inside purty yit." "What's Major Peafowel doing?" "He jes' stan'in' up dar watchin' dat fier on Tinker, an' wushin' hit 'ud bu'n up Lilly Dove's house." Immediately the children became interested in watching the forest fire which enveloped a part of Tinker Knob. "Did Lilly's house burn down?" asked Mary Van with feeling. "Bu'n up er holy Ghos' bird's house?" exclaimed Phyllis. "Why, gal, dat's de bird de Holy Ghos' sen's, an' exsen's 'pon, whinsomev'r hit come down 'pon de earf! Jes' like Jay burds is Satan's burds,--fokes says dey goes ter de Bad Place ev'y Friday night, an' I 'speck dey sees er heap er fokes useter live heah too." "Mammy, I'm skeered God don't know the mountain's on fire," said Willis anxiously. "Go off, boy, de Lawd ain' needin' you ter hope him 'ten' ter His biznes'--now ef dat wus er Jay burd, hit wud er bin burnt clean up, but bein's hit's er Holy Ghos' dove, dat hope ole man Noah ter lan' de Ark, de Lawd ain' gwine let her swing er feath'r. Dis hyah ain' de fus' time Lilly Dove put her trus' in de Lawd. Dat hit 'tain't," as she took from the floor the book of Robin Redbreast, "an' dis hyah Cock Robin," placing her finger on the picture, "is de ve'y man dat start all de fracus." "Didn't Robin like Lilly Dove?" Willis left the window to look at the book. "Him an' Ginny Wren near 'bout foolish 'bout Lilly Dove--dat's howcum Tishy Peafowel ter tu'n 'ginst Lilly like she done." Mary Van went over to Willis, and together they spread the book upon the floor where the gay-colored pictures of the birds accentuated the feathered characters of Phyllis's mind. "Tishy Peafowel nev'r wud er got so mean, ef An' Polly Parrit had er mine her own biznes',--'stid er dat, An' Polly ax Cock Robin whut ail Tishy feath'rs. Robin tell her Tishy ain' got no sense, dat ef she had much sense es Lilly Dove got, she nuv'r wud er bin in de fix she in now.--Whoopee! dat start de fracus. "An' Polly start right fum dar an' spen' de day wid ev'rybody in de woods--she mixin' de 'pinions fokes got er Tishy an' Lilly. Atter she git bustin' full er news, hyah she come ter spen' de day wid Tishy. Whin ole Lady Peafowel see An' Polly take off her bonnet ter spen' de day, she run an' git out de bes' china, an' she tell de cook ter have fried chick'n fur din'r 'caze she know An' Polly gwine tell all erbout whut dey eats ter de nex' place she go." She paused to lift a table near the window, when Willis called from the floor: "Mammy, don't let Aunt Polly have fried chicken for dinner." "You sho'ly done los' yo' senses, boy. Ole lady Peafowel jes' es skeered er An' Polly es yo' ma is er Miss Tilly Totenews.--'Cose she gwine have fried chick'n an' mo' b'sides,--an' she doan let none de chillun do no talkin' whar An' Polly's at neeth'r," she giggled.