The children needed no further description of Aunt Polly, for they knew a visit from Miss Tilly meant their banishment, as well as the strictest injunction to yea, yea, nay, nay, whenever they chanced to meet her. "Yas, suh," she unfolded her quilt pieces and prepared to assort them on the table, "An' Polly talk er nuf wurds ter Tishy dat day ter set her plum on fier wid madnes'. Yer see mos' all Tishy's purty feath'rs wus out, an' dem whut's lef wus right loose an' straggly, an' dat make Tishy wusser. Yer see trubble done make Tishy so sour an' mean dat she hate ev'rybody dat's purty'r'n her--an' she hate Lilly wusser en all uv 'em, 'caze Lilly wus so kine, an' treat fokes so sweet, dat ev'rybody jes' nachelly love Lilly. "Long 'bout dis time, de church fixin' ter have er sociable. Dey gwine have speakin' pieces, an' singin' jes' like fokes has. John Mockin'bird, he de haid man. 'Cose John wus lovin' Lilly, an' 'cose he want Lilly ter sing er chune er do sump'in, but Lilly say she bleege ter him fur axin' her, but de Lawd nuv'r make her ter sing like Laura Nightingale, an' 'tain' no use er her tryin' ter do hit. I tell yer Lilly had er heap er sense--an' er heap er beaux, too; dar wus John Mockin'bird, an' Tom Jay Bird, an' Bob White, an' mo' b'sides. But she ain' keer nuthin' fur none uv 'em 'cep'in' John." "Mammy, did Lilly Dove know Tom Jay Bird went to the Bad Place every Friday night?" Willis went over and stood by the table. "Cose she heah tell erbout hit, 'caze An' Polly Parrit done spen' de day wid her on de subjec', but Lilly, she sot right still tell An' Polly git th'u busin' him, an' callin' him low down gambl'r--den Lilly she up an' ax, 'An' Polly does you recoleck whin you wus shet up in dat cage up at Mist'r Man's house?' An' Polly say she nuv'r is ter fergit hit. Lilly say, 'Does yer 'memb'r whin Tom Jay ust'r fotch yer all dem fat wurms?' An' Polly say she know Tom's er good feller, but she jes' tellin' whut _fokes sez_. "Yas, suh, Tom wus er good feller, but we got ter git back ter de sociable, er dem fokes git ti'ed er waitin'." Willis's foot accidentally upset the quilt basket. "Take yer foot out'n Mammy's bask't, an' g'long back an' look at de pictur's wid Ma'y Van." "No, I won't--I'm tired sitting down on the floor." "Dat's jes' de way Tishy Peafowel talk whin her ma beg her ter stay at home wid dem loose straggly feath'rs er he'rn, but Tishy say, 'No, I won't,' jes' like you talks ter me sometimes. Jes' den one her purty feath'rs drap out." "Well, Mammy, I do want to stand up," he added apologetically, "and we've looked at all the pictures in that book." She found another book of birds which she opened on the table. "Hyah, stan' up an' look at dese,--dar's Tishy de ve'y fus' one." Mary Van was soon beside him: "Ain't Tishy pretty, Mammy Phyllis?" she said. "She sho' wus sumthin' ter look at 'fo' Big Eye Buzzard come erlong. An' Tishy wus er good gal, too, but she nuv'r had nuf 'ligion ter stan' trubble."