Look heah! 'Splain to me de reason Why you said to Squire Lee, Der wuz twelve ole chicken thieves In dis heah town, includin' me. Ef he tole you dat, my brudder, He said sump'n dat warn't true; W'at I said wuz dis, dat der wuz Twelve, _widout_ includin' you. Oh!...!-- DE LITTLE PICKANINNY'S GONE TO SLEEP Cuddle down, ma honey, in yo' bed, Go to sleep an' res' yo' little head, Been a-kind o' ailin' all de day? Didn't have no sperit fu' to play? Never min'; to-morrer, w'en you wek, Daddy's gwine to ride you on his bek, 'Roun' an' roun' de cabin flo' so fas'-- Der! He's closed his little eyes at las'. De little pickaninny's gone to sleep, Cuddled in his trundle bed so tiny, De little pickaninny's gone to sleep, Closed his little eyes so bright an' shiny. Hush! an' w'en you walk across de flo' Step across it very sof' an' slow. De shadders all aroun' begin to creep, De little pickaninny's gone to sleep. Mandy, w'at's de matter wid dat chile? Keeps a-sighin' ev'y little w'ile; Seems to me I heayhd him sorter groan, Lord! his little han's am col' as stone! W'at's dat far-off light dat's in his eyes? Dat's a light dey's borrow'd f'om de skies; Fol' his little han's across his breas', Let de little pickaninny res'. THE RIVALS Look heah! Is I evah tole you 'bout de curious way I won Anna Liza? Say, I nevah? Well heah's how de thing wuz done. Lize, you know, wuz mighty purty--dat's been forty yeahs ago-- 'N 'cos to look at her dis minit, you might'n spose dat it wuz so. She wuz jes de greates' 'traction in de county, 'n bless de lam'! Eveh darkey wuz a-co'tin, but it lay 'twix me an' Sam. You know Sam. We both wuz wukin' on de ole John Tompkin's place. 'N evehbody wuz a-watchin' t'see who's gwine to win de race. Hee! hee! hee! Now you mus' raley 'scuse me fu' dis snickering, But I jes can't he'p f'om laffin' eveh time I tells dis thing. Ez I wuz a-sayin', me an' Sam wuked daily side by side, He a-studyin', me a-studyin', how to win Lize fu' a bride. Well, de race was kinder equal, Lize wuz sorter on de fence; Sam he had de mostes dollars, an' I had de mostes sense. Things dey run along 'bout eben tel der come Big Meetin' day; Sam den thought, to win Miss Liza, he had foun' de shoest way. An' you talk about big meetin's! None been like it 'fore nor sence; Der wuz sich a crowd o' people dat we had to put up tents. Der wuz preachers f'om de Eas', an' 'der wuz preachers f'om de Wes'; Folks had kilt mos' eveh chicken, an' wuz fattenin' up de res'. Gals had all got new w'ite dresses, an' bought ribbens fu' der hair, Fixin' fu' de openin' Sunday, prayin' dat de day'd be fair. Dat de Reveren' Jasper Jones of Mount Moriah, it wuz 'low'd, Wuz to preach de openin' sermon; so you know der wuz a crowd.