The two rocks Shoogie picked out were so heavy it took us a long time to lug them up to the well lot. When we did finally get back, we saw that Huldie was in the garden again, and Doanie was gone. Shoogie said she must be in the kitchen helping Mama cook dinner. "Bandershanks, you reckon they gonna cook cake?" "No. We don't have no cake or pie, 'cept on Sunday." "Let's make us some more frog houses." "I wanta play like we're big. You be Huldie, and I'll be my mama. Let me tell you to stir up nice 'tater pies and cakes, 'cause the preacher's gonna come!" "Iffen we plays like we's wimmins, where we gonna get some snuff? When I's Grandma Huldie, I gotta have me some snuff!" "Run in the garden and ask Huldie." "Bandershanks, is you outta your head? Snuff's too good. She ain't gonna gim'me none o' her'n. You gotta go get hit from your grandma! She got some, ain't she?" "Yeah, but Grandma Ming says I must never, never in this round world take a dip." "Tell her hit's for me. That'll be the truth." "I better not. I know what! I'll get Mama to stir up sugar and chocolate. It's just like snuff." "Is it good?" "Yeah. Gooder'n candy!" Mama wasn't in the kitchen; neither was Doanie. So I got the chocolate box and the sugar bowl by myself. I grabbed a spoon too and ran outside before I filled my mouth. "This sho' is sweet!" Shoogie mumbled after she had packed three spoonfuls of the mixture down between her lower lip and her front teeth. Then she handed the bowl and spoon back to me. "My mama don't dip snuff. She's a nice lady. She says nice ladies don't dip—just old grandma women." Huldie walked up while I still had the spoon in my hand. She was puffing, wiping sweat off her forehead, and talking to herself. "Mercy, this is one more hot day!" The basket Huldie balanced on her head was heaped up with cabbages. If she was going to make me and Shoogie churn them all down, we'd never get to bake Preaching Sunday mud pies! "What's you girls doin'?" Shoogie's eyes got big. She gulped, stretched her neck, and beat herself on the chest. In trying to answer, she nearly choked! "We're dipping snuff," I told Huldie, as soon as I could swallow. "Good Lawd 'a mercy!" Huldie grabbed for Shoogie! She caught her arm, but she was having such a time trying to get the basket down from her head that Shoogie snatched away. The basket tipped over, spilling cabbages all over the well lot. Huldie whirled around and grabbed Shoogie with both hands. She started screaming. I hid behind a tub. "I'll learn you! I'll learn you! Cuss your black hide, young'un, I's gwine to break you from this snuff-stealin' and dippin'." Shoogie wasn't listening. She was shrieking and kicking as if her grandma were tearing her apart, and Huldie still hadn't hit her the first lick. The next second, though, she bent Shoogie over her knees, yanked up her dress tail, and started giving her pink bloomers and her bottom one hard "whap, whap, whap" right after another!