“I dunno how long he sot thar, but presently a great big acorn dropped on the roof--_ker-bang!_ It wuz sech a big one an' it fell so hard that it made Johnny jump. It fell on the roof 'bout half-way betwixt the comb an' the eaves, an' when Johnny looked aroun' for to see what made the fuss he seed the acorn a-rollin' up to'rds whar he wuz a-settin'. Yes, sir! stedder rollin' down the roof an' failin' off on the groun', the acorn come a-rollin' up the shingles thess like it wuz down grade. Johnny grabbed it ez it come. He picked it up an' looked at it good, an' then turned it roun' an' 'roun' for to see what kinder consarn it wuz that rolled up hill stedder rollin' down hill. While he wuz a turnin' the acorn aroun' he spied a worm hole in it, an' he was thess about ter break it open when he heard somebody callin'. It sounded like his stepmammy wuz a-callin' 'im from a way off yander, an' he answered back 'Ma'am!' thess ez loud as ever he could, an' then he sot still an' listened. Bimeby he heard the callin' again, an' he answered back: 'Who is you, an' whar is you?' It seemed like then that he could hear somebody laughin' at 'im some'rs. These here sounds sorter put 'im out, an' he took an' shot the acorn down the roof like it wuz a marvel. Yit, before it could fall off, it seemed ter kinder ketch itself, an' then it come a-rollin' back to Johnny. “This sorter made Johnny feel kinder creepy. He know'd mighty well that he didn't have no loadstone in his pocket, an' he couldn't make no head ner tail to sech gwine's on. He picked up the acorn an' looked at it closeter than ever, an' turned it 'roun' an' 'roun' in his hand, an' helt it right up to his eye. Whilst he was a-holdin' it up that a-way he heard a little bit er voice ez fine ez a cambric needle, an' it seem like it wuz a-singin': “Ningapie, Ningapie! Why do you hol' me at your eye? Ningapie, Ningapee! Don't you know that you can't see? Ningapie, Ningapeer! Why don't you hol' me to your ear? [Illustration: 0082] “Johnny didn't know whether to laugh er cry, but he helt the acorn to his ear, an' he heard sumpin' er other on the inside holler out: “'Why don't you hold my house so I can talk out'n my window?' “'I don't see no window,' says Johnny, sorter shakin' a little, bekase the Watchermacollum talked like it was mad. 'Is thish here worm-hole your window?' “'Tooby shore it is,' say the Whatshisname, 'it's my window an' my front door, an' my peazzer.' “'Why, it ain't bigger than the pint of a pin,' says Johnny. “'But ef it wuzn't big enough,' say the--er--Watchermacollum, 'I'd make it bigger.' “'What is your name?' says Johnny. “'Ningapie.' “'It's a mighty funny name,' says Johnny. 'Where did you come from?' “'Chuckalucker town.' “'That's in the song,' says Johnny. “'Me, too,” says Ningapie. 'It's in the song. Ain't you never heard it?'