"Fus' thing, hyeah come Mistah Rabbit; don' you see him wo'k his eahs? Huh, uh! dis mus' be a donkey,--look, how innercent he 'pears! Dah 's de ole black swan a-swimmin'--ain't she got a' awful neck? Who 's dis feller dat 's a-comin'? Why, dat 's ole dog Tray, I 'spec'!" Dat 's de way I run on, tryin' fu' to please 'em all I can; Den I hollahs, "Now be keerful--dis hyeah las' 's de buga-man!" An' dey runs an' hides dey faces; dey ain't skeered--dey 's lettin' on: But de play ain't raaly ovah twell dat buga-man is gone. So I jes' teks up my banjo, an' I plays a little chune, An' you see dem haids come peepin' out to listen mighty soon. Den my wife says, "Sich a pappy fu' to give you sich a fright! Jes, you go to baid, an' leave him: say yo' prayers an' say good-night." WHISTLING SAM I has hyeahd o' people dancin' an' I 's hyeahd o' people singin'. An' I 's been 'roun' lots of othahs dat could keep de banjo ringin'; But of all de whistlin' da'kies dat have lived an' died since Ham, De whistlin'est I evah seed was ol' Ike Bates's Sam. In de kitchen er de stable, in de fiel' er mowin' hay, You could hyeah dat boy a-whistlin' pu'ty nigh a mile erway,-- Puck'rin' up his ugly features 'twell you could n't see his eyes, Den you 'd hyeah a soun' lak dis un f'om dat awful puckah rise: [Illustration: Musical score.] When dey had revival meetin' an' de Lawd's good grace was flowin' On de groun' dat needed wat'rin' whaih de seeds of good was growin', While de othahs was a-singin' an' a-shoutin' right an' lef, You could hyeah dat boy a-whistlin' kin' o' sof beneaf his bref: [Illustration: Musical score.] At de call fu' colo'ed soldiers, Sam enlisted 'mong de res' Wid de blue o' Gawd's great ahmy wropped about his swellin' breas', An' he laffed an' whistled loudah in his youfful joy an' glee Dat de govament would let him he'p to mek his people free. Daih was lots o' ties to bin' him, pappy, mammy, an' his Dinah,-- Dinah, min' you, was his sweet-hea't, an' dey was n't nary finah; But he lef 'em all, I tell you, lak a king he ma'ched away, Try'n' his level bes' to whistle, happy, solemn, choky, gay: [Illustration: Musical score.] To de front he went an' bravely fought de foe an' kep' his sperrit, An' his comerds said his whistle made 'em strong when dey could hyeah it. When a saber er a bullet cut some frien' o' his'n down, An' de time 'u'd come to trench him an' de boys 'u'd gethah 'roun', An' dey could n't sta't a hymn-tune, mebbe none o' dem 'u'd keer, Sam 'u'd whistle "Sleep in Jesus," an' he knowed de Mastah 'd hyeah. In de camp, all sad discouraged, he would cheer de hea'ts of all, When above de soun' of labour dey could hyeah his whistle call: [Illustration: Musical score.]