Well, dey talked an' made dey 'bejunce, des lak critters do, An' dey walked an' p'omenaded 'roun' an' thoo an' thoo; Jealous ol' Mis' Fox, she whispah, "See Mis' Wildcat daih, Ain't hit scan'lous, huh a-comin' wid huh shouldahs baih?" Ol' man T'utle was n't honin' fu' no dancin' tricks, So he stayed by ol' Mis' Tu'tle, talkin' politics; Den de ban' hit 'mence a-playin' critters all to place, Fou' ercross an' fou' stan' sideways, smilin' face to face. 'Fessah Frog, he play de co'net, Cricket play de fife, Slews o' Grasshoppahs a-fiddlin' lak to save dey life; Mistah Crow, 'he call de figgers, settin' in a tree, Huh, uh! how dose critters sasshayed was a sight to see. Mistah Possom swing Mis' Rabbit up an' down de flo', Ol' man Baih, he ain't so nimble, an' it mek him blow; Raccoon dancin' wid Mis' Squ'il squeeze huh little han', She say, "Oh, now ain't you awful, quit it, goodness lan'!" Pa'son Hedgehog groanin' awful at his converts' shines, 'Dough he peepin' thoo his fingahs at dem movin' lines, 'Twell he cain't set still no longah w'en de fiddles sing, Up he jump, an' bless you, honey, cut de pigeon-wing. Well, de critters lak to fainted jes' wid dey su'prise. Sistah Fox, she vowed she was n't gwine to b'lieve huh eyes; But dey could n't be no 'sputin' 'bout it any mo': Pa'son Hedgehog was a-cape'in' all erroun' de flo.' Den dey all jes' capahed scan'lous case dey did n't doubt, Dat dey still could go to meetin'; who could tu'n 'em out? So wid dancin' an' uligion, dey was in de fol', Fu' a-dancin' wid de Pa'son couldn't hu't de soul. WHEN DEY 'LISTED COLORED SOLDIERS Dey was talkin' in de cabin, dey was talkin' in de hall; But I listened kin' o' keerless, not a-t'inkin' 'bout it all; An' on Sunday, too, I noticed, dey was whisp'rin' mighty much, Stan'in' all erroun' de roadside w'en dey let us out o' chu'ch. But I did n't t'ink erbout it 'twell de middle of de week, An' my 'Lias come to see me, an' somehow he could n't speak. Den I seed all in a minute whut he 'd come to see me for;-- Dey had 'listed colo'ed sojers an' my 'Lias gwine to wah. Oh, I hugged him, an' I kissed him, an' I baiged him not to go; But he tol' me dat his conscience, hit was callin' to him so, An' he could n't baih to lingah w'en he had a chanst to fight For de freedom dey had gin him an' de glory of de right. So he kissed me, an' he lef me, w'en I 'd p'omised to be true; An' dey put a knapsack on him, an' a coat all colo'ed blue. So I gin him pap's ol' Bible f'om de bottom of de draw',-- W'en dey 'listed colo'ed sojers an' my 'Lias went to wah.