“’ Who on-tied, who on-tied Po’ Nancy Jane O?’

An’ de frog he ans’er back,

“‘Pig-un-a-wa-ya, Pig-un-a-wa-ya, hooo-hooo!’

“An’ wile dey wuz er singin’ an’ er j’yin’ uv deyselves, hyear come de birds; an’ de frog he felt so big, caze he’d got de stone, tell he stood up on Nancy Jane O’s back, he did, an’ he tuck’n shuck de stone at de birds, an’ he holler at ’em

“‘O Pig-un-a-wa-ya, Pig-un-a-wa-ya, hooo-hooo!’

An’ jes ez he said dat, he felt hisse’f slippin’, an’ dat made him clutch on ter Po’ Nancy Jane O, an’ down dey bof’ went tergedder kersplash, right inter de crick.

“De frog he fell slap on ter er big rock, an’ bust his head all ter pieces; an’ Po’ Nancy Jane O sunk down in de water an’ got drownded; an’ dat’s de een’.”

“Did the king get the stone, Aunt Edy?” asked Dumps.

“Wy no, chile; don’t yer know de mole he’s blin’ tell yit? ef’n he could er got dat stone, he could er seen out’n his eyes befo’ now.  But I ain’t got no time ter fool ‘long er you chil’en.  I mus’ git marster’s shuts done, I mus’.”

And Aunt Edy turned to her ironing-table, as if she didn’t care for company; and Dumps and Tot, seeing that she was tired of them, went back to the house, Tot singing,

“Who on-tied, who on-tied Po’ Nanty Dane O?”

and Dumps answering back,

“Pig-un-a-wa-ya, Pig-un-a-wa-ya, hooo-hooo!”

CHAPTER X.

PLANTATION GAMES.

“Mammy, the quarter folks are goin’ ter play to-night; can’t we go look at ’em?” pleaded Diddie one Saturday evening, as Mammy was busy sorting out the children’s clothes and putting them away.

“Yer allers want ter be ’long er dem quarter-folks,” said Mammy.  “Dem ain’t de ’soshuts fur you chil’en.”

“We don’t want ter ’soshate with ’em, Mammy; we only want ter look at ’em play ‘Monkey Moshuns’ and ‘Lipto’ and ‘The Lady You Like Best,’ and hear Jim pick the banjo, and see ’em dance; can’t we go?  PLEASE!  It’s warm weather now, an’ er moonshiny night; can’t we go?”

And Diddie placed one arm around Mammy’s neck, and laid the other little hand caressingly on her cheek; and Mammy, after much persuasion, agreed to take them, if they would come home quietly when she wanted them to.

As soon as the little girls had had their supper, they set out for the quarters.  Dilsey and Chris and Riar, of course, accompanied them, though Chris had had some difficulty in joining the party.  She had come to grief about her quilt patching, having sewed the squares together in such a way that the corners wouldn’t hit, and Mammy had made her rip it all out and sew it over again, and had boxed her soundly, and now said she shouldn’t go with the others to the quarters; but here Dumps interfered, and said Mammy shouldn’t be “all time ‘posin’ on Chris,” and she went down to see her father about it, who interceded with Mammy so effectually