I asked Uncle Ned what makes the snale have a shell always on his back, and he said: “It dident use to be so. The snale was created all right, but it sought out many inventions and told them without turnin a hair. One day Adam he seen the snale creepin along the gravel walk, and he said, Adam did: 'You lazy worm of the dust, why don’t you get a move on you?’
“The snale it said: 'Ime the swiftest quodped which flies a long the plain, when I try. I devours distance like it was a string of maccarony, and there is only a imadginary line between the place where I am and the place where I want to be. I over take the kangaroon as he flies for his life, and the pigeon in the sky weeps to see me vanish below his horizon. When I go west it is always the same time of day with me, but when I turn east it is mid night before I have took a half dozen jumps.’
“Adam said: 'My, but you are spry when you are in a hurry. I spose you aint goin any where in particklar today.’
“The snale it said: 'Ime sick today, and have jest dragged my self out of the house for to get a breath of fresh air.’
“Adam he said: 'Where do you live, when you are to home?’ and the snale said: 'In that curly house away over there on the other side of the gravel walk.’
“Adam he thought a while, and bime by he said: 'It would be a great pity if the swiftest quodped which skowers the plain should take cold and die. You just go right in to your house again, and dont you leave it till I tell you.’
“Then Adam he walked a way and wank his eye, to his self and said: 'I have such a bad remember, may be Ile forget to tell him.’
“Johnny, that’s just what happened, so the fool snale, bein forbid to leave his house, has to take it along with him where ever he goes. And that will teach you never to brag about what you can do if you cant do it.”
But if Adam would scold me and Billy we would say: “You bad old man, what for did you eat that apple and make us all go to Sunday school?”
But a apple dumplin, plenty sugar on it, is as musicle as Apoloes loot.