“It’s your turn.” Aunt Lindie had sharp ears and young folks had to be mannerly in her house. If not she had her own way of teaching them a lesson. She took Ben unawares. He had to think quickly and blurted out the first riddle that came to his mind:
| Black upon black, and brown upon brown, Four legs up and six legs down. |
Even half-witted Tom Cartmel to whom Ben happened to be looking gave back the answer:
“A darky riding a horse and he had a kittle turned up-side-down on his head. The kittle had four legs!”
Not even Aunt Lindie could keep a straight face, but to spare Ben’s feelings she gave out a verse that she felt certain no one could say after her. And try as they would no one could, not even when she said it slowly:
|
One a-tuory
Dickie davy
Ockie bonie
Ten a-navy.
Dickie manie
Murkum tine
Humble, bumble
Twenty-nine. One a-two A zorie, zinn Allie bow Crock a-bowl. Wheelbarrow Moccasin Jollaway Ten. |
No one could say it, try as they would.
“Then answer me this,” Aunt Lindie said. “Does it spell Tennessee or is it just an old comical way of counting?”
Again no one could answer and Aunt Lindie said smilingly if she told all she knew they would know as much as she. Though perhaps she wasn’t aware of it, Aunt Lindie was keeping alive their interest in telling riddles. For young folks went about in their neighborhood trying to find answers to her riddles.