"Come down here honey," Hetty called again, "Come see the nice fish I'se got for you." Bo went into the dining room and begged the kind creature to sit with him. "You're my best friend, Hetty, dear." "Indeed, I'se your friend. Eat up de fish; it's good, and don't bother lookin' at it."
"Oh, I'm just dissecting it." "What's dat?" "Seeing what's inside of it. Hetty, dear, do you know fishes have spinal cords?" "Cords! land sakes! where dey done keep dem?"
"Oh, up their backs, of course. Here, see this bone, I break it and here is a string that makes the fish move." "Oh, Massa Bo, where you done learn all dis?"
"I heard the A class saying their physiology, and I asked Mamma, and she said we had just such a cord in our backbone." Here Mamma came into the room. "Law bless us, Miss Allen dat chile ought never be whipped for learnin'. He knows lots more now than some men."
Mrs. Allen sat down and explained to the children the different parts of the fish.
This led to an interesting talk. Amy asked if shellfish were stupid, because people often say: "As dumb as a clam."
"Not all dear, there is the beautiful Nautilus; the little mariner and really our first navigator."
Then the mother told of the sea nettle, the razorfish, the cuttlefish, that throws a black fluid out of its body, which darkens the water, and when pursued by an enemy escapes by this means. It is a very useful fish; long ago the Romans used that black fluid for ink.
Bo was so interested, he forgot his trouble, and no one noticed it was past school time.
"I'se just glad," said Hetty; "you children come play dat funny song about de Hoo Doo man, and say dat piece what tells what de school bell talks when it rings."