b. Lucy and Janet.
Martha Roe, Harmony Hall, Cock-pit country.
Once a woman have two daughter. Lucy an’ Janet were de two girl name. She sen’ dem far to school. Der is Ol’ Witch live along de road. An’ she had t’ree dog, one name Dick, one name Dandy, an’ one name Bellamo. August, Lucy was going home, going spend time wid her mamma, an’ de mudder has to sen’ dose t’ree dog to go carry her home. An’ all her breakfas’ fe her an’ t’ree dog she put all togedder. Lucy were kind. When Lucy catch to her breakfas’, she an’ de t’ree dog eat togedder; she never consider dem as dog, she take dem as frien’. So when she catch half-way, de t’ree dog stop back an’ one big Ol’ Witch man come out to destroy Lucy. Dat time, de dog leave her quite back; now she gwine call dem:
“Yah! Bellamo, Dick an’ Dandy,
Yah! Bellamo, yo!”
De t’ree dog run in an’ dem tear up de Ol’ Witch an’ kill him. So ev’ry time Lucy come, dose t’ree dog guide her to her mamma go an’ spen’ August, an’ de t’ree of dem carry her back to her school-missus place.
Well, Christmas, Janet a go. De dog come to carry home Janet. When dey come, she say, “I wonder what you all doin’ so long!” an’ begin to quarrel. When she ketch fe to eat breakfas’, she eat her breakfas’ first den she divide what left give de t’ree dog. So as she started on, de dog dem start back de same as usual. When de Ol’ Witch man come out, going call de dog now. And say, (harshly)
“Yah! Bellamo, Dick an’ Dandy,
Yah! Bellamo, yah!”
Dog wouldn’t come. An’ de Ol’ Witch kill dat girl t’ru her bad manner. So you fin’ plenty of young people don’ have manners.