“It sho did hurt Cho-Cho’s feelings. And Cho-Cho, she slish-slashed my hair off so’s I’d look cute. Nobody ain’t told us we look cute—and nobody ain’t spanked us nor nothin’—and nobody don’t love us.” This tirade came out between sobs.
Kent and Judy roared with laughter but Molly and her mother tried to look sad and mournful.
“Molly, I’m astonished! Why don’t you spank your kid? I never heard of such an inhuman parent,” teased Kent.
Molly was very happy indeed. The miracle had come! Her prayer was answered. She did not have to punish Mildred. Mildred was punished.
“You wouldn’t have treated yo’ dear little children so mean, would you, Granny?”
“You bet she wouldn’t have,” insisted Kent. “Why, if I had shave-pated, number-eighted my little Haythen friends, your granny would have torn me limb from limb and beaten me black and blue.”
“Sho nuf?”
“Yes, indeed, and if my little Haythen friend had chopped off all my pretty curls, I am sure her mother would have thrown her in the fire and poked holes in her with a red hot poker.”
“Jes’ ’cause they loved you so much?”
“Yes, just because they loved us so much.”