“No, ma’m, he didn’t,—he say he nuv’r speck ter come back in no mo’ creeturs ter git pis’n’d ergin. ‘De nex’ time I comes back,’ sez he, ‘hit’s gwine be in sumthin’ nuth’r fokes can’t projick none er der dev’ment wid.’ Ahah,—an’ yer knows whut dat is, doan yer?”
Both little heads shook a trembling negative.
“Well, hit’s er Jack-my-lantern!” said Phyllis, and at her solemn statement the children looked aghast.
“HEP! HEP!—SOMEBODY COME HOPE ME!”
“Yas, ma’m,—an yas, suh,” she bowed to each in turn, “he come back straight es he kin float hissef ter de swamp down yond’r on yo’ granpa’s rice plantation.” She waited for this to be entirely absorbed by her eager little listeners, then added: “I seen ’em m’sef winkin’, an’ blinkin’ all erbout dar,” suiting facial contortions to her words.
“One day Miss Gully’s bigges’ boy went down in de cell’r ter git some tat’rs fur dinn’r, an’ fus’ thing yer know he start ter yellin’ ‘Hep! hep!—Somebody come hope me!’
“Abe an’ de uth’r boys wint down dar, an’ seed de boy layin’ flat on de floo’ whar de hant thow’d him—”
“Mammy, lemme get in your lap,” begged Mary Van, while Willis jumped on one of her knees. Mary Van followed suit, and before Phyllis could reply they had cuddled upon her, almost taking her breath.
“Sakes erlive! you all gittin’ ’way wid me wusser’n dem hants done de Gully boys.”