“But John he feerd ter go whar Lilly at. So An’ Polly, she fly wid him tell dey sights de Falls, den she lef’ ’im. John, he fly er lit’le, an’ hop er lit’le tell he git clost nuf ter see Lilly wrop’n up de po’ lit’le bird’s leg, an’ cooin’ so sof’ ter hit—den John, he fly on de tree, an’ cry out er chune ter Lilly dat mos’ broke her h’art,—he sing:
“‘I ain’ good nuf fur Lilly Dove,
But she de onlies’ one I love.’
“Lilly she stoop low ov’r de lit’le bird so John can’t see whar she cryin’ at. An’ John he fly down an’ tell her he gwine jump in de Falls ef she ’fuse ter keep comp’ny wid him—but Lawd, whin he git clost ernuf ter see dem tears er Lilly’s, he th’ows his arms ’roun’ her an’—but you all chillun ain’ got no biznes’ knowin’ no mo’ en dat.”
“Please, Mammy, tell us if John jumped in the falls,” sympathetically begged Willis, eager to lose none of the details.
Phyllis chuckled, “No, my Lawd, dey got marr’ed instid, an’ went ter housekeepin’ in dat tall pine stump ov’r yond’r on Tinker Knob.”
XIII
MISTER GRAB-ALL SPIDER
“What made that old hornet sting me for, Mammy Phyllis?” demanded Mary Van, regarding tearfully her little red swelling hand.