“Well, Miz. Prairie-Dog done sent out de runners to run, de fliers to fly, de crawlers to crawl, an’ tell each an’ every dat she sot up a boardin’-house. She say she got room for one crawler and one flier, an’ dat she could take in a whole passel o’ runners.
“Well, now you knows a flier ’s a bird—or hit mought be a bat. Ef you was lookin’ for little folks, hit mought be a butterfly. Miz. Prairie-Dog ain’t find no fliers what wants to live un’neath de ground. But crawlers—bugs an’ worms an’ sich-like—dey mostly does live un’neath de ground, anyhow, an’ de fust pusson what come seekin’ house-room with Miz. Prairie-Dog was Brother Rattlesnake.
“‘I dest been flooded out o’ my own house,’ Mr. Rattlesnake say; ‘an’ I like to look at your rooms an’ see ef dey suits me.’
“‘I show you de rooms,’ Miz. Prairie-Dog tell ’im. ‘I bound you gwine like ’em. I got room for one crawler, an’ you could be him; but—’
“Miz. Prairie-Dog look at her chillen. She ain’t say no more—dest look at dem prairie-dog gals an’ boys, an’ say no more.
“Mr. Rattlesnake ain’t like bein’ called a crawler so very well; but he looks at dem rooms, an’ ’low he’ll take ’em. Miz. Prairie-Dog got somethin’ on her mind, an’ ’fore de snake git away dat somethin’ come out. ‘I’s shore an’ certain dat you an’ me can git along,’ she say, ‘ef—ef—ef you vow an’ promish not to bite my chillen. I’ll have yo’ meals reg’lar, so dat you won’t be tempted.’
“Old Mr. Rattlesnake’ powerful high-tempered—yas, law, he sho’ a mighty quick somebody on de trigger. Zip! he go off, dest like dat—zip! Br-r-r! ‘Tempted!’ he hiss at de prairie-dog woman. He look at dem prairie-dog boys an’ gals what been makin’ mud cakes all mornin’ (an’ dest about as dirty as you-all is after you do de same). ‘Tempted,’ he say. ‘I should hope not.’
“For, mind you, Brother Rattlesnake is a genterman, an’ belongs to de quality. He feels hisself a heap too biggity to bite prairie-dogs. So dat turned out all right.
“De next what come to Miz. Prairie-Dog was a flier.”
“A bird?” asked Patricia Randolph.