“De folks would set on de stone, while de little birds would sing,’ I wush I had;’ an’ dey’d wush dey had money, an’ fren’s, an’ sense, an’ happiness, an’ ‘ligion; an’ ’twould all come true jes like dey wush fur.  Den de little birds would sing,’ I wush I wuz;’ an’ dey’d wush dey wuz lubly, an’ good, an’ gran’; un’ ’twould all come ter pass jes so.

“But all dat time nobody neber wush nobody else was rich, an’ good, an’ lubly, an’ happy; fur don’t yer see de birds neber sung,’ I wush you wuz,’ ‘I wush dey had;’ but all de time ‘I wush I wuz,’ ’I wush I had.’  At last, one day dar come inter de gyarden er po’ little cripple gal, who lived ’way off in er ole tumble-down house.  She wuz er little po’ white chile, an’ she didn’t hab no farder nor mudder, nor niggers ter do fur her, an’ she had to do all her own wuck herse’f.”

“Bress de Lord!” ejaculated Aunt Milly, who was becoming very much interested in the story, while tears gathered in Dumps’s blue eyes; and even Diddie was seen to wink a little at the forlorn condition of “de po’ white chile.”

“Yes, indeed,” continued Mammy, “she done all her own wuk herse’f, an’ nobody ter say er blessed word ter her, nor he’p her a bit; an’ she neber eben hyeard ob de wushin’-stone, but had jes come out fur er little while ter enjoy de birds, an’ de fresh air, an’ flowers, same as de quality folks; fur she was mos’ all de time sick, an’ dis wuz jes de same as Christmus ter her.  She hobbled erlong on her crutchers, an’ atter while she got ter de stone; an’ hit so happened dar wan’t nobody dar, so she sot down ter res’.  Well, mun, she hadn’t mo’n totch de stone when de little birds began, ‘I wush I had,’ ‘I wush I wuz.’

“‘Oh, what er sweet, pretty place!’ de little gal said; an’ what nice little birds!  I wush dat po’ ole sick man what libs next ter us could come out here and see it all.’

“‘I wush I had,’ ‘I wush I wuz,’ sung de little birds.  ’I wush all de po’ chil’en could come an’ spen’ de day here,’ said de little gal; ’what er nice time dey would hab!’

“‘I wush I wuz,’ ‘I wush I had,’ sung de birds in er flutter, hoppin’ all ’bout ’mong de branches.

“‘An’ all de lame people, an’ sick people, an’ ole people,’ said de little gal, ‘I wush dey could all git well, an strong, an’ lib in er beautiful place jes like dis, an’ all be happy.’

“Oh, de little birds! what er bustle dey wuz in, to be sho’!  Dey sot upon de bery topes’ branches, an’ dey sung like dey d split dey troats,

“‘I wush I had,’ ‘I wush I wuz.’

“But de little gal neber min’ ’em.  She was rested, an hobbled on all by herse’f, but now, sence she done wush fur blessin’s fur tudder folks, de spell was loosen’, an’ de stone all drawed up ter a little bit er stone, den sunk away in de groun’ clar out o’ sight.  An’ dat wuz de last ob de wushin’-stone.”

“Dar now!” exclaimed Aunt Milly.