“All right, little misses,” replied Daddy; and, sitting up on the bench, he lifted Tot beside him, while Diddie and Dumps sat on the door-sill, and Dilsey and Chris and Riar and Polly sat flat on the ground.

“Well, yer see de Owl,” began Daddy Jake, “he usen fur ter see in de daytime des same ez he do now in de night; an’ one time he wuz in his kitchen er cookin’ uv his dinner, wen hyear come de Peafowl er struttin’ by.  Well, in dem days de Peafowl he nuber had none er dem eyes on his tail wat he got now; his tail wuz des er clean blue.”

“Did you see him, Daddy?” interrupted Dumps.

[Illustration:  “’STRUCK’N UV DE CHIL’EN.”]

“No, honey, I ain’t seed ‘im wen he wuz dat way; dat wuz fo’ my time; but den I know hit’s de truf, do’; his tail wuz er clar blue dout’n no eyes on it; an’ he wuz er pow’ful proud bird, an’, ’stid er him ’ten’in ter his bizness, he des prumeraded de streets an’ de roads, an’ he felt hisse’f too big fur ter ten’ ter his wuck.  Well, de Owl knowed dat, an’ so wen he seed de Peafowl walkin’ by so big, an’ him in de kitchen er cookin’, it kinter hu’t his feelin’s, so he tuck’n holler’d at de Peafowl,

“’Whooo cooks fur you-oo-a? 
Whooo cooks fur you-oo-a? 
I cooks fur my folks,
But who cooks fur y’all-ll-l?’

“Now he jes done dat out’n pyo’ sass’ness, caze he knowed de Peafowl felt hisse’f ‘bove cookin’; an’ wen de Peafowl hyeard dat, he ’gun ter git mad; an’ he ’lowed dat ef’n de Owl said dat ter him ergin dey’d be er fuss on his han’s.  Well, de nex’ day de Owl seed him comin’, an’ he ‘gun fur ter scrape out’n his pots an’ skillets, an’ ez he scrope ’em he holler’d out,

“’Whoo cooks fur you-oo-a? 
Whoo cooks fur you-oo-a? 
Ef you’ll cook fur my folks,
Den I’ll cook fur y’all-ll.’

“An’ wid dat de Peafowl tuck’n bounct him; an’ dar dey had it, er scrougin’ an’ er peckin’ an’ er clawin’ uv one nudder; an’ somehow, in de skrummidge, de Owl’s eyes dey got skwushed on ter de Peafowl’s tail, an’ fur er long time he couldn’t see nuffin’ ’tall; but de rattlesnake doctored on him.”

“The rattlesnake?” asked Diddie, in horror.

“Hit’s true, des like I’m tellin’ yer,” said Daddy; “hit wuz de rattlesnake; an’ dey’s de bes’ doctors dey is ’mongst all de beases.  Yer may see him creepin’ ‘long thu de grass like he don’t know nuffin’, but he kin doctor den.”

“How does he doctor, Daddy?” asked Dumps.

“Now you chil’en look er hyear,” said the old man; “I ain’t gwine ter tell yer all I know ’bout’n de rattlesnake; dar’s some things fur ter tell, and den ergin dar’s some things fur ter keep ter yerse’f; an’ wat dey is twix’ me an’ de rattlesnake, hit’s des twix’ me’n him; an’ you ain’t de fust ones wat want ter know an’ couldn’t.  Yer may ax, but axin’ ain’t findin’ out den; an’, mo’n dat, ef’n I’m got ter be bothered wid axin’ uv questions, den I ain’t gwine obstruck yer, dat’s all.”