“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 crutches, 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’ old 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 der 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’ fur tudder folks, de spell was loosenin’ an’ de stone all drawerd 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.

“De truff, sho’! jes like I ben tellin’ yer,” said Mammy.

“But, Mammy, what about the little girl? did she ever get well an’ strong, an’ not be lame any more?” asked Dumps.

“Well, honey, yer see de Lord, he fixes all dat.  He sont fur her one night, an’ she jes smiled, bright an’ happy like, an’ laid right back in de angel’s arms; an’ he tuck her right along up thu de hebenly gates, an’ soon as eber he sot her down, an’ her foot totch dem golden streets, de lameness, an’ sickness, an’ po’ness all come right; an’ her fader, an’ her mudder, an’ her niggers wuz all dar, an’ she wuz well an’ strong, an’ good an’ happy.  Jes like she wush fur de po’ folks, an’ de sick folks, de Lord he fixed it jes dat way fur her.  He fixed all dat hisse’f.”

CHAPTER IV

 Old Billy

The gin-house on the plantation was some distance from the house; and in an opposite direction from the quarters.  It was out in an open field, but a narrow strip of woods lay between the field and the house, so the gin-house was completely hidden.