Sarah Jane stopped for breath and Billy hastened to inquire,

“Who else is dead, Sarah Jane?”

“’Tain’t nobody else dead, yit, as I knows on, but my two cousins is turrible low; one’s got a hemrage on de lung an’ de yuther’s got a congestin’ on de brain, an’ I ’lows dey’ll bofe drap off ‘twix’ now an’ sun-up to-morra.  “Her eyes rolled around and happened to light on her corset.  She at once returned to her grievance.

“An’ sposin’ I hadn’t ‘av’ came in here when I did?  I’d ‘a’ had to went to my own cousins’ fun’el ‘thout nare co’set.  Y’ all gotta go right to y’ all’s mamas an’ Miss Minerva dis very minute.  I low dey’ll settle yo’ hashes.  Don’t y’ all know dat Larroes ketch meddlers?”

CHAPTER XIX

Twins and A sissy

Mrs. Hamilton and Mrs. Black were sitting on Miss Minerva’s veranda talking to her, and Lira and Frances were in the swing with Billy.

The attraction proved too great for Jimmy; he impolitely left a disconsolate little visitor sitting on his own porch while he jumped the fence and joined the other children.

“Don’t you all wish you could see Mrs. Brown’s new twinses?” was his greeting as he took his seat by Billy.

“Where’d she get ’em?” asked Frances.

“Doctor Sanford tooken ’em to her last night.”

“He muster found ’em in a holler stump,” remarked Billy.  “I knows, ’cause that’s where Doctor Shacklefoot finds aller of Aunt Blue-Gum Tempy’s Peruny Pearline’s, an’ me an’ Wilkes Booth Lincoln been lookin’ in evy holler stump we see ever sence we’s born, an’ we ain’t never foun’ no baby ’t all, ’cause can’t nobody but jes’ doctors fin’ ’em.  I wish he’d a-give ’em to Aunt Minerva ’stidder Mrs. Brown.”

“I wish he’d bringed ’em to my mama,” said Frances.

“I certainly do think he might have given them to us,” declared Lina, “and I’m going to tell him so, too.  As much money as father has paid him for doctor’s bills and as much old, mean medicine as I have taken just to ’commodate him; then he gives babies to everybody but us.”

“I’m awful glad he never give ’em to my mama,” said Jimmy, “’cause I never could had no more fun; they’d be stuck right under my nose all time, and all time put their mouth in everything you want to do, and all time meddling.  You can’t fool me ’bout twinses.  But I wish I could see ’em!  They so weakly they got to be hatched in a nincubator.”

“What’s that?” questioned Frances.

“That’s a someping what you hatches chickens and babies in when they’s delicate, and ain’t got ’nough breath and ain’t got they eyes open and ain’t got no feathers on,” explained Jimmy.

“Reckon we can see ’em?” she asked.

“See nothing!” sniffed the little boy.  “Ever sence Billy let Mr. Algernon Jones whack Miss Minerva’s beau we can’t do nothing at all ’thout grown folks ‘r’ stuck right under your nose.  I’m jes’ cramped to death.”