"
"Tell us how you heard it, Uncle Bob," asked Diddie.
"Well, hit all come 'long o' de jay bird," said Uncle Bob. "An' efn
yer got time fur ter go 'long o' me ter de shop, an' sot dar wile I
plats on dese baskits fur de oberseer's wife, I'll tell jes wat I
hyear 'boutn hit."
Of course they had plenty of time, and they all followed him to the
shop, where he turned some baskets bottomside up for seats for the
children, and seating himself on his accustomed stool, while the
little darkies sat around on the dirt-floor, he began to weave the
splits dexterously in an out, and proceeded to tell the story.
CHAPTER XII
HOW THE WOODPECKER'S HEAD AND THE ROBIN'S BREAST CAME TO BE RED
"WELL," began Uncle Bob, "hit wuz all erlong er de jay bird, jes ez I
wuz tellin' yer. Yer see, Mr. Jay Bird he fell'd in love, he did,
'long o' Miss Robin, an' he wuz er courtin' her, too; ev'y day de Lord
sen', he'd be er gwine ter see her, an' er singin' ter her, an' er
cyarin' her berries an' wums; hut, somehow or udder, she didn't pyear
ter tuck no shine ter him. She'd go er walkin' 'long 'im, an' she'd
sing songs wid 'im, an' she'd gobble up de berries an' de wums wat he
fotch, but den w'en hit come ter marry'n uv 'im, she wan't der.
"Well, she wouldn't gib 'im no kin' er 'couragement, tell he got right
sick at his heart, he did; an' one day, ez he wuz er settin' in his
nes' an' er steddin how ter wuck on Miss Robin so's ter git her love,
he hyeard somebody er laughin' an' talkin', an' he lookt out, he did,
an' dar wuz Miss Robin er prumurradin' wid de Woodpecker.
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