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; but, 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 dar.

"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. An' wen he seed
dat, he got pow'ful mad, an' he 'low'd ter hisse'f dat efn de Lord
spar'd him, he inten' fur ter fix dat Woodpecker.

"In dem times de Woodpecker's head wuz right black, same ez er crow, an'
he had er topknot on 'im like er rooster. Gemmun, he wuz er han'sum
bird, too. See 'im uv er Sunday, wid his 'go-ter-meetin'' cloze on, an'
dar wan't no bird could totch 'im fur looks.