"Lord, Miss Diddie, 'deed dey is," said Dilsey, with her round eyes
stretched to their utmost; "I done seed 'em myse'f, an' our Club-foot
Bill he was er gwine 'long one time--"

"Look er hyear, yer kinky-head nigger, whar's yer manners?" asked Mammy,
"'ruptin uv eld'ly pussons. "I'm de one w'at's 'struck'n dese chil'en,
done strucked dey mother fuss; I'll tell 'em w'at's becomin' fur 'em ter
know; I don't want 'em ter hyear nuf'n 'bout sich low cornfiel' niggers
ez Club-foot Bill.

"Yes, Miss Diddie, honey," said Mammy, resuming her story, "dar sholy is
Fraids; Mammy ain't gwine tell yer nuf'n', honey, w'at she dun know fur
er fack; so as I wuz er sayin', dis little Fraid wuz name Cheery, an'
she'd go all 'roun' eb'y mornin' an' tech up de grass an' blossoms an'
keep 'em fresh, fur she loved ter see chil'en happy, an' w'en dey
rolled ober on de grass, an' strung de blossoms, an' waded up an' down
de streams, an' peeped roun' de trees, Cheery'd clap 'er han's an'
laugh, an' dance roun' an' roun'; an' sometimes dar'd be little po'
white chil'en, an' little misfortnit niggers would go dar; an' w'en
she'd see de bright look in dey tired eyes, she'd fix things prettier 'n
eber.

"Now dar wuz er nudder little Fraid name Dreary; an' she wuz sad an'
gloomy, an' nebber dance, nor play, nor nuf'n; but would jes go off
poutin' like to herse'f. Well, one day she seed er big flat stone under
a tree. She said ter herse'f, 'I ain't gwine ter be like dat foolish
Cheery, dancin' an' laughin' foreber, caze she thinks sich things ez
flowers an' grass kin make folks happy; but I'm gwine ter do er rael
good ter eb'ybody;' so she laid er spell on de stone, so dat w'en
anybody sot on de stone an' wush anything dey'd hab jes w'at dey wush