"Aunt Edy," said Dumps, presently, "could'n yer tell us 'bout Po' Nancy
Jane O?"

"Dar now!" exclaimed Aunt Edy; "dem chil'en nuber is tierd er hyearn'
dat tale; pyears like dey like hit mo' an' mo' eb'y time dey hyears
hit;" and she laughed slyly, for she was the only one on the plantation
who knew about "Po' Nancy Jane O," and she was pleased because it was
such a favorite story with the children.

"Once pun er time," she began, "dar wuz er bird name' Nancy Jane O, an'
she wuz guv up ter be de swif'es'-fly'n thing dar wuz in de a'r. Well,
at dat time de king uv all de fishes an' birds, an' all de little
beas'es, like snakes an' frogs an' wums an' tarrypins an' bugs, an' all
sich ez dat, he wur er mole dat year! an' he wuz blin' in bof 'is eyes,
jes same like any udder mole; an', somehow, he had hyearn some way dat
dar wuz er little bit er stone name' de gol'-stone, way off fum dar, in
er muddy crick, an' ef'n he could git dat stone, an' hol' it in his
mouf, he could see same ez anybody.

"Den he 'gun ter steddy how wuz he fur ter git dat stone.

"He stedded an' _he stedded_, an' pyeard like de mo' he stedded de mo'
he couldn' fix no way fur ter git it. He knowed he wuz blin', an' he
knowed he trab'l so slow dat he 'lowed 'twould be years pun top er years
befo' he'd git ter de crick, an' so he made up in 'is min' dat he'd let
somebody git it fur 'im. Den, bein' ez he wuz de king, an' could grant
any kin' er wush, he sont all roun' thu de kentry eb'ywhar, an' 'lowed
dat any bird or fish, or any kin' er little beas' dat 'oud fotch 'im dat
stone, he'd grant 'em de deares' wush er dey hearts.