Mammy, "'ruptin' uv eld'ly pussons. I'm de one w'at's 'struck'n dese
chil'en, done struck 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' neber 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 such
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 fur; an' so as ter let er heap er folks wush at once, she made it
so dat eb'y wush would make de stone twice ez big ez 'twuz befo'.

"Po' little Cheery was mighty troubled in her min' w'en she foun' out
'bout'n hit, an' she beg Dreary ter tuck de spell off; but no, she