wouldn't do it. She 'lowed, do, ef anybody should eber wush anything
fur anybody else, dat den de stone might shrink up ergin; fur who, she
sez ter herse'f, is gwine ter wush fur things fur tudder folks? An'
she tol' de little birds dat stay in de tree de stone wuz under, when
anybody sot on de stone dey mus' sing, 'I wush I had,' an' 'I wush I
wuz,' so as ter 'min' 'em 'bout'n de wushin'-stone. Well, 'twan't long
fo' de gyarden wuz plum crowded wid folks come ter wush on de stone,
an' hit wuz er growin' bigger an' bigger all de time, an' mashin' de
blossoms an' grass; an' dar wan't no mo' merry chil'en playin' 'mong
de trees an' wadin' in de streams; no soun's ob laughin' and joy in de
gyarden; eb'ybody wuz er quarlin, 'bout'n who should hab de nex'
place, or wuz tryin' ter study up what dey'd wush fur; an' Cheery wuz
jes ez mizer'bul as er free nigger, 'bout her gyarden.

"De folks would set on de stone, while de little birds would sing, 'I
wush I had," an' dey'd wush dey had money, an' fren's, an' sense, an'
happiness, an' 'ligion; an' 'twould all come true jes like dey wush
fur. Den de little birds would sing, 'I wush I wuz," an' dey'd wush
dey wuz lubly, an' good, an' gran'; un' 'twould all come ter pass jes
so.

"But all dat time nobody neber wush nobody else was rich, an' good,
an' lubly, an' happy; fur don't yer see de birds neber sung, 'I wush
you wuz,' 'I wush dey had," but all de time 'I wush I wuz,' 'I wush I
had.' At last, one day dar come inter de gyarden er po' little cripple
gal, who lived 'way off in er ole tumble-down house. She wuz er little
po' white chile, an' she didn't hab no farder nor mudder, nor niggers
ter do fur her, an' she had to do all her own wuck herse'f."

"Bress de Lord!" ejaculated Aunt Milly, who was becoming very much