MUSIC-MAKING INSECTS. 309 



fell bof in lub wid one man. I doan' tink dis happen 

 in ole Marylan', but in some kentry ober de sea, I 

 reckon. De gemmen's name wuz Osca', an' de ladies' 

 wuz Blanche an' Kate. Ob course, no man can lub 

 two mars'rs, as de Scripter says, en it stans to reason 

 he can't lub two misses, nudder. So Osca' falls in lub 

 wid Blanche, an' Kate she gits soured, an' falls to 

 hatin' her ole lubber. All ob a sudden Osca' done lay 

 down an' died ; an' seein' dat, Blanche she goes clar 

 crazy, fur she lubbed him powerful, an' raved, an' raved. 

 Dar wuz a great mystry 'boot de whole aftah. Nobudy 

 know'd anythink 'boot it but Miss Kate. She know'd 

 mighty well, fur she'd a-killed Osca' herse'f ! 



" In dem fur-away times dey wahnt no true 'ligion 

 as dey is nowadays, an' so de people ob dat kentry dey 

 had a god w'at dey calls Jup'ter. Now, Jup'ter he 

 sees how tings was a-goin', en he done tuk de sperit ob 

 young Osca', wat Kate had a-murdered ; an' wat does 

 he do but turn it inter a katydid ? An' he sots 'im up 

 on de tree-tops war Miss Kate wuz a-walkin' wid some 

 folks. Jes' den dey wur a-talkin' 'boot how suddent 

 like de young man ud died ; an' some un 'lowed he 

 reckoned Osca' mought've bin pizened. 



" ' Who could a done it ?' he says, awful solemn like. 

 And nobudy answered ; 'kase, yo' see, dar wahnt no 

 'spicions ob foul play 'gin Miss Kate in de least. Jes' 

 den, in de mids' ob dat solemn silence, de new inseck— 

 dat's de sperit ob Osca', yo' know -cried out from de 

 tree-top, sharp, en loud, en suddent : ' KaU/ did it ! 

 Katij did I she did I ' An' dat's de way dat mudda wuz 



