310 TENANTS OF AN OLD FARM. 



a-found out, an' dat's how ebiy wicked deed hab a voice 

 cryin' out somewhar agin it, Dar's no use in tallcin', 

 mudda will out. Dat's all I know, ladies and gemmen', 

 boot de Katydid." 



"What became of Miss Kate?" asked Harry, with 

 a chiUrs natural yearning to hear the end of a 

 story. 



" Bress yo' heart, honey, dat story stopped jes' a- 

 dar. I nebber heerd no end to it at all. But as ]\Iiss 

 Kate wur a white lady, I reckon nothin' wuz ebber 

 done aboot it ; 'less dey woted her non compus, an' shet 

 her up awile. But ef she'd a-been a cuUud pusson, I 

 reckon yo' mout a-guessed dey'd a-niade sliort work ob 

 her." 



" Well, Dan," said the Schoolma'am, " that is a very 

 interesting romance, certainly, and it carries an ad- 

 mirable moral. ^lay I ask if these notions are held 

 entirely by your own color in Maryland, or do the 

 whites also hold them ?" 



" De cuUud folks, Miss Abby," answered Dan, " hes 

 many cur 'us notions, dat's a fac, 'boot insecks, en 

 aligators, en rabbits, en bars, en all sorts o' beastis. 

 Some ob dem, I reckon, come frum dey native kentry, 

 whar de sperits hes nioh' to do wid ^ech critters, I 

 s'pose, dan ober hyar in dis Christian Ian'. But den 

 de white people has some ob dem berry sayins, too. 

 Hit's not all jes' niggah larnin, Miss Abby, no how." 



It was now time, I thought, to bring back our con- 

 versation to the sphere of Natui'al History. Taking 

 another insect box from the table, I oj)C'ned it and 



