HOUSEKEEriNG IN A BASKET. 381 



his anxiety at once. " All right, Dan, I won't ask 

 you to do this work if you object so seriously. But 

 what's your reason for declining ?" 



" I done got conscience agin it, sir." 



"Conscience! against killing these caterpillars that 

 are destroying your trees ? You surely can't be in 

 earnest, Dan ?" 



" Can't help it, sah. I'se dead in yarnest, I shore 

 yo. It's jes dis a-way. Dem's wat we uns call fire- 

 wood billies [billets] ; an' wat de ole folks saze is, dat 

 dey is uufRn mo' nur less dan human critters wats'a- 

 been punished fer stealin' wood wen dey wuz alive an' 

 in de body. Dey's jes been turned inter dese billies 

 deyselves, an' so dey go aroun' totin dey sacks ob 

 leetle sticks, and hangin' dar in de win', col' an' chill 

 enough de whole Avinter froo. 'Tempsychoses — dat's 

 wat Latimore's ole Aunt Sue used to call it. Now, 

 Mars Mayfiel', I 'low you doan bleeve dat ; but, yo' 

 see, I dnes; an' I couldn't git consent nohow to 'gage 

 in a-burnin' ob dem pore tempsychoses. Dey's pun- 

 ished enough, I reckon, already •, an' dough dey is 

 turned inter billies ob fire-wood, I doan want ter be de 

 man wat put's de fire to 'em. We's all powerful weak, 

 sah, an' like to go astray, an' ef ebrybuddy wat steals 

 now-a-days done got turned inter billies, dar'd be a 

 heap mo' tempsychoses hangin' 'roun' de trees, sah, 

 dan dey is now. I doan' mean no disrespect, indeed I 

 doan', but dat's w'y I can't 'bey dat order." 



"Well, I have had a similar experience with Dan," 

 said the Mistress, laughing, when I had finished my 



