YOURS WITH ALL MY HEART 



it 'nuff ter chaw a piece right out on't, clare 

 an' clean," and as she spoke Becky caught 

 up the hem of her bright blue stiffly starched 

 calico, which was her pride, and held it up 

 between the little man and the light. 



Alas, for Skippum and me ! Sure enough, 

 the stiff hem was not only dented over with 

 our little sharp tooth-marks, but pulled into 

 little crescents of eyelet-holes in several 

 places on the right-hand side, which had 

 been toward the sitting-room door as Becky 

 stood ironing. 



We had backed off in sudden alarm at 

 this new turn of affairs, as the little sharp- 

 eyed man studiously examined our mischief 

 while he whistled the second line of Becky's 

 tune "Far, far, away." Our little ears 

 and tails were slinking as we suited the 

 action to word, and backed as far away as 

 we could into the corner by the pantry door, 

 which stood ajar. 



"Dey knows dey done it, sah. See how 

 skeert dey is. Bress der honey hearts, dey's 

 only tryin' ter tell poo' ole Becky, so der 

 white sheep needn't suffer fo' der black 

 one. I'se talkin' 'bout souls now, sah not 

 skins. " 



117 



