Don't you
think so, Billy?"
"Yas, I does," championed he; "go on, Frances."
That little girl, thus encouraged, proceeded to tell the first
tale:
"Once there's a man named Mr. Elisha, and he had a friend named
Mr. Elijah, so his mantelpiece fell on top of his head and make
him perfectly bald; he hasn't got a single hair and he hasn't
got any money, 'cause mama read me 'bout he rented his garments,
which is clo'es, 'cause he didn't have none at all what belong
to him. I spec' he just rented him a shirt and a pair o'
breeches and wore 'em next to his hide 'thout no undershirt at all.
He was drea'ful poor and had a miser'ble time and old mean Mr.
Per'dventure took him up on a high mountain and left him, so when
he come down some bad little childern say, `Go 'long back, bald
head!' and they make pockmocks on him. Seems like everybody
treat him bad, so he cuss 'em, so I never see anybody with a bald
head 'thout I run, 'cause I don't want to get cussed. So two Teddy
bears come out of the woods and ate up forty-two hunderd of--"
"Why, Frances," reproved Lina, "you always get things wrong.
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