roic thing. As for the little Sabrina, as soon as she fairly got possession of the wonderful treasure, she disappeared in a dark corner of the room where she hugged and kissed it with as much affection as though it was one of the marvellous French dolls of our day. "Sarah, won't you tell us a story before we go?" said Nimpo coaxingly. "I'll show ye somethin' yo never saw, I reckon," said Sarah. "The day's work's all done put away. Mebby the chillen will show yo how we dance down Souf, whar we come from. Come, chillen, sing 'My ole Massa."" After some urging, the four older children stood up in the middle of the room, while the rest of the family with Nimpo and Anna, as spectators, sat around the edge. "Yo sing, Sarah," said her sister. So Sarah began singing to one of their doleful airs, these words, "My ole massa built a house, fifteen stories high, An' ebery room within that house, was filled with chicken pie." At this point the dancers, of whom there were two boys and two girls, locked arms in pairs, each boy and girl looking opposite ways, and whirled round and round while all sang this chorus "Hi diddle, O jump candy, jump candy, jump candy!" Here they suddenly changed arms and danced the other way, singing— "Hi diddle, O jump candy. Hi diddle O, diddle E!" Then they stood in a row clasping hands, and all sang, "Row, brothers, row, I'm lookin' for a pretty little boy, To feed him on sugar an' tea." Then Sarah began again, "My ole Massa went to town, On a load o' peaches, The horse run 'way 'n broke his cart, Smash it all to pieces." Then they locked arms as before, and danced, and sang the same chorus over again. Nimpo was perfectly delighted with the odd entertainment, but Anna looked as prim as though she had seen something dreadful. "Now tell us one story! Just a little teenty taunty bit of a one," begged Nimpo. "Wall, how yo young uns do tease a body," "Did yo ever har 'bout Ole Leonard's said Sarah. prayer?" "Oh no! tell us," said Nimpo. "Onet thar was a pore ole nigga," began Sarah, "an' he lived all 'lone by hisself in a miz'able cabin in the woods. An' he work hard, 'n never had nuff to eat I reckon. One night he was tired 'n hungry 'n he kneeled down to pray, 'n he prayed that 'de angel ob de Lord would come and take de soul ob Leonard dis yer night.' While he was a-prayin' out loud that-a-way, two wicked young fellers was a-goin' by, 'n they hars him, 'n says one, says he, 'Le's scare Ole Leonard.' So he c-r-e-p-t up to the do' very keerful, an' he guy three loud knocks. 'Who-who-who's dar?' says Leonard all in a trem❜l. Then the wicked feller spoke up slow an' solemn like, 'De angel ob de Lord!' 'Wh-wh-what de angel ob de Lord want?' said Ole Leonard, his teeth jist a-chatterin', he was that scairt. 'De soul ob Leonard!' says the young feller. Puff! out went the can'l, into bed jumped Leonard, an' kivered up his head, lettin' out a yell as he went, 'Ain't no Leonard hyer!'" "Is that all?" asked Nimpo after they had laughed at poor Leonard, "it's awful short." "Laws a massy!" said Sarah with her face on a broad grin, "yo chillen'd set an' har stories tole till yo tuk root I reckon. Go long! it's mose night this very minute! an' Miss Primkins'll be a-worryin' 'bout yo." "Humph! there's no danger of that," said Nimpo as she started to go-"she don't know we're here.” CHAPTER XXII. THE STOVE-PIPE HOLE IN THE SCHOOL-ROOM. THE school-house was a long, two-story building. In one end of it was a boys' school, kept by Mr. Osgood, and in the other end the girls' school, kept by Miss Osgood-his sister. The boys' school admitted boarders from abroad, and the whole second story of the building was used as a sleeping room for them. In winter the girls' room was warmed by a big stove, the pipe of which went through the floor of the boys' sleeping room, and into the chimney from there. So in summer, when the stove was away, there was the stove-pipe hole looking down into the girls' room. The seat under that hole, was both a delight and a torment to its owner. Sometimes as she |