"Mammy, where do hants stay?" asked Willis.
"Hants is ev'r whars," she looked about her; "dis hyah room right full uv 'em now."
Mary Van's head was immediately buried on the old woman's shoulder, while Willis's arms locked tightly around her neck.
"Yas," she continued, in low mysterious tones, "dis whole wurl's pack'd full uv 'em, but 'tain' no use ter git skeer'd, long es dey ain' got no bisnes' wid you. De time ter git skeer'd is whin _you sees 'em_!" (A scream from Mary Van answered by a tremor from Willis.) "Some fokes doan git skeer'd den, kaze dey knows 'tain' no use ter git skeer'd er good speerets--hit's jes dese bad hants dat does de damage."
"Tell us about a good, good spirit, Mammy," came in muffled tones from Mary Van.
"Cause we don't want to hear about bad old hants," finished Willis.
"How yer speck me ter tell yer enything wid you chokin' me, an' Ma'y Van standin' on her haid on m' should'r. Set up like fokes--you hole dis han' an' let Ma'y Van hole dis un, an' I'll tell yer 'bout old man Gully's hant."
"Ole man Gully wus de biggites' creetur' you ev'r seed; he jes nachilly so biggity he 'fuse ter do er lick er wurk. Plantin' time er harves' time ain' make no diffunce ter ole man Gully. He set up on his front po'ch an' smoke his pipe, an' read de newspaper an' eat same es one dese ole buckshire hogs, whilst his old lady, an' de chilluns, an' der ole nigg'r Abe, done all de wurk.
"Ole Miss Gully wus pow'ful sot on de ole man; she think he's de mos' pow'fules' gran' man in de wurl. Ef he say 'I wants er chaw er 'bark'r,' de ole lady'd break her neck runnin' ter de fiel' ter tell Abe ter take de mule out'n de plow an' fly ter town fur de 'bark'r. Den she'd git de old broke down steer an' go ter plowin' tell Abe come back. All dis time ole man Gully snoozin' on de po'ch in de cool. Ef er rainy spell come an' spile de wheat, er ef fros' come an' kill de fruit, ole man Gully 'buse de ole lady an' de chilluns, an' say ef dey had er done like he tole 'em hit nuv'r wud er hap'n'd.
"One day long 'bout de mid'le er de sum'r, Mist'r Gully say he bleeg ter have some possum vit'als. Cose nobody doan eat no possum dat time de ye'r, an' 'taint' no time ter hunt 'em nuthe'r, but ole man Gully says, 'I wants de possum,' an' dat wus 'nuf fur de Gullys. Abe an' de chillun stops all de wurk on de farm an' go possum huntin'. Dey hunts all day, an' dey hunts all night 'fo' dey so much es come 'crost er single possum track. Bimeby, att'r day had mos' give out, hyah come er big lean, lank ole possum up er 'simmon tree full er green 'simmons. Dey runs home quick an' giv' hit ter dey ma, an' Lawsee! by de time dat possum an' tat'rs 'gun ter cookin' up good, de smell uv hit jes nachally make Abe an' dem chilluns mouf dribble tell dey can' do er lick er wurk fur standin' 'roun' de kitchen smellin' dat possum. Miss Gully had er plenty er fat meat an' sop fur de chillun, but dat big deesh er possum an' tat'rs at de haid er de table done steal all der appertite, an' dey wus settin' dar turnin' ov'r in der mines which one gwine git de bigges' piece.