[Illustration: "BIMEBY HE GIT AX'D TER BE ER PAWL B'ARER TER ALL UV 'EM."]
"Let 'em come in the daytime, Mammy, they can't see in the dark," suggested Willis.
"Big Eye know dey'd run him clean off'n Tinker Knob ef dem fokes see he git his livin' off'n der mis'ry. Nex' day hyah he come flyin' back wid er big bunch er fun'al flow'rs wid ribbin streamers flyin' ev'y which er way. Fokes wint ter de fun'al jes' ter see de flow'rs. Ev'ybody talkin' 'bout de gran'nes' er Mist'r Mount'in Fowel, an' how he 'tend all de berryin's, doan keer who 'tis. An' bimeby he git ax'd ter be er pawl b'arer ter all uv 'em.
"Miss Chickin Hawk give er party long 'bout den, an' Big Eye he act mouty nice ter her gals, tell Mist'r Turkey Gobl'r 'vite him ter his house, den he fergit he ev'r heah tell er de Chicken Hawkeses. He runnin' ev'y minite ter Mist'r Turkey Gobl'rs house, makin' like he wus dancin' 'tendance on Mandy Gobl'r, an' all he wanter do is ter git er peep at Tishy Peafowel dat live nex' do'. Oh, I tell yer he talk purty talk ter Mandy, but he cas' dem sheep eyes at Tish. Bimeby, Mandy, she pass Big Eye de 'quaintance uv Tishy ov'r de fence, an' hit 'tain't long 'fo' Big Eye gits er invite ov'r ter Majer Peafowel's. Whin dat hap'n, hit look like he done fergit wharbouts Mandy live, an' po' Mandy she look out de wind'r an' see Big Eye an' Tishy sashain' in de yard, lovin' harder'n er mule kin kick.
"Majer Peafowel say he want Tishy ter mar'y Johnny Squinch Owel, 'caze he's de bigges' lawyer on Tinker. But Tishy say he too ugly ter look at, let lone ter mar'y.
"Johnny Squinch ain' sayin' nuthin', he jes' keepin' er lookout fur Big Eye. He see Big Eye go out sumwhars ev'y dark er de moon, an' he low he gwine fol'r 'im an' see whut he do. 'Caze yer knows de dark'r hit gits, de bet'rer Squinch Owels kin see."
"I dunno how 'tis, Ma'y Van, but de Lawd fixes owels eyes so dey kin 'ten' ter der night biznes', an' whin fokes gits ter lovin' an' gits in er tight place like Johnny Squinch wus, de Lawd fixes der eyes so dey kin see th'u de dark an' ev'y which er way, too. One night on de dark er de moon, Big Eye start out ter meet de buzzards. He got fo' hosses, an' two cows, an' er pass'l er birds. Big Eye, he wus jes' er takin' in de money I tell yer. He can't see hit, but he kin feel uv hit, an' he know dey darsn't ter cheat him. But Johnny Squinch settin' up on er lim' jes' ov'r his haid,--he kin count de money, yassuh, ev'y cent uv hit, too. Dey ain' no eyes kin see like Johnny Squinch's, 'speshally whin dey's lovin'. De nex' day, Majer Peafowel fly up ter Pine Tree Holl'r ter see Mist'r Mount'in Fowel 'bout whut Johnny tell him."