Page:Salem - a tale of the seventeenth century (IA taleseventeenth00derbrich).pdf/132

 animals—'specially the roosters. An' den de eggs—why, goodness a massy! I tink eggs is allers the first fruits ob de season, I really do. I dun'no," she added, looking down reflectively, rubbing her arms alternately, and thoughtfully scraping up the sand where she stood with the broad side of her old, square-toed shoe—"I dun'no: a pig may be a more sociabler bird in his feelin's—I won't say dat he isn't. But den, yer see, he isn't so talkative-like, an' he isn't sich an easy boarder—he wants a deal more food, an' a deal more waitin' 'on, he does; an' he's a deal meaner-like too. A hen, now, she's kinder honest an' industr'us, an' free-hearted an' gen'rous—she pays her board as she goes along—an' egg mostly allers ebery day, an' now an' den, if she haz a chance, a brood of chickens. Wal, dat are is right; she couldn't do no better. But a pig—oh! he's a mighty fine gemmen to be waited 'on, an' he takes his ease like a gemmen, but he neber pays a cent on his board-bill as long as he libs—no, not till he dies; an' he wouldn't then if he could help hisself—not he, indeed! If he could have his will drawed up by a