But Big Ant
Black she got so graspin' and eager, that what does she do but try to
help her young ones carry off the whole apple-shell. It did look
jub'ous to see such a big thing movin' off with such little critters
tuggin' it. And then Ant Red got on to a clover-head and showed the
rest of the company what Ant Black was a-doin'. Says Ant Red: 'You
ain't e't more'n a mouthful, Mr. Grasshopper.'
"'No, marm,' says he.
"'I s'ze to myself,' says Ant Red, 'here is this polite company, and
the snake-feeders don't touch nothin,' and everybedy knows Miss
Katydid lives on nothin' but rose-leaf butter, and the bugs and
beetles will hardly take enough, to keep 'em alive.' 'And I s'ze to
myself,' says Ant Red, 'here's this big apple walkin' off with nobody
but Ant Black to move it. This great big sound apple. And it looks to
me like witchcraft. That's what it looks like,' says Ant Red.
"They all declared it looked just like witchcraft. Ant Black tried
to show them how holler the apple was, and they declared if she'd
hollered it that way so quick, it was witchcraft certain.
"So what does they do but pen her and her young ones in the apple-shell
and stop it up with mud.
Pages:
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87