spell 'Kitty.'"

"Oh, I knows. Miss Kit," she interrupted, "Lemme spell, Ise-self.
Must be cat wid de tail cut off. C--A--Kitty."

* * * * *

After awhile as Lila progressed and read stories to Nan, the little
rogue "wisht" she could read too. "Couldn't see no use in dat yaller
gal gittin' so fur ahead." When she found she could only read by
learning those little things that "bobbed so spry into a body's head
and hopped out a heap quicker," then she reckoned she'd have to come
to it. She tried once more. It was a long time before she could call
the letters and spell out words, and it was many months before she
could read at all without spelling. It was hard work for Nan and
harder for her teacher. Before she had half looked at a word she
would hear a blackbird or see a hawk after a chicken, or she thought
"sure, Miss Lizzy called." I tried to have patience and in the end
I conquered. Nan was "mighty proud" when she read the last page of
her primer.

"Don't think much of that ole book, no how," she said. "Got it all
in here now. Spect I'd better be spry an' git inter nex' book fore
I disremember this ere."

I begin to hope that both Lila and Nan are beginning a Christian
life. But oh! it takes so long for seed to grow in soil that has been
trampled on for years. But I hear Nan now singing the chorus of an
old war song, still sung by the colored folks: