There was no napkin on the table under which some gift might lie in hiding, but remembering Miss Hallie's other experiences, he pulled out his chair.

A little shade of disappointment crept into his face when he found it empty.
After he had speared a piece of bacon with his two-tined fork, and landed it safely on his plate, he rolled his eyes around the table.

"Did you know this is my buthday, Mammy ?" he asked.

"I'm nine yeahs ole to-day." "That's so, honey," she answered, cheerfully.

"You'se gettin' to be a big boy now, plenty big enough to keep out o' mischief an' take keer o' yo' clothes.