me about it. Where was it?”

“Hit war up yandah, highah up th’ mountain. They is a hole thar what wil’ cats live in, Wil’ Cat Hole. Frale, he war a hunt’n fer a cat. Some men thar at th’ hotel, they war plumb mad to hunt a wil’ cat with th’ dogs, an’ Frale, he ‘lowed to git th’ cat fer ‘em.”

“And when was that?”

“Las’ summah, when th’ hotel war open. They war a heap o’ men at th’ hotel.”

“And now about the bee tree?”

“Frale, he nevah let on like he know’d thar war a bee tree, an’ then this fall he took me with him, an’ we made a big fire, an’