{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_55676/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_55676","id":"gutenberg_55676","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55676","summary":null,"tags":["African Americans -- Folklore","African Americans -- Juvenile fiction","Animals -- Folklore","Animals -- Juvenile fiction","Category: American Literature","Category: Humour","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Short Stories","Children's stories","Folklore -- United States","Plantation life -- Juvenile fiction","Remus, Uncle (Fictitious character) -- Juvenile fiction","Tales -- United States"],"text":"Transcriber\u2019s Note: The reader may wish to be warned that this book\ncontains language which is nowadays considered racially offensive.\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: _Drawn by A. B. Frost_\n\n\u201c_Is anybody ever hear de beat er dat?_\u201d--\u201c_Brother Rabbit\u2019s\nLaughing-Place_\u201d]\n\n\n\n\n                             _Told by_\n                            UNCLE REMUS\n\n                         New Stories of the\n                           Old Plantation\n\n                                _by_\n                        JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS\n\n                          _Illustrated by_\n                      A. B. FROST, J. M. CONDE\n                        _and_ FRANK UERBECK\n\n                          GROSSET & DUNLAP\n                            _Publishers_\n                              NEW YORK\n\n                 _Copyright, 1903, 1904, 1905, by_\n                        JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS\n\n        Copyright, 1903, 1904, 1905, by P. F. Collier & Son\n    Copyright, 1904, 1905, by The Metropolitan Magazine Company\n\n                    PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES\n                                 AT\n             THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, N. Y.\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n                                                              PAGE\n\n         THE REASON WHY                                          3\n\n       I WHY MR. CRICKET HAS ELBOWS ON HIS LEGS                 19\n\n      II HOW WILEY WOLF RODE IN THE BAG                         37\n\n     III BROTHER RABBIT\u2019S LAUGHING-PLACE                        53\n\n      IV BROTHER RABBIT AND THE CHICKENS                        74\n\n       V LITTLE MISTER CRICKET AND THE OTHER CREATURES          87\n\n      VI WHEN BROTHER RABBIT WAS KING                          101\n\n     VII HOW OLD CRANEY-CROW LOST HIS HEAD                     126\n\n    VIII BROTHER FOX FOLLOWS THE FASHION                       141\n\n      IX WHY THE TURKEY-BUZZARD IS BALD-HEADED                 153\n\n       X BROTHER DEER AN\u2019 KING SUN\u2019S DAUGHTER                  172\n\n      XI BROTHER RABBIT\u2019S CRADLE                               188\n\n     XII BROTHER RABBIT AND BROTHER BULL-FROG                  205\n\n    XIII WHY MR. DOG IS TAME                                   230\n\n     XIV BROTHER RABBIT AND THE GIZZARD EATER                  243\n\n      XV BROTHER RABBIT AND MISS NANCY                         266\n\n     XVI THE HARD-HEADED WOMAN                                 276\n\n\n\n\nLIST OF FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS\n\n\n    \u201cIS ANYBODY EVER HEAR DE BEAT ER DAT?\u201d           _Frontispiece_\n\n                                                       FACING PAGE\n\n    \u201cSO HE HOLLER DOWN THOO DE CRACK\u201d                           34\n\n    \u201c\u2018DOES YOU CALL DIS GOOD LUCK?\u2019\u201d                            36\n\n    \u201cDEY SOT DAR \u2026 TALKIN\u2019 \u2019BOUT OL\u2019 TIMES\u201d                     44\n\n    \u201c\u2018GIT \u2019IM USE TER DE BAG\u2019\u201d                                  48\n\n    \u201c\u2018DEN YOU COME ON HOME; YO\u2019 MAMMY WANT YOU\u2019\u201d                50\n\n    \u201cWENT OFF HOME DES EZ GAYLY EZ A COLT IN A BARLEY PATCH\u201d    80\n\n    \u201c\u2018BRER RABBIT, WHAR YOU GWINE?\u2019\u201d                            82\n\n    \u201cBRER FOX, SAY, \u2018GENTS, \u2026 I WANTER TELL YOU DAT I\u2019M DE\n     SWIFFES\u2019 ONE IN DIS BUNCH\u2019\u201d                                92\n\n    \u201cMR. ELEPHANT WENT SPLUNGIN\u2019 THOO DE WOODS SAME EZ A\n     HARRYCANE\u201d                                                 96\n\n    \u201cSO HIS OL\u2019 \u2019OMAN WENT OUT TER DE WOODPILE AN\u2019 GOT DE AX\u201d  150\n\n    \u201cSHE DREMP DAT BRER RABBIT WUZ LAUGHIN\u2019 AT \u2019ER\u201d            152\n\n    \u201cBRER DEER WENT ON FER TER TELL BRER RABBIT\u201d               180\n\n    \u201cDE BEAU GOT TER FLINGIN\u2019 HIS SASS ROUN\u2019 BRER RABBIT\u201d      272\n\n    \u201cDE GAL, SHE CRY SOME, BUT DEY WENT OFF AN\u2019 GOT MARRIED\u201d   274\n\n    \u201cDEN HE SHUCK A GOURD-VINE OVER DE POT\u201d                    286\n\n    \u201cDE AX, IT CLUM BACK ON TOP ER DE WOODPILE AN\u2019 FELL\n     OFF ON T\u2019ER SIDE\u201d                                         290\n\n    \u201cDEN SHE LIT OUT ATTER DE POT LIKE SHE WAS RUNNIN\u2019\n     A FOOT-RACE\u201d                                              292\n\n\n\n\nTOLD BY UNCLE REMUS\n\n\n\n\nTHE REASON WHY\n\n\nThe main reason why Uncle Remus retired from business as a story-teller\nwas because the little boy to whom he had told his tales grew to be\na very big boy, and grew and grew till he couldn\u2019t grow any bigger.\nMeanwhile, his father and mother moved to Atlanta, and lived there for\nseveral years. Uncle Remus moved with them, but he soon grew tired of the\ndubious ways of city life, and one day he told his Miss Sally that if\nshe didn\u2019t mind he was going back to the plantation where he could get a\nbreath of fresh air.\n\nHe was overjoyed when the lady told him that they were all going back\nas soon as the son married. As this event was to occur in the course of\na few weeks, Uncle Remus decided to wait for the rest of the family.\nThe wedding came off, and then the father and mother returned to the\nplantation, and made their home there, much to the delight of the old\nnegro.\n\nIn course of time, the man who had been the little boy for ever so long\ncame to have a little boy of his own, and then it happened in the most\nnatural way in the world that the little boy\u2019s little boy fell under the\nspell of Uncle Remus, who was still hale and hearty in spite of his age.\n\nThis latest little boy was frailer and quieter than his father had been;\nindeed, he was fragile, and had hardly any color in his face. But he was\na beautiful child, too beautiful for a boy. He had large, dreamy eyes,\nand the quaintest little ways that ever were seen; and he was polite\nand thoughtful of others. He was very choice in the use of words, and\ntalked as if he had picked his language out of a book. He was a source of\nperpetual wonder to Uncle Remus; indeed, he was the wonder of wonders,\nand the old negro had a way of watching him curiously. Sometimes, as the\nresult of this investigation, which was continuous, Uncle Remus would\nshake his head and chuckle; at other times, he would shake his head and\nsigh.\n\nThis little boy was not like the other little boy. He was more like a\ngirl in his refinement; all the boyishness had been taken out of him by\nthat mysterious course of discipline that some mothers know how to apply.\nHe seemed to belong to a different age--to a different time; just how or\nwhy, it would be impossible to say. Still, the fact was so plain that any\none old enough and wise enough to compare the two little boys--one the\nfather of the other--could not fail to see the difference; and it was a\ndifference not wholly on the surface. Miss Sally, the grandmother, could\nsee it, and Uncle Remus could see it; but for all the rest the tendencies\nand characteristics of this later little boy were a matter of course.\n\n\u201cMiss Sally,\u201d said Uncle Remus, a few days after the arrival of the\nlittle boy and his mother, \u201cwhat dey gwineter do wid dat chile? What dey\ngwineter make out \u2019n \u2019im?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sure I don\u2019t know,\u201d she replied. \u201cA grandmother doesn\u2019t count for\nmuch these days unless there is illness. She is everything for a few\nhours, and then she is nothing.\u201d There was no bitterness in the lady\u2019s\ntone, but there was plenty of feeling--feeling that only a grandmother\ncan appreciate and understand.\n\n\u201cI speck dat\u2019s so,\u201d Uncle Remus remarked; \u201can\u2019 a ole nigger dat oughter\nbeen dead long ago, by good rights, don\u2019t count no time an\u2019 nowhar. But\nit\u2019s a pity--a mighty pity.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is a pity?\u201d the lady inquired, though she knew full well what was\nin the old negro\u2019s mind.\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t tell you, ma\u2019am, an\u2019 \u2019twouldn\u2019t be my place ter tell you ef I\ncould; but dar \u2019tis, an\u2019 you can\u2019t rub it out. I see it, but I can\u2019t say\nit; I knows it, but I can\u2019t show you how ter put yo\u2019 finger on it; yit\nit\u2019s dar ef I\u2019m name Remus.\u201d\n\nThe grandmother sat silent so long, and gazed at the old negro so\nseriously, that he became restive. He placed the weight of his body first\non one foot and then on the other, and finally struck blindly at some\nimaginary object with the end of his walking-cane.\n\n\u201cI hope you ain\u2019t mad wid me, Miss Sally,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cWith you?\u201d she cried. \u201cWhy----\u201d She was sitting in an easy-chair on the\nback porch, where the warmth of the sun could reach her, but she rose\nsuddenly and went into the house. She made a noise with her throat as\nshe went, so that Uncle Remus thought she was laughing, and chuckled in\nresponse, though he felt little like chuckling. As a matter of fact, if\nhis Miss Sally had remained on the porch one moment longer she would have\nburst into tears.\n\nShe went in the house, however, and was able to restrain herself. The\nlittle boy caught at the skirt of her dress, saying: \u201cGrandmother, you\nhave been sitting in the sun, and your face is red. Mother never allows\nme to sit in the sun for fear I will freckle. Father says a few freckles\nwould help me, but mother says they would be shocking.\u201d\n\nUncle Remus received his dinner from the big house that day, and by\nthat token he knew that his Miss Sally was very well pleased with him.\nThe dinner was brought on a waiter by a strapping black girl, with a\nsaucy smile and ivory-white teeth. She was a favorite with Uncle Remus,\nbecause she was full of fun. \u201cI dunner how come de white folks treat\nyou better dan dey does de balance un us,\u201d she declared, as she sat the\nwaiter on the small pine table and removed the snowy napkin with which\nit was covered. \u201cI know it ain\u2019t on \u2019count er yo\u2019 beauty, kaze yo\u2019 ain\u2019t\nno purtier dan what I is,\u201d she went on, tossing her head and showing her\nwhite teeth.\n\nUncle Remus looked all around on the floor, pretending to be looking for\nsome weapon that would be immediately available. Finding none, he turned\nwith a terrible make-believe frown, and pointed his forefinger at the\ngirl, who was now as far as the door, her white teeth gleaming as she\nlaughed.\n\n\u201cMark my words,\u201d he said solemnly; \u201cef I don\u2019t brain you befo\u2019 de week\u2019s\nout it\u2019ll be bekaze you done been gobbled up by de Unkollopsanall.\u201d The\ngirl stopped laughing instantly, and became serious. The threats of age\nhave a meaning that all the gaiety of youth cannot overcome. The gray\nhair of Uncle Remus, his impersonation of wrath, his forefinger held up\nin warning, made his threat so uncanny that the girl shivered in spite of\nthe fact that she thought he was joking. Let age shake a finger at you,\nand you feel that there is something serious behind the gesture.\n\nNow, Miss Sally had taken advantage of the opportunity to send the\ngrandchild with the girl; she was anxious that he should make the\nacquaintance of Uncle Remus, and have instilled into his mind the quaint\nhumor that she knew would remain with him all his life, and become a\nfragrant memory when he grew old. But the later little boy was very shy,\nand when he saw the terrible frown and the threatening gesture with which\nUncle Remus had greeted the girl, he shrank back in a corner, seeing\nwhich the old negro began to laugh. It was not a genuine laugh, but it\nwas so well done that it answered every purpose.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t see nothin\u2019 ter laugh at,\u201d remarked the girl, and with that she\nflirted out.\n\nUncle Remus turned to the little boy. \u201cHoney, you look so much like Brer\nRabbit dat I bleeze ter laugh. \u2019Long at fust, I had a notion dat you\nmought be Mr. Cricket. But youer too big fer dat, an\u2019 den you ain\u2019t got\nno elbows in yo\u2019 legs. An\u2019 den I know\u2019d \u2019twuz Brer Rabbit I had in min\u2019.\nYasser, dey ain\u2019t no two ways \u2019bout dat--you look like Brer Rabbit when\nhe tryin\u2019 fer ter make up his min\u2019 whedder ter run er no.\u201d\n\nThen, without waiting to see the effect of this remark, Uncle Remus\nturned his attention to the waiter and its contents. \u201cWell, suh!\u201d he\nexclaimed, with apparent surprise, \u201cef dar ain\u2019t a slishe er tater\ncustard! An\u2019 ef I ain\u2019t done gone stone blin\u2019, dar\u2019s a dish er hom\u2019ny\nwid ham gravy on it! Yes, an\u2019 bless gracious, dar\u2019s a piece er ham! Dey\nall look like ol\u2019 \u2019quaintances which dey been gone a long time an\u2019 des\ncome back; an\u2019 dey look like deyer laughin\u2019 kaze dey er glad ter see me.\nI wish you\u2019d come here, honey, an\u2019 see ef dey ain\u2019t laughin\u2019; you got\nbetter eyes dan what I is.\u201d\n\nThe lure was entirely successful. The little boy came forward timidly,\nand when he was within reach, Uncle Remus placed him gently on his knee.\nThe child glanced curiously at the dishes. He had heard so much of Uncle\nRemus from his father and his grandmother that he was inclined to believe\neverything the old man said. \u201cWhy, they are not laughing,\u201d he exclaimed.\n\u201cHow could they?\u201d\n\n\u201cI speck my eyes is bad,\u201d replied Uncle Remus. \u201cWhen anybody gits ter be\na himbly an\u2019 hombly-hombly year ol\u2019 dey er liable fer ter see double.\u201d\n\nThe child was a very serious child, but he laughed in spite of himself.\n\u201cOh, pshaw!\u201d he exclaimed.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m mighty glad you said dat,\u201d remarked Uncle Remus, smacking his lips,\n\u201ckaze ef you hadn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 said it, I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been a bleeze ter say it myse\u2019f.\u201d\n\n\u201cSay what?\u201d inquired the little boy, who was unused to the quips of the\nold man.\n\n\u201c\u2019Bout dat tater custard. It\u2019s de funniest tater custard dat I ever laid\neyes on, dey ain\u2019t no two ways \u2019bout dat.\u201d\n\n\u201cGrandmother wanted to give me some,\u201d said the little boy longingly, \u201cbut\nmother said it wasn\u2019t good for me.\u201d\n\n\u201cAha!\u201d exclaimed Uncle Remus in a tone of triumph. \u201cWhat I tell you? Miss\nSally writ on here wid dese dishes dat she want you ter eat dat tater\ncustard. Mo\u2019 dan dat she sont two pieces. Dar\u2019s one, an\u2019 dar de yuther.\u201d\nThere wasn\u2019t anything wrong about this counting, except that Uncle Remus\npointed twice at the same piece.\n\nThe little boy was sitting on Uncle Remus\u2019s knee, and he turned suddenly\nand looked into the weather-beaten face that had harbored so many\nsmiles. The child seemed to be searching for something in that venerable\ncountenance, and he must have found it, for he allowed his head to fall\nagainst the old negro\u2019s shoulder and held it there. The movement was as\nfamiliar to Uncle Remus as the walls of his cabin, for among all the\nchildren that he had known well, not one had failed to lay his head where\nthat of the little boy now rested.\n\n\u201cMiss Sally is de onliest somebody in de roun\u2019 worl\u2019 dat know what you\nan\u2019 me like ter eat,\u201d remarked Uncle Remus, making a great pretense of\nchewing. \u201cI dunner how she fin\u2019 out, but fin\u2019 out she did, an\u2019 we oughter\nbe mighty much beholden ter \u2019er. I done et my piece er tater custard,\u201d he\nwent on, \u201can\u2019 you kin eat yone when you git good an\u2019 ready.\u201d\n\n\u201cI saw only one piece,\u201d remarked the child, without raising his head,\n\u201cand if you have eaten that there is none left for me.\u201d Uncle Remus\nclosed his eyes, and allowed his head to fall back. This was his favorite\nattitude when confronted by something that he could not comprehend. This\nwas his predicament now, for there was something in this child that was\nquite beyond him. Small as the lad was he was old-fashioned; he thought\nand spoke like a grown person; and this the old negro knew was not\naccording to nature. The trouble with the boy was that he had had no\nchildhood; he had been subdued and weakened by the abnormal training he\nhad received.\n\n\u201cTooby sho you ain\u2019t seed um,\u201d Uncle Remus declared, returning to the\nmatter of the potato custard. \u201cEf yo\u2019 pa had \u2019a\u2019 been in yo\u2019 place he\u2019d\n\u2019a\u2019 seed um, kaze when he wuz long \u2019bout yo\u2019 age, he had mo\u2019 eyes in his\nstomach dan what he had his head. But de ol\u2019 nigger wuz a little too\nquick fer you. I seed de two pieces time de gal snatch de towel off, an\u2019\nI \u2019low ter myse\u2019f dat ef I didn\u2019t snatch one, I\u2019d not git none. Yasser! I\nwuz a little too quick fer you.\u201d\n\nThe child turned his head, and saw that the slice of potato custard was\nstill on the plate. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry that mother thinks it will hurt me,\u201d he\nsaid with a sigh.\n\n\u201cWell, whatsomever she say \u2019bout de yuther piece er custard, I boun\u2019 she\nain\u2019t say dat dat piece \u2019ud hurt you, kaze she ain\u2019t never lay eyes on\nit. An\u2019 mo\u2019 dan dat,\u201d Uncle Remus went on with a very serious face: \u201cMiss\nSally writ wid de dishes dat one er de pieces er tater custard wuz fer\nyou.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t see any writing,\u201d the child declared, with a longing look at the\npotato custard.\n\n\u201cMiss Sally ain\u2019t aim fer you ter see it, kaze ef you could see it,\neve\u2019ybody could see it. An\u2019 dat ain\u2019t all de reason why you can\u2019t see it.\nYou been hemmed up dar in a big town, an\u2019 yo\u2019 eyes ain\u2019t good. But dar\u2019s\nde writin\u2019 des ez plain ez pig-tracks.\u201d Uncle Remus made believe to spell\nout the writing, pointing at a separate dish every time he pronounced a\nword. \u201cLe\u2019 me see: she put dis dish fust--\u2018One piece is fer de chil\u2019.\u2019\u201d\n\nThe little boy reflected a moment. \u201cThere are only five dishes,\u201d he said\nvery gravely, \u201cand you pointed at one of them twice.\u201d\n\n\u201cTooby sho I did,\u201d Uncle Remus replied, with well affected solemnity.\n\u201cAin\u2019t dat de way you does in books?\u201d\n\nThe little lad was too young to be well-grounded in books, but he had his\nideas, nevertheless. \u201cI don\u2019t see how it can be done,\u201d he suggested. \u201cA\nis always A.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh-yi!\u201d exclaimed Uncle Remus triumphantly. \u201cIt\u2019s allers big A er\nlittle a. But I wa\u2019n\u2019t callin\u2019 out no letters; I wuz callin\u2019 out de words\nwhat yo\u2019 granmammy writ wid de dishes.\u201d The little boy still looked\ndoubtful, and Uncle Remus went on. \u201cNow, spozin\u2019 yo\u2019 pa wuz ter come\n\u2019long an\u2019 say, \u2018Unk Remus, I wanter gi\u2019 you a cuff.\u2019 An\u2019 den, spozin\u2019\nI wuz ter \u2019low, \u2018Yasser, an\u2019 thanky, too, but you better gi\u2019 me a pa\u2019r\nun um while you \u2019bout it.\u2019 An\u2019 spozin\u2019 he\u2019d be talkin\u2019 \u2019bout maulin\u2019\nme, whiles I wuz talkin\u2019 \u2019bout dem contraptions what you got on yo\u2019\nshirt-sleeves, an\u2019 you ain\u2019t got no mo\u2019 business wid um dan a rooster is\nwid britches. Spozin\u2019 all dat wuz ter happen, how you speck I\u2019d feel?\u201d\n\nSomething in the argument, or the way Uncle Remus held his head,\nappealed to the little boy\u2019s sense of humor, and he laughed heartily for\nthe first time since Uncle Remus had known him. It was real laughter,\ntoo, so real that the old negro joined in with gusto, and the two laughed\nand laughed until it seemed unreasonable to laugh any more. To make\nmatters worse, Uncle Remus pretended to become very solemn all of a\nsudden, and then just as suddenly went back to laughter again. This was\nmore than the little chap could stand. He laughed until he writhed in the\nold man\u2019s arms; in fact, till laughter became painful.\n\n\u201cEf we go on dis a-way,\u201d Uncle Remus remarked, \u201cyou\u2019ll never eat yo\u2019\ntater custard in de worl\u2019.\u201d With that, he seized a biscuit and pretended\nto place the whole of it in his mouth at once, closing his eyes with a\nsmile of ecstasy on his face. \u201cDon\u2019t, Uncle Remus! please don\u2019t!\u201d cried\nthe little boy who had laughed until he was sore.\n\nAt this the old man became serious again. \u201cI hear um say,\u201d he remarked\nwith some gravity, \u201cdat ef you laugh too much you\u2019ll sprain yo\u2019\ngoozle-um, er maybe git yo\u2019 th\u2019oat-latch outer j\u2019int. Dat de reason you\nsee me lookin\u2019 so sollumcolly all de time. You watch me right close, an\u2019\nyou\u2019ll see fer yo\u2019se\u2019f.\u201d\n\nThe little boy ceased laughing, and regarded Uncle Remus closely. The\nold negro\u2019s face was as solemn as the countenance of one of the early\nPuritans. \u201cYou were laughing just now,\u201d said the child; \u201cyou were\nlaughing when I laughed.\u201d\n\nThe old man looked off into space as though he were considering a\nserious problem. Then he said with a sigh: \u201cI speck I did, honey, but how\nI gwineter he\u2019p myse\u2019f when I see you winkin\u2019 at dat tater custard? I\nmought not \u2019a\u2019 laughed des at dat, but when I see you bek\u2019nin\u2019 at it wid\nyo\u2019 tongue, I wuz bleeze ter turn loose my hyuh-hyuh-hyuhs!\u201d\n\nThis was the beginning of the little boy\u2019s acquaintance with Uncle\nRemus, of whom he had heard so much. Some of the results of that\nacquaintance are to be set forth in the pages that follow.\n\n\n\n\nI\n\nWHY MR. CRICKET HAS ELBOWS ON HIS LEGS\n\n\nIt was not often that Uncle Remus had to search for the boys who had,\nin the course of a very long life, fallen under his influence. On the\ncontrary, he had sometimes to plan to get rid of them when he had work of\nimportance to do; but now, here he was in his old age searching all about\nfor a little chap who wasn\u2019t as big as a pound of soap after a hard day\u2019s\nwashing, as the old man had said more than once.\n\nThe child had promised to go with Uncle Remus to fetch a wagon-load\nof corn that had been placed under shelter in a distant part of\nthe plantation, and though the appointed hour had arrived, and the\ncarriage-horses had been hitched to the wagon, he had failed to put in an\nappearance.\n\nUncle Remus had asked the nurse, a mulatto woman from the city, where\nthe child was, and the only reply she deigned to make was that he was all\nright. This nurse had been offended by Uncle Remus, who, on more than\none occasion, had sent her about her business when he wanted the little\nboy to himself. She resented this and lost no opportunity to show her\ncontempt.\n\nAll his other resources failing, Uncle Remus went to the big house and\nasked his Miss Sally. She, being the child\u2019s grandmother, was presumed to\nknow his whereabouts; but Miss Sally was not in a very good humor. She\nsent word that she was very busy, and didn\u2019t want to be bothered; but\nbefore Uncle Remus could retire, after the message had been delivered,\nshe relented. \u201cWhat is it now?\u201d she inquired, coming to the door.\n\n\u201cI wuz des huntin\u2019 fer de little chap,\u201d Uncle Remus replied, \u201can\u2019 I\n\u2019lowed maybe you\u2019d know whar he wuz at. We wuz gwine fer ter haul a load\ner corn, but he ain\u2019t showed up.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I made him some molasses candy--something I shouldn\u2019t have\ndone--and he has been put in jail because he wiped his mouth on his\ncoat-sleeve.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn jail, ma\u2019am?\u201d Uncle Remus asked, astonishment written on his face.\n\n\u201cHe might as well be in jail; he\u2019s in the parlor.\u201d\n\n\u201cWid de winders all down? He\u2019ll stifle in dar.\u201d\n\nThe grandmother went into the house too indignant to inform Uncle Remus\nthat she had sent the house-girl to open the windows under the pretense\nof dusting and cleaning. The old man was somewhat doubtful as to how he\nshould proceed. He knew that in a case of this kind, Miss Sally could not\nhelp him. She had set herself to win over the young wife of her son, and\nshe knew that she would cease to be the child\u2019s grandmother and become\nthe mother-in-law the moment her views clashed with those of the lad\u2019s\nmother--and we all know from the newspapers what a terrible thing a\nmother-in-law is.\n\nKnowing that he would have to act alone, Uncle Remus proceeded very\ncautiously. He went around into the front yard, and saw that all the\nparlor windows were up and the curtains looped back, something that had\nnever happened before in his experience. To his mind the parlor was a\ndungeon, and a very dark one at that, and he chuckled when he saw the\nsunshine freely admitted, with no fear that it would injure the carpet.\nIf one little bit of a boy could cause such a change in immemorial\ncustom, what would two little boys be able to do? With these and similar\nhomely thoughts in his mind, Uncle Remus cut short his chuckle and began\nto sing about little Crickety Cricket, who lives in the thicket.\n\nNaturally, this song attracted the attention of the little lad, who had\nexhausted whatever interest there had been in an album, and was now\nbeginning to realize that he was a prisoner. He stuck his head out of the\nwindow, and regarded the old man rather ruefully. \u201cI couldn\u2019t go with you\nafter the corn, Uncle Remus; mother said I was too naughty.\u201d\n\n\u201cI ain\u2019t been atter no corn, honey; I hear tell er yo\u2019 gwines on, an\u2019\nI felt too bad fer ter go atter de corn; but de waggin\u2019s all ready an\u2019\na-waitin\u2019. Dey ain\u2019t no hurry \u2019bout dat corn. Ef you can\u2019t go ter-day,\nmaybe you kin go ter-morrer, er ef not, den some yuther day. Dey ain\u2019t\nnobody hankerin\u2019 atter corn but de ol\u2019 gray mule, an\u2019 he\u2019d hanker an\u2019\nwhicker fer it ef you wuz ter feed \u2019im a waggin-load three times a day.\nHow come you ter be so bad dat yo\u2019 ma hatter shet you up in dat dungeon?\nWhat you been doin\u2019?\u201d\n\n\u201cMother said I was very naughty and made me come in here,\u201d the little lad\nreplied.\n\n\u201cI bet you ef dey had \u2019a\u2019 put yo\u2019 pa in der, dey wouldn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 been no\npennaner lef\u2019, an\u2019 de kyarpit would \u2019a\u2019 looked like it been throo a\nharrycane. Dey shet \u2019im up in a room once, an\u2019 dey wuz a clock in it,\nan\u2019 he tuck \u2019n tuck dat clock ter pieces fer ter see what make it run.\n\u2019Twan\u2019t no big clock, needer, but yo\u2019 pa got nuff wheels out er dat clock\nfer ter fill a peck medjur, an\u2019 when dey sont it ter town fer ter have\nit mended, de clock man say he know mighty well dat all dem wheels ain\u2019t\ncome outer dat clock. He mended it all right, but he had nuff wheels an\u2019\nwhirligigs left over fer ter make a n\u2019er clock.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s a clock in here,\u201d said the little boy, \u201cbut it\u2019s in a glass\ncase.\u201d\n\n\u201cDon\u2019t pester it, honey, kaze it\u2019s yo\u2019 granma\u2019s, an\u2019 \u2019twant yo\u2019 granma\ndat had you shot up in dar. No, suh, not her--never in de roun\u2019 worl\u2019.\u201d\n\nThe little prisoner sighed, but said nothing. He was not a talkative\nchap; he had been taught that it is impolite to ask questions, and as a\nchild\u2019s conversation must necessarily be made up of questions, he had\nlittle to say. Uncle Remus found a rake leaning against the chimney. This\nhe took and examined critically, and found that one of the teeth was\nbroken out. \u201cNow, I wonder who could \u2019a\u2019 done dat!\u201d he exclaimed. \u201cSholy\nnobody wouldn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 come \u2019long an\u2019 knock de toof out des fer fun. Ef de\ntimes wuz diffunt, I\u2019d say dat a cricket hauled off an\u2019 kicked it out wid\none er his behime legs. But times done change; dey done change so dat\nwhen I turn my head an\u2019 look back\u2019erds, I hatter ketch my breff I gits\nso skeer\u2019d. Dey done been sech a change dat de crickets ain\u2019t dast ter\nkick sence ol\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket had his great kickin\u2019 match. I laid off\nfer ter tell you \u2019bout it when we wuz gwine atter dat load er corn dat\u2019s\nwaitin\u2019 fer us; but stidder gwine atter corn, here you is settin\u2019 in de\nparlor countin\u2019 out yo\u2019 money.\u201d Uncle Remus came close to the window and\nlooked in. \u201cOl\u2019 Miss useter keep de Bible on de table dar--yasser! dar\n\u2019tis, de same ol\u2019 Bible dat\u2019s been in de fambly sence de year one. You\nbetter git it down, honey, an\u2019 read dat ar piece \u2019bout de projickin\u2019 son,\nkaze ef dey shet you up in de parlor now, dey\u2019ll hatter put you in jail\ntime youer ten year ol\u2019.\u201d\n\nThis remark was intended for the ear of the young mother, who had come\ninto the front yard searching for roses. Uncle Remus had seen her from\nthe corner of his eye, and he determined to talk so she could hear and\nunderstand.\n\n\u201cBut what will they put me in jail for?\u201d the child asked.\n\n\u201cWhat dey put you in dar fer? Kaze you wipe yo\u2019 mouf on yo\u2019 sleeve.\nWell, when you git a little bigger, you\u2019ll say ter yo\u2019se\u2019f, \u2018Dey shet me\nin de parlor fer nothin\u2019, an\u2019 now I\u2019ll see ef dey \u2019ll put me in jail fer\nsump\u2019n\u2019; an\u2019 den you\u2019ll make a mouf at de gov\u2019ner up dar in Atlanta--I\nknow right whar his house is--an\u2019 dey\u2019ll slap you in jail an\u2019 never ax\nyo\u2019 name ner whar you come fum. Dat\u2019s de way dey does in dat town, kaze I\ndone been dar an\u2019 see der carryin\u2019s on.\u201d\n\n\u201cI believe I\u2019ll try it when I go back home,\u201d said the little lad.\n\n\u201cCo\u2019se you will,\u201d Uncle Remus assented, \u201can\u2019 you\u2019ll be glad fer ter git\nin jail atter bein\u2019 in a parlor what de sun ain\u2019t shine in sence de war.\nYou come down here fer ter git strong an\u2019 well, an\u2019 here you is in de\ndampest room in de house. You\u2019ll git well--oh, yes! I see you well right\nnow, speshually atter you done had de croup an\u2019 de pneumony, an\u2019 de\nbrowncreeturs.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s mother,\u201d said the little boy under his breath.\n\n\u201cI wish \u2019twuz yo\u2019 daddy!\u201d Uncle Remus replied. \u201cI\u2019d gi\u2019 \u2019im a piece er my\nmin\u2019 ez long ez a waggin tongue.\u201d\n\nBut the young mother never heard this remark. She had felt she was doing\nwrong when she banished the child to the parlor for a trivial fault, and\nnow she made haste to undo it. She ran into the house and released the\nlittle boy, and told him to run to play. \u201cThank you, mother,\u201d he said\ncourteously, and then when he disappeared, what should the young mother\ndo but cry?\n\nThe child, however, was very far from crying. He ran around to the front\nyard just in time to meet Uncle Remus as he came out. He seized the old\ndarky\u2019s hand and went skipping along by his side. \u201cYou put me in min\u2019 er\nol\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket \u2019bout de time he had his big kickin\u2019 match. He sho\nwuz lively.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat was just what I was going to ask you about,\u201d said the child\nenthusiastically, for his instinct told him that Uncle Remus\u2019s remarks\nabout Grandaddy Cricket were intended to lead up to a story. When they\nhad both climbed into the wagon, and were well on their way to the Wood\nLot, where the surplus corn had been temporarily stored, the old man,\nafter some preliminaries, such as looking in his hat to see if he had\nlost his hankcher, as he called it, and inquiring of the horses if they\nknew where they were going and what they were going after, suddenly\nturned to the child with a question: \u201cAin\u2019t I hear you ax me \u2019bout sump\u2019n\nn\u2019er, honey? I\u2019m gittin\u2019 so ol\u2019 an\u2019 wobbly dat it seem like I\u2019m deaf, yit\nef anybody wuz ter call me ter dinner, I speck I could hear um a mile off\nef dey so much ez whispered it.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d the child replied. \u201cIt was about old Grandaddy Cricket. I thought\nmaybe you knew something about him.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho? Me, honey? Why, my great-grandaddy\u2019s great-grandaddy live nex\u2019\ndoor ter whar ol\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket live at. Folks is lots littler now\ndan what dey wuz in dem days, an\u2019 likewize de creeturs, an\u2019 de creepin\u2019\nan\u2019 crawlin\u2019 things. My grandaddy say dat his great-grandaddy would make\ntwo men like him, an\u2019 my grandaddy wuz a monst\u2019us big man, dey ain\u2019t no\ntwo ways \u2019bout dat. It seems like dat folks is swunk up. My grandaddy\u2019s\ngreat-grandaddy say it\u2019s kaze dey done quit eatin\u2019 raw meat.\n\n\u201cI can\u2019t tell you \u2019bout dat myself, but my great-grandaddy\u2019s\ngreat-great-grandaddy could eat a whole steer in two days, horn an\u2019 huff,\nan\u2019 dem what tol\u2019 me ain\u2019t make no brags \u2019bout it; dey done like dey\u2019d\nseen it happen nine times a mont\u2019 off an\u2019 on fer forty year er mo\u2019. Well,\nden,\u201d Uncle Remus went on, looking at the little chap to see if he was\nswallowing the story with a good digestion--\u201cwell, den, dat bein\u2019 de\ncase, it stan\u2019s ter reason dat de creeturs an\u2019 de crawlin\u2019 an\u2019 creepin\u2019\nthings wuz lots bigger dan what dey is now. Dey had bigger houses, ef\ndey had any \u2019tall, an\u2019 ef dey had bigger houses dey must \u2019a\u2019 had bigger\nchimbleys.\n\n\u201cSo den, all dat bein\u2019 settle\u2019, I\u2019m gwine tell yo\u2019 \u2019bout ol\u2019 Grandaddy\nCricket. He must \u2019a\u2019 been a grandaddy long \u2019bout de time dat my\ngreat-grandaddy\u2019s great-grandaddy wuz workin\u2019 for his great-grandaddy.\nHowsomever dat mought be, ol\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket wuz on han\u2019, an\u2019 fum\nall I hear he wuz bigger dan a middlin\u2019-size goat. All endurin\u2019 er de\nhot weather, he\u2019d stay out in de woods wid his fife an\u2019 his fiddle,\nan\u2019 I speck he had great times. One day he\u2019d fiddle fer de fishes fer\nter dance, an\u2019 de nex\u2019 he\u2019d l\u2019arn de young birds how ter whistle wid\nhis fife. Day in an\u2019 day out he frolicked an\u2019 had his fun, but bimeby\nde weather \u2019gun ter git cool an\u2019 de days \u2019gun ter git shorter, an\u2019 ol\u2019\nGrandaddy Cricket hatter keep his han\u2019s in his pockets fum soon in de\nmornin\u2019 twel ten o\u2019clock. An\u2019 \u2019long \u2019bout de time when de sun start\ndown hill, he\u2019d hatter put his fiddle under his arm an\u2019 his fife in his\nside-pocket.\n\n\u201cDis wuz bad nuff, but wuss come. It got so col\u2019 dat Grandaddy Cricket\ncan\u2019t skacely walk twel de sun wuz shinin\u2019 right over \u2019im. Mo\u2019 dan dat,\nhe \u2019gun ter git hongry and stay hongry. Ef yu\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 seed \u2019im in de hot\nweather, fiddlin\u2019 an\u2019 dancin\u2019, an\u2019 fifin\u2019 an\u2019 prancin\u2019, you\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 thunk\ndat he had a stack er vittles put by ez big ez de barn back yander; but\nbimeby it got so cold dat he know sump\u2019n got ter be done. He know sump\u2019n\ngot ter be done, but how er when he couldn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 tol\u2019 you ef it had \u2019a\u2019\nbeen de las\u2019 ac\u2019. He went \u2019long, creepin\u2019 an\u2019 crawlin\u2019 fum post ter\npillar, an\u2019 he \u2019membered de days when he went wid a hop, skip an\u2019 a jump,\nbut he wuz too col\u2019 fer ter cry.\n\n\u201cHe crope along, tryin\u2019 ter keep on de sunny side er de worl\u2019, twel\nbimeby, one day he seed smoke a-risin\u2019 way off yander, an\u2019 he know\u2019d\nmighty well dat whar der\u2019s smoke dey bleeze ter be fire. He crope an\u2019\nhe crawled, an\u2019 bimeby he come close nuff ter de smoke fer ter see dat\nit wuz comin\u2019 out\u2019n a chimbley dat\u2019d been built on one \u2019een uv a house.\n\u2019Twant like de houses what you see up yander in Atlanty, kaze \u2019twuz made\nout er logs, an\u2019 de chink \u2019twix\u2019 de logs wuz stopped up wid red clay. De\nchimbley wuz made out\u2019n sticks an\u2019 stones an\u2019 mud.\n\n\u201cGrandaddy Cricket wuz forty-lev\u2019m times bigger dan what his fambly\nis deze days, but he wan\u2019t so big dat he couldn\u2019t crawl un\u2019 de house,\nkaze \u2019twuz propped up on pillars. So un\u2019 de house he went an\u2019 scrouge\nclose ter de chimbley fer ter see ef he can\u2019t git some er de warmf, but,\nbless you, it \u2019uz stone col\u2019. Ef it had \u2019a\u2019 been like de chimbleys is\ndeze days, ol\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket would \u2019a\u2019 friz stiff, but \u2019twuz plain,\neve\u2019yday mud plastered on some sticks laid crossways. \u2019Twuz hard fer ol\u2019\nGrandaddy Cricket fer ter work his way inter de chimbley, but harder fer\nter stay out \u2019n de col\u2019--so he sot in ter work. He gnyawed an\u2019 he sawed,\nhe scratched an\u2019 he clawed, he pushed an\u2019 he gouged, an\u2019 he shoved an\u2019 he\nscrouged, twel, bimeby, he got whar he could feel some er de warmf er de\nfire, an\u2019 \u2019twant long \u2019fo\u2019 he wuz feelin\u2019 fine. He snickered ter hisse\u2019f\nwhen he hear de win\u2019 whistlin\u2019 roun\u2019 de cornders, an\u2019 blowin\u2019 des like it\ncome right fresh fum de place whar de ice-bugs live at.\u201d\n\nThe little boy laughed and placed his hand caressingly on Uncle Remus\u2019s\nknee. \u201cYou mean ice-bergs, Uncle Remus,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cNigh ez I kin \u2019member,\u201d replied the old darky, with affected dignity,\n\u201cice-bugs is what I meant. I tell you dat p\u2019intedly. What I know \u2019bout\nice-berrigs?\u201d\n\nThe little lad eyed the old darky curiously, but said nothing more\nfor some time. Uncle Remus regarded him from the corner of his eye and\nsmiled, for this was a little chap whose ways he was yet to understand.\nFinally, he took up the thread of his story. \u201cIt\u2019s des like I tell you,\nhoney; he ain\u2019t no sooner git thawed out dan he \u2019gun ter feel good. Dey\nwuz some cracks an\u2019 crannies in de h\u2019ath er de fireplace, an\u2019 when de\nchillun eat der mush an\u2019 milk, some er de crum\u2019s \u2019ud sift thoo de h\u2019ath.\nOl\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket smelt um, an\u2019 felt um, an\u2019 helt um, an\u2019 atter dat\nyou couldn\u2019t make \u2019im b\u2019lieve dat he wan\u2019t in hog-heav\u2019m.\n\n\u201cDe place whar he wuz at wa\u2019n\u2019t roomy nuff fer fiddlin\u2019, but he tuck out\nhis fife an\u2019 \u2019gun ter play on it, an\u2019 ev\u2019y time he hear a noise he\u2019d cut\nde chune short. He\u2019d blow a little an\u2019 den break off, but take de day\nez it come, he put in a right smart lot er fifin\u2019. When night come, an\u2019\nev\u2019ything wuz dark down dar whar he wuz at, he des turned hisse\u2019f loose.\nDe chillun in de house, dey des lis\u2019en an\u2019 laugh, but dey daddy shake\nhis head an\u2019 look sour. Dey wan\u2019t no crickets in de country whar he come\nfum, an\u2019 he wan\u2019t usen ter um. But de mammy er de chillun ain\u2019t pay no\n\u2019tention ter de fifin\u2019; she des went on \u2019bout her business like dey ain\u2019t\nno cricket in de roun\u2019 worl\u2019. Ol\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket he fifed an\u2019 fifed\ndes like he wuz doin\u2019 it fer pay. He played de chillun off ter bed an\u2019\nplayed um ter sleep; he played twel de ol\u2019 man got ter nid-nid-noddin\u2019\nby de fire; he played twel dey all went ter bed \u2019cep\u2019 de mammy, an\u2019 he\nplayed whiles she sot by de h\u2019ath, an\u2019 dremp \u2019bout de times when she wuz\na gal--de ol\u2019 times dat make de gran\u2019-chillun feel so funny when dey hear\ntell \u2019bout um.\n\n\u201cNight atter night de fifin\u2019 went on, an\u2019 bimeby de man \u2019gun ter git\ntired. De \u2019oman, she say dat de crickets brung good luck, but de man, he\nsay he\u2019d druther have mo\u2019 luck an\u2019 less fifin\u2019. So he holler down thoo de\ncrack in de h\u2019ath, an\u2019 tell ol\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket fer ter hush his fuss\ner change his chune. But de fifin\u2019 went on. De man holler down an\u2019 say\ndat ef de fifin\u2019 don\u2019t stop, he gwine ter pour b\u2019ilin\u2019 water on de fifer.\nOl\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket holler back:\n\n    _\u201c\u2018Hot water will turn me brown,_\n    _An\u2019 den I\u2019ll kick yo\u2019 chimbley down.\u2019_\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_So he holler down thoo de crack_\u201d]\n\n\u201cDe man, he grin, he did, an\u2019 den he put de kittle on de fire an\u2019 kep\u2019\nit dar twel de water \u2019gun ter b\u2019ile, an\u2019 den, whiles de fifin\u2019 wuz at\nde loudest, he tuck de kittle an\u2019 tilted it so de scaldin\u2019 water will\nrun down thoo de cracks, an\u2019 den de fust thing he know\u2019d he ain\u2019t know\nnothin\u2019, kaze de water weakened de clay an\u2019 de h\u2019ath fell in an\u2019 ol\u2019\nGrandaddy Cricket sot in ter kickin\u2019 an\u2019 de chimbley come down, it\ndid, an\u2019 bury de man, an\u2019 when dey got \u2019im out, he wuz one-eyed an\u2019\nsplay-footed.\n\n\u201cDe \u2019oman an\u2019 de chillun ain\u2019t skacely know \u2019im. Dey hatter ax \u2019im his\nname, an\u2019 whar he come fum, an\u2019 how ol\u2019 he wuz; an\u2019 atter he satchified\num dat he wuz de same man what been livin\u2019 dar all de time, de \u2019oman say,\n\u2018Ain\u2019t I tell you dat crickets fetch good luck?\u2019 An\u2019 de man, he \u2019low,\n\u2018Does you call dis good luck?\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat became of the cricket?\u201d asked the little boy, after a long pause,\nduring which Uncle Remus appeared to be thinking about other things.\n\n\u201cOh!\u201d exclaimed the old darky. \u201cDat\u2019s so! I ain\u2019t tol\u2019 you, is I?\nWell, ol\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket kicked so hard, an\u2019 kicked so high, dat he\nonj\u2019inted bofe his legs, an\u2019 when he crawled out fum de chimbley, his\nelbows wuz whar his knees oughter be at.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut it was cold weather,\u201d suggested the little boy. \u201cWhere did he go\nwhen he kicked the chimney down?\u201d\n\nUncle Remus smiled as he took another chew of tobacco. \u201cDey wa\u2019n\u2019t but\none thing he could do,\u201d he replied; \u201che went on ter nex\u2019 house an\u2019 got in\nde chimbley an\u2019 he been livin\u2019 in chimbleys off an\u2019 on down ter dis day\nan\u2019 time.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: \u201c\u2018_Does you call dis good luck?_\u2019\u201d]\n\n\n\n\nII\n\nHOW WILEY WOLF RODE IN THE BAG\n\n\nUncle Remus soon had the wagon loaded with corn, and he and the little\nboy started back home. The plantation road was not a good one to begin\nwith, and the spring rains had not improved it. Consequently there were\ntimes when Uncle Remus deemed it prudent to get out of the wagon and\nwalk. The horses were fat and strong, to be sure, but some of the small\nhills were very steep, so much so that the old darky had to guide the\nteam first to the right and then to the left in order to overcome the\nsheer grade. In other words, he had to see-saw as he explained to the\nlittle boy. \u201cDrive um straight up, an\u2019 dey fall back,\u201d he explained, \u201cbut\non de see-saw dey fergits dat deyer gwine uphill.\u201d\n\nAll this was Dutch to the little boy, who knew nothing about driving\nhorses, but he had been well trained, and so he said, \u201cYes, that is\nso.\u201d The last time that Uncle Remus had to vacate the driver\u2019s seat in\norder to relieve the horses of his weight, he stumbled into a ditch that\nhad been dug on the side of the road to prevent the rains from washing\nit into gullies. He recovered himself immediately, but not before he\nhad startled a little rabbit, which ran on ahead of the horses for a\nconsiderable distance. Instinct came to its aid after a while, and it\ndarted into the underbrush which grew profusely on both sides of the road.\n\nBefore the little rabbit disappeared, however, Uncle Remus had time to\ngive utterance to a hunting halloo that aroused the echoes all around and\nmade the little boy jump, for he was not used to this sort of thing. \u201cI\ndeclar\u2019 ter gracious ef it don\u2019t put me in min\u2019 er ol\u2019 times--de times\ndey tell \u2019bout in de tales dat been handed down. Ef dat little rab had\n\u2019a\u2019 been five times ez big ez he is, an\u2019 twice ez young, I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 thunk\nwe\u2019d done got back ter de days when my great-grandaddy\u2019s great-grandaddy\nlived. You mayn\u2019t b\u2019lieve me, but ef you\u2019ll count fum de time when my\ngreat-grandaddy\u2019s great-grandaddy wuz born\u2019d down ter dis minnit, you\u2019ll\nfin\u2019 dat youer lookin\u2019 back on many a long year, an\u2019 a mighty heap er\nChris\u2019mus-come-an\u2019-gone.\n\n\u201cYou may think dat deze times is de bes\u2019; well, den, you kin have um ef\nyou\u2019ll des gi\u2019 me de ol\u2019 times when de nights wuz long an\u2019 de days short,\nwid plenty er wood on de fire, an\u2019 taters an\u2019 ashcake in de embers. Han\u2019\num here!\u201d Uncle Remus held out his hand as if he thought the little\nchap had the old times and the ashcakes and the roasted potatoes in his\npocket. \u201cDen you ain\u2019t got um,\u201d he went on, as the child drew away and\npretended to hold his pocket tight; \u201cyou ain\u2019t got um, an\u2019 you can\u2019t git\num. I done been had um, but I got ter nippy-nappin\u2019 one night, an\u2019 some\nun come \u2019long an\u2019 tuck um--some nigger man, I speck, kaze dey wuz a big\nfat \u2019possum mixed up wid um, an\u2019 a heap er yuther things liable fer ter\nmake a nigger\u2019s mouf water. Yasser! dey tuck um right away fum me, an\u2019 I\nain\u2019t seed um sence; an\u2019 maybe ef I wuz ter see um I wouldn\u2019t know um.\u201d\n\n\u201cWere the rabbits very large in old times?\u201d inquired the little boy.\n\n\u201cDey mought er been runts in de fambly,\u201d replied Uncle Remus cautiously,\n\u201cbut fum all I kin hear fum dem what know\u2019d, ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit wuz a sight\nbigger dan any er de rabbits you see deze days.\u201d\n\nUncle Remus paused to give the little boy an opportunity to make some\ncomment, or ask such questions as occurred to him, as the other little\nboy had been so ready to do; but he said nothing. It seemed that his\ncuriosity had been satisfied, and yet he wanted very much to hear a story\nsuch as Uncle Remus had been in the habit of telling his father when he\nwas the little boy. But he had been so rigidly trained to silence in the\npresence of his elders that he hesitated about making his desires known.\n\nThe old negro, however, was so accustomed to anticipating the wants of\nchildren, especially those in whom he took an interest, that he knew\nperfectly well what the little boy wanted. The child\u2019s attitude was\nexpectant, even if his lips refused to give form to his thoughts. This\nsort of thing--the old negro could give it no name--was so new to Uncle\nRemus that he chuckled, and presently the chuckle developed into a hearty\nlaugh.\n\nThe little boy regarded him with surprise. \u201cAre you laughing at me, Uncle\nRemus?\u201d he inquired, after some hesitation.\n\n\u201cWhy, honey, what put dat idee in yo\u2019 head? What I gwineter laugh at you\nfer? Ef you wuz a little bigger, I might laugh at you, des ter see how\nyou\u2019d take it. Ef you want me ter laugh at you, you\u2019ll hatter do some\ngrowin\u2019.\u201d\n\n\u201cGrandmother says I\u2019m a big boy,\u201d said the child.\n\n\u201cFer yo\u2019 age an\u2019 size, youer right smart chunk uv a boy,\u201d assented Uncle\nRemus, \u201cbut you\u2019ll hatter be lots bigger dan what you is \u2019fo\u2019 I laugh\nat you. No, suh; I wuz gigglin\u2019 at de way Brer Rabbit got away wid ol\u2019\nBrer Wolf endurin\u2019 er de time when der chillun played tergedder; an\u2019\ndat little rabbit dat run \u2019cross de road put me in min\u2019 un it. I bet ef\nI\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been dar, I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 done mo\u2019 dan laugh--I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 holler\u2019d. Yasser,\ndey ain\u2019t no two ways \u2019bout it--I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 des flung back my head an\u2019 \u2019a\u2019\nfetched a whoop dat you could \u2019a\u2019 hearn fum here ter de big house. Dat\u2019s\nwhat I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 done.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt must have been very funny, then,\u201d remarked the little boy.\n\nUncle Remus looked at the child with a serious face. Surely something\nmust be wrong with him. And yet he was still expectant--expectant and\npatient. The old negro had never had dealings with such a youngster as\nthis, and he was not in the habit of telling stories \u201cdes dry so,\u201d as he\nput it; so he went at it in a new, but still a characteristic, way. \u201cEf\nyo\u2019 pa had \u2019a\u2019 been settin\u2019 wha you settin\u2019 he wouldn\u2019t gi\u2019 me no peace\ntwel I tol\u2019 \u2019im zackly what I wuz laughin\u2019 \u2019bout; an\u2019 he\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 pestered\nme wid his inquirements twel he foun\u2019 out all about it. Does he pester\nyou dat a-way, honey? Kaze ef he does, I\u2019ll tell you de way ter fetch \u2019im\nup wid a roun\u2019 turn; des tell \u2019im you gwineter tell his mammy on him, an\u2019\nI bet you he won\u2019t pester you much atter dat.\u201d\n\nThis tickled the little boy very much. The idea of asking his grandmother\nto make his father stop bothering him was so new and so ridiculous that\nhe laughed unrestrainedly.\n\n\u201cDe minnit dat little rab jumped out\u2019n de bushes,\u201d Uncle Remus went\non, apparently paying no attention to the child\u2019s laughter, \u201cit put\nme in min\u2019 er de time when ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit had a lot er chillun an\u2019\ngran\u2019chillun pirootin\u2019 roun\u2019 de neighborhoods whar he live at. Dey mought\n\u2019a\u2019 not been any gran\u2019chillun in de bunch, but dey wuz plenty er chillun,\nbofe young an\u2019 ol\u2019.\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit \u2019ud move sometimes des like de folks does deze days,\nspeshually up dar in \u2019Lantmatantarum, whar you come fum.\u201d The little boy\nsmiled at this new name for Atlanta, and snuggled a little closer to\nUncle Remus, for the old man had, with this one word, entered the fields\nthat belong to childhood. \u201cHe\u2019d move, but mos\u2019 allers he\u2019d take a notion\nfer ter come back ter his ol\u2019 home. Sometimes he hatter move, de yuther\ncreeturs pursued atter \u2019im so close, but dey allers got de ragged en\u2019 er\nde pursuin\u2019, an\u2019 dey wuz times when dey\u2019d be right neighborly wid \u2019im.\n\n\u201c\u2019Twuz \u2019bout de time dat Brer Wolf had kinder made up his min\u2019 dat he\ncan\u2019t outdo Brer Rabbit, no way he kin fix it, an\u2019 he say ter hisse\u2019f dat\nhe better let \u2019im \u2019lone twel he kin git \u2019im in a corner whar he can\u2019t\ngit out. So Brer Wolf, he live wid his fambly on one side de road, an\u2019\nBrer Rabbit live wid his fambly on de yuther side, not close nuff fer ter\nquoil \u2019bout de fence line, an\u2019 yit close nuff fer der youngest chillun\nter play tergedder whiles de ol\u2019 folks wuz payin\u2019 der Sunday calls.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Dey sot dar \u2026 talkin\u2019 \u2019bout ol\u2019 times_\u201d]\n\n\u201cIt went on an\u2019 went on dis way twel it look like Brer Rabbit done\nfergit how ter play tricks on his neighbors an\u2019 Brer Wolf done\ndisremember\u2019d dat he yever is try fer ter ketch Brer Rabbit fer meat fer\nhis fambly. One Sunday in speshual, dey wuz mighty frien\u2019ly. It wuz Brer\nRabbit\u2019s time fer ter call on Brer Wolf, an\u2019 bofe un um wuz settin\u2019 up in\nde porch des ez natchal ez life. Brer Rabbit wuz chawin\u2019 his terbacker\nan\u2019 spittin\u2019 over de railin\u2019 an\u2019 Brer Wolf wuz grinnin\u2019 \u2019bout ol\u2019 times,\nan\u2019 pickin\u2019 his toofies, which dey look mighty white an\u2019 sharp. Dey wuz\nsettin\u2019 up dar, dey wuz, des ez thick ez fleas on a dog\u2019s back, an\u2019\nlookin\u2019 like butter won\u2019t melt in der mouf.\n\n\u201cAn\u2019 whiles dey wuz settin\u2019 dar, little Wiley Wolf an\u2019 Riley Rabbit wuz\nplayin\u2019 in de yard des like chillun will. Dey run an\u2019 dey romped, dey\nfrisk an\u2019 dey frolic, dey jump an\u2019 dey hump, dey hide an\u2019 dey slide, an\u2019\nit look like dey had mo\u2019 fun dan a mule kin pull in a waggin. Little\nWiley Wolf, he\u2019d run atter Riley Rabbit, an\u2019 den Riley Rabbit \u2019ud run\natter Wiley Wolf, an\u2019 here dey had it up an\u2019 down an\u2019 roun\u2019 an\u2019 roun\u2019,\ntwel it look like dey\u2019d run deyse\u2019f ter death. \u2019Bout de time you\u2019d think\ndey bleeze ter drap, one un um would holler out, \u2018King\u2019s Excuse!\u2019 an\u2019\nin dem days, when you say dat, nobody can\u2019t ketch you, it ain\u2019t make no\ndiffunce who, kaze ef dey dast ter lay han\u2019s on you atter you say dat,\ndey could be tuck ter de place whar dey done der judgin\u2019, an ef dey\nwa\u2019n\u2019t mighty sharp dey\u2019d git put in jail.\n\n\u201cNow, whiles Wiley Wolf an\u2019 Riley Rabbit wuz havin\u2019 der fun, der daddies\nwuz bleeze ter hear de racket what dey make, an\u2019 see de dus\u2019 dey raise.\nDey squealed an\u2019 dey squalled, an\u2019 ripped aroun\u2019 twel you\u2019d a thunk dey\nwuz a good size whirlywin\u2019 blowin\u2019 in de yard. Brer Rabbit chaw\u2019d his\nterbacker right slow an\u2019 shot one eye, an\u2019 ol\u2019 Brer Wolf lick his chops\nan\u2019 grin. Brer Rabbit \u2019low, \u2018De youngsters is gittin\u2019 mighty familious,\u2019\nan\u2019 ol Brer Wolf say, \u2018Dey is indeedy, an\u2019 I hope dey\u2019ll keep it up. You\nknow how we useter be, Brer Rabbit; we wuz constant a-playin\u2019 tricks\non one an\u2019er, an\u2019 it lookt like we wuz allers at outs. I hope de young\nuns\u2019ll have better manners!\u2019\n\n\u201cDey sot dar, dey did, talkin\u2019 \u2019bout ol\u2019 times, twel de sun got low,\nan\u2019 de visitin\u2019 had ter be cut short. Brer Rabbit say dat he had ter cut\nsome kindlin\u2019 so his ol\u2019 \u2019oman kin git supper, an\u2019 Brer Wolf \u2019low dat he\nallers cut his kindlin\u2019 on Sat\u2019day so he kin have all Sunday ter hisse\u2019f,\nan\u2019 smoke his pipe in peace. He went a piece er de way wid Brer Rabbit,\nan\u2019 Wiley Wolf, he come, too, an\u2019 him an\u2019 Riley Rabbit had all sorts uv\na time atter dey got in de big road. Dey wuz bushes on bofe sides, an\u2019\ndey kep\u2019 up der game er hide an\u2019 seek des ez fur ez Brer Wolf went, but\nbimeby, he say he gone fur nuff, an\u2019 he say he hope Brer Rabbit\u2019ll come\nag\u2019in right soon, an\u2019 let Riley come an\u2019 play wid Wiley endurin\u2019 er de\nweek.\n\n\u201cNot ter be outdone, Brer Rabbit invite Brer Wolf fer ter come an\u2019 see\nhim, an\u2019 likewise ter let Wiley come an\u2019 play wid Riley. \u2018Dey ain\u2019t\nnothin\u2019 but chillun,\u2019 sezee, \u2018an\u2019 look like dey done tuck a likin\u2019 ter\none an\u2019er.\u2019\n\n\u201cOn de way back home, Brer Wolf make a mighty strong talk ter Wiley. He\nsay, \u2018It\u2019s mo\u2019 dan likely dat de little Rab will come ter play wid you\nsome day when dey ain\u2019t nobody here, an\u2019 when he do, I want you ter play\nde game er ridin\u2019 in de bag.\u2019 Wiley Wolf say he ain\u2019t never hear tell er\ndat game, an\u2019 ol\u2019 Brer Wolf say it\u2019s easy ez fallin\u2019 off a log. \u2018You git\nin de bag,\u2019 sezee, \u2018an\u2019 let \u2019im haul you roun\u2019 de yard, an\u2019 den he\u2019ll git\nin de bag fer you ter haul him \u2019roun\u2019. What you wanter do is ter git \u2019im\nuse ter de bag; you hear dat, don\u2019t you? Git \u2019im use ter de bag.\u2019\n\n\u201cSo when little Riley come, de two un um had a great time er ridin\u2019 in\nde bag; \u2019twuz des like ridin\u2019 in a waggin, \u2019ceppin\u2019 dat Riley Rabbit\nlook like he ain\u2019t got no mo\u2019 sense dan ter haul little Wiley Wolf over\nde roughest groun\u2019 he kin fin\u2019, an\u2019 when Wiley holler\u2019d dat he hurt \u2019im,\nRiley \u2019ud say he won\u2019t do it no mo\u2019, but de nex\u2019 chance he got, he\u2019d do\nit ag\u2019in.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c\u2018_Git \u2019im use to de bag!_\u2019\u201d]\n\n\u201cWell, dey had all sorts uv a time, an\u2019 when Riley Rabbit went home,\nhe up an\u2019 tol\u2019 um all what dey\u2019d been a-playin\u2019. Brer Rabbit ain\u2019t say\nnothin\u2019; he des sot dar, he did, an\u2019 chaw his terbacker, an\u2019 shot one\neye. An\u2019 when ol\u2019 Brer Wolf come home dat night, Wiley tol\u2019 \u2019im \u2019bout de\ngood time dey\u2019d had. Brer Wolf grin, he did, an\u2019 lick his chops. He say,\nsezee, \u2018Dey\u2019s two parts ter dat game. When you git tired er ridin\u2019 in de\nbag, you tie de bag.\u2019 He went on, he did, an\u2019 tol\u2019 Wiley dat what he want\n\u2019im ter do is ter play ridin\u2019 in de bag twel bofe got tired, an\u2019 den play\ntyin\u2019 de bag, an\u2019 at de las\u2019 he wuz ter tie de bag so little Riley Rabbit\ncan\u2019t git out, an\u2019 den ter go ter bed an\u2019 kiver up his head.\n\n\u201cSo said, so done. Little Riley Rabbit come an\u2019 played ridin\u2019 in de bag,\nan\u2019 den when dey got tired, dey played tyin\u2019 de bag. \u2019Twuz mighty funny\nfer ter tie one an\u2019er in de bag, an\u2019 not know ef twuz gwineter be ontied.\nI dunner what would \u2019a\u2019 happen ter little Riley Rab ef ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit\nain\u2019t come along wid a big load er \u2019spicions. He call de little Rabbit\nter de fence. He talk loud an\u2019 he say dat he want \u2019im fer ter fetch a\nturn er kindlin\u2019 when he start home, an\u2019 den he say ter Riley, \u2018Be tied\nin de bag once mo\u2019, an\u2019 den when Wiley gits in tie \u2019im in dar hard an\u2019\nfas\u2019. Wet de string in yo\u2019 mouf, an\u2019 pull it des ez tight ez you kin. Den\nyou come on home; yo\u2019 mammy want you.\u2019\n\n\u201cDe las\u2019 time Wiley Wolf got in de bag, little Riley tied it so tight\ndat he couldn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 got it loose ef he\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 tried. He tied it tight, he\ndid, an\u2019 den he \u2019low, \u2018I got ter go home fer ter git some kindlin\u2019, an\u2019\nwhen I do dat, I\u2019ll come back an\u2019 play twel supper-time.\u2019 But ef he yever\nis went back dar, I ain\u2019t never hear talk un it.\u201d\n\nUncle Remus closed his eyes apparently, but not so tight that he\ncouldn\u2019t watch the little boy. The youngster had been listening to the\nstory too intently to ask questions, and now he sat silent waiting for\nUncle Remus to finish. He waited and waited until he grew impatient, and\nthen he raised his head. He still waited a few moments longer, but Uncle\nRemus to all appearances was nodding. \u201cUncle Remus,\u201d he cried, \u201cwhat\nbecame of Wiley Wolf?\u201d\n\n[Illustration: \u201c\u2018_Den you come on home; yo\u2019 mammy want you_\u2019\u201d]\n\nThe old negro pretended to wake with a start. \u201cAin\u2019t I hear some un\ntalkin\u2019?\u201d He looked all around, and then his eye fell on the little boy.\n\u201cDar you is!\u201d he exclaimed with a laugh. \u201cI done been ter sleep an\u2019\ndrempt dat I wuz eatin\u2019 a slishe er tater custard ez big ez de waggin\nbody.\u201d The little boy repeated his question, whereupon Uncle Remus held\nup his hands with a gesture of astonishment. \u201cAin\u2019t I tol\u2019 you dat? Den I\nmus\u2019 be gittin\u2019 ol\u2019 an\u2019 wobbly. De fus\u2019 thing when I git ter de house I\u2019m\ngwineter be weighed fer ter see how ol\u2019 I is. Now, whar wuz I at?\u201d\n\n\u201cWiley Wolf was in the bag,\u201d the little boy answered.\n\n\u201cAh-h-h! Right whar Riley Rab lef\u2019 \u2019im. He wuz in de bag an\u2019 dar he\nstayed twel ol\u2019 Brer Wolf come fum whar he been workin\u2019 in de fiel\u2019--de\ncreeturs wuz mos\u2019ly farmers in dem days. He come back, he did, an\u2019 he see\nde bag, an\u2019 he know by de bulk un it dat dey wuz sump\u2019n in it, an\u2019 he \u2019uz\nso greedy dat his mouf fair dribbled. Now, den, when Wiley Wolf got in\nde bag, he wuz mighty tired. He\u2019d been a-scufflin\u2019 an a-rastlin\u2019 twel he\nwuz plum\u2019 wo\u2019 out. He hear Riley Rab say he wuz comin\u2019 back, an\u2019 while he\nwuz waitin\u2019, he drapt off ter sleep, an\u2019 dar he wuz when his daddy come\nhome--soun\u2019 asleep.\n\n\u201cOl\u2019 Brer Wolf ain\u2019t got but one idee, an\u2019 dat wuz dat Riley Rab wuz in\nde bag, so he went ter de winder, an\u2019 ax ef de pot wuz b\u2019ilin\u2019, an\u2019 his\nol\u2019 \u2019oman say \u2019twuz. Wid dat, he pick up de bag, an\u2019 fo\u2019 you could bat\nyo\u2019 eye, he had it soused in de pot.\u201d\n\n\u201cIn the boiling water!\u201d exclaimed the child.\n\n\u201cDat\u2019s de way de tale runs,\u201d replied Uncle Remus. \u201cEz dey gun it ter me,\nso I gin it to you.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nIII\n\nBROTHER RABBIT\u2019S LAUGHING-PLACE\n\n\nThis new little boy was intensely practical. He had imagination, but it\nwas unaccompanied by any of the ancient illusions that make the memory\nof childhood so delightful. Young as he was he had a contempt for those\nwho believed in Santa Claus. He believed only in things that his mother\nconsidered valid and vital, and his training had been of such a character\nas to leave out all the beautiful romances of childhood.\n\nThus when Uncle Remus mentioned something about Brother Rabbit\u2019s\nlaughing-place, he pictured it forth in his mind as a sure-enough place\nthat the four-footed creatures had found necessary for their comfort and\nconvenience. This way of looking at things was, in some measure, a great\nhelp; it cut off long explanations, and stopped many an embarrassing\nquestion.\n\nOn one occasion when the two were together, the little boy referred to\nBrother Rabbit\u2019s laughing-place and talked about it in much the same way\nthat he would have talked about Atlanta. If Uncle Remus was unprepared\nfor such literalness he displayed no astonishment, and for all the child\nknew, he had talked the matter over with hundreds of other little boys.\n\n\u201cUncle Remus,\u201d said the lad, \u201cwhen was the last time you went to Brother\nRabbit\u2019s laughing-place?\u201d\n\n\u201cTo tell you de trufe, honey, I dunno ez I ever been dar,\u201d the old man\nresponded.\n\n\u201cNow, I think that is very queer,\u201d remarked the little boy.\n\nUncle Remus reflected a moment before committing himself. \u201cI dunno ez\nI yever went right spang ter de place an\u2019 put my han\u2019 on it. I speck\nI could \u2019a\u2019 gone dar wid mighty little trouble, but I wuz so use ter\nhearin\u2019 \u2019bout it dat de idee er gwine dar ain\u2019t never got in my head.\nIt\u2019s sorter like ol\u2019 Mr. Grissom\u2019s house. Dey say he lives in a quare\nlittle shanty not fur fum de mill. I know right whar de shanty is, yit I\nain\u2019t never been dar, an\u2019 I ain\u2019t never seed it.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s de same way wid Brer Rabbit\u2019s laughin\u2019-place. Dem what tol\u2019 me\n\u2019bout it had likely been dar, but I ain\u2019t never had no \u2019casion fer ter\ngo dar myse\u2019f. Yit ef I could walk fifteen er sixty mile a day, like I\nuseter, I boun\u2019 you I could go right now an\u2019 put my han\u2019 on de place. Dey\nwuz one time--but dat\u2019s a tale, an\u2019, goodness knows, you done hear nuff\ntales er one kin\u2019 an\u2019 anudder fer ter make a hoss sick--dey ain\u2019t no two\nways \u2019bout dat.\u201d\n\nUncle Remus paused and sighed, and then closed his eyes with a groan,\nas though he were sadly exercised in spirit; but his eyes were not\nshut so tight that he could not observe the face of the child. It was\na prematurely grave little face that the old man saw and whether this\nwas the result of the youngster\u2019s environment, or his training, or his\ntemperament, it would have been difficult to say. But there it was, the\ngravity that was only infrequently disturbed by laughter. Uncle Remus\nperhaps had seen more laughter in that little face than any one else.\nOccasionally the things that the child laughed at were those that would\nhave convulsed other children, but more frequently, as it seemed, his\nsmiles were the result of his own reflections and mental comparisons.\n\n\u201cI tell you what, honey,\u201d said Uncle Remus, opening wide his eyes, \u201cdat\u2019s\nde ve\u2019y thing you oughter have.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d the child inquired, though apparently he had no interest in\nthe matter.\n\n\u201cWhat you want is a laughin\u2019-place, whar you kin go an\u2019 tickle\nyo\u2019se\u2019f an\u2019 laugh whedder you wanter laugh er no. I boun\u2019 ef you had\na laughin\u2019-place, you\u2019d gain flesh, an\u2019 when yo\u2019 pa comes down fum\n\u2019Lantamatantarum, he wouldn\u2019t skacely know you.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I don\u2019t want father not to know me,\u201d the child answered. \u201cIf he\ndidn\u2019t know me, I should feel as if I were some one else.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, he\u2019d know you bimeby,\u201d said Uncle Remus, \u201can\u2019 he\u2019d be all de\ngladder fer ter see you lookin\u2019 like somebody.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo I look like nobody?\u201d asked the little boy.\n\n\u201cWhen you fust come down here,\u201d Uncle Remus answered, \u201cyou look like\nnothin\u2019 \u2019tall, but sence you been ramblin\u2019 roun\u2019 wid me, you done \u2019gun\nter look like somebody--mos\u2019 like um.\u201d\n\n\u201cI reckon that\u2019s because I have a laughing-place,\u201d said the child. \u201cYou\ndidn\u2019t know I had one, did you? I have one, but you are the first person\nin the world that I have told about it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, suh!\u201d Uncle Remus exclaimed with well-feigned astonishment;\n\u201can\u2019 you been settin\u2019 here lis\u2019nin\u2019 at me, an\u2019 all de time you got\na laughin\u2019-place er yo\u2019 own! I never would \u2019a\u2019 b\u2019lieved it uv you.\nWharbouts is dish yer place?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt is right here where you are,\u201d said the little boy with a winning\nsmile.\n\n\u201cHoney, you don\u2019t tell me!\u201d exclaimed the old man, looking all around.\n\u201cEf you kin see it, you see mo\u2019 dan I does--dey ain\u2019t no two ways \u2019bout\ndat.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, you are my laughing-place,\u201d cried the little lad with an\nextraordinary burst of enthusiasm.\n\n\u201cWell, I thank my stars!\u201d said Uncle Remus with emotion. \u201cYou sho\u2019 does\nneed ter laugh lots mo\u2019 dan what you does. But what make you laugh at\nme, honey? Is my britches too big, er is I too big fer my britches? You\nneen\u2019ter laugh at dis coat, kaze it\u2019s one dat yo\u2019 grandaddy useter have.\nIt\u2019s mighty nigh new, kaze I ain\u2019t wo\u2019d it mo\u2019 dan \u2019lev\u2019m year. It may\nlook shiny in places, but when you see a coat look shiny, it\u2019s a sign\ndat it\u2019s des ez good ez new. You can\u2019t laugh at my shoes, kaze I made\num myse\u2019f, an\u2019 ef dey lack shape dat\u2019s kaze I made um fer ter fit my\nrheumatism an\u2019 my foots bofe.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, I never laughed at you!\u201d exclaimed the child, blushing at the very\nidea. \u201cI laugh at what you say, and at the stories you tell.\u201d\n\n\u201cLa, honey! You sho\u2019 dunno nothin\u2019; you oughter hearn me tell tales\nwhen I could tell um. I boun\u2019 you\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 busted de buttons off\u2019n yo\u2019\nwhatchermacollums. Yo\u2019 pa useter set right whar you er settin\u2019 an\u2019 laugh\ntwel he can\u2019t laugh no mo\u2019. But dem wuz laughin\u2019 times, an\u2019 it look like\ndey ain\u2019t never comin\u2019 back. Dat \u2019uz \u2019fo\u2019 eve\u2019ybody wuz rushin\u2019 roun\u2019\ntrying fer ter git money what don\u2019t b\u2019long ter um by good rights.\u201d\n\n\u201cI was thinking to myself,\u201d remarked the child, \u201cthat if Brother Rabbit\nhad a laughing-place I had a better one.\u201d\n\n\u201cHoney, hush!\u201d exclaimed Uncle Remus with a laugh. \u201cYou\u2019ll have me gwine\nroun\u2019 here wid my head in de a\u2019r, an\u2019 feelin\u2019 so biggity dat I won\u2019t look\nat my own se\u2019f in de lookin\u2019-glass. I ain\u2019t too ol\u2019 fer dat kinder talk\nter sp\u2019ile me.\u201d\n\n\u201cDidn\u2019t you say there was a tale about Brother Rabbit\u2019s laughing-place?\u201d\ninquired the little boy, when Uncle Remus ceased to admire himself.\n\n\u201cI dunner whedder you kin call it a tale,\u201d replied the old man. \u201cIt\u2019s\nmighty funny \u2019bout tales,\u201d he went on. \u201cTell um ez you may an\u2019 whence you\nmay, some\u2019ll say tain\u2019t no tale, an\u2019 den ag\u2019in some\u2019ll say dat it\u2019s a\nfine tale. Dey ain\u2019t no tellin\u2019. Dat de reason I don\u2019t like ter tell no\ntale ter grown folks, speshually ef dey er white folks. Dey\u2019ll take it\nan\u2019 put it by de side er some yuther tale what dey got in der min\u2019 an\u2019\ndey\u2019ll take on dat slonchidickler grin what allers say, \u2018Go way, nigger\nman! You dunner what a tale is!\u2019 An\u2019 I don\u2019t--I\u2019ll say dat much fer ter\nkeep some un else fum sayin\u2019 it.\n\n\u201cNow, \u2019bout dat laughin\u2019-place--it seem like dat one time de creeturs got\nter \u2019sputin\u2019 \u2019mongs\u2019 deyselves ez ter which un kin laugh de loudest. One\nword fotch on an\u2019er twel it look like dey wuz gwineter be a free fight, a\nrumpus an\u2019 a riot. Dey show\u2019d der claws an\u2019 tushes, an\u2019 shuck der horns,\nan\u2019 rattle der hoof. Dey had der bristles up, an\u2019 it look like der eyes\nwuz runnin\u2019 blood, dey got so red.\n\n\u201cDes \u2019bout de time when it look like you can\u2019t keep um \u2019part, little\nMiss Squinch Owl flew\u2019d up a tree an\u2019 \u2019low, \u2018You all dunner what laughin\u2019\nis--ha-ha-ha-ha! You can\u2019t laugh when you try ter laugh--ha-ha-ha-haha!\u2019\nDe creeturs wuz \u2019stonisht. Here wuz a little fowl not much bigger dan\na jay-bird laughin\u2019 herse\u2019f blin\u2019 when dey wa\u2019n\u2019t a thing in de roun\u2019\nworl\u2019 fer ter laugh at. Dey stop der quoilin\u2019 atter dat an\u2019 look at one\nan\u2019er. Brer Bull say, \u2018Is anybody ever hear de beat er dat? Who mought\nde lady be?\u2019 Dey all say dey dunno, an\u2019 dey got a mighty good reason fer\nder sesso, kaze Miss Squinch Owl, she flies at night wid de bats an\u2019 de\nBetsey Bugs.\n\n\u201cWell, dey quit der quoilin\u2019, de creeturs did, but dey still had der\n\u2019spute; de comin\u2019 er Miss Squinch Owl ain\u2019t settle dat. So dey \u2019gree\ndat dey\u2019d meet some\u2019rs when de wedder got better, an\u2019 try der han\u2019 at\nlaughin\u2019 fer ter see which un kin outdo de yuther.\u201d Observing that the\nlittle boy was laughing very heartily, Uncle Remus paused long enough to\ninquire what had hit him on his funny-bone.\n\n\u201cI was laughing because you said the animals were going to meet an\u2019 try\ntheir hand at laughing,\u201d replied the lad when he could get breath enough\nto talk.\n\nUncle Remus regarded the child with a benevolent smile of admiration.\n\u201cYouer long ways ahead er me--you sho\u2019 is. Dey ain\u2019t na\u2019er n\u2019er chap in\nde worl\u2019 what\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 cotch on so quick. You put me in min\u2019 er de peerch,\nwhat grab de bait \u2019fo\u2019 it hit de water. Well, dat\u2019s what de creeturs\ndone. Dey say dey wuz gwineter make trial fer ter see which un is de\nout-laughin\u2019est er de whole caboodle, an\u2019 dey name de day, an\u2019 all\nprommus fer ter be dar, ceppin\u2019 Brer Rabbit, an\u2019 he \u2019low dat he kin laugh\nwell nuff fer ter suit hisse\u2019f an\u2019 his fambly, \u2019sides dat, he don\u2019t keer\n\u2019bout laughin\u2019 less\u2019n dey\u2019s sump\u2019n fer ter laugh at. De yuther creeturs\ndey beg \u2019im fer ter come, but he shake his head an\u2019 wiggle his mustache,\nan\u2019 say dat when he wanter laugh, he got a laughin\u2019-place fer ter go ter,\nwhar he won\u2019t be pestered by de balance er creation. He say he kin go\ndar an\u2019 laugh his fill, an\u2019 den go on \u2019bout his business, ef he got any\nbusiness, an\u2019 ef he ain\u2019t got none, he kin go ter play.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c\u2018_Gracious me!\u2019 an\u2019 den he howl_\u201d]\n\n\u201cDe yuther creeturs ain\u2019t know what ter make er all dis, an\u2019 dey wonder\nan\u2019 wonder how Brer Rabbit kin have a laughin\u2019-place an\u2019 dey ain\u2019t got\nnone. When dey ax \u2019im \u2019bout it, he \u2019spon\u2019, he did, dat he speck \u2019twuz des\nde diffunce \u2019twix one creetur an\u2019 an\u2019er. He ax um fer ter look at folks,\nhow diffunt dey wuz, let \u2019lone de creeturs. One man \u2019d be rich an\u2019 an\u2019er\nman po\u2019, an\u2019 he ax how come dat.\n\n\u201cWell, suh, dey des natchally can\u2019t tell \u2019im what make de diffunce \u2019twix\nfolks no mo\u2019 dan dey kin tell \u2019im de diffunce \u2019twix\u2019 de creeturs. Dey\nwuz stumped; dey done fergit all \u2019bout de trial what wuz ter come off,\nbut Brer Rabbit fotch um back ter it. He say dey ain\u2019t no needs fer ter\nsee which kin outdo all de balance un um in de laughin\u2019 business, kaze\nanybody what got any sense know dat de donkey is a natchal laugher, same\nas Brer Coon is a natchal pacer.\n\n\u201cBrer B\u2019ar look at Brer Wolf, an\u2019 Brer Wolf look at Brer Fox, an\u2019 den\ndey all look at one an\u2019er. Brer Bull, he say, \u2018Well, well, well!\u2019 an\u2019 den\nhe groan; Brer B\u2019ar say, \u2018Who\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 thunk it?\u2019 an\u2019 den he growl; an\u2019 Brer\nWolf say \u2018Gracious me!\u2019 an\u2019 den he howl. Atter dat, dey ain\u2019t say much,\nkaze dey ain\u2019t much fer ter say. Dey des stan\u2019 roun\u2019 an\u2019 look kinder\nsheepish. Dey ain\u2019t \u2019spute wid Brer Rabbit, dough dey\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 like ter \u2019a\u2019\ndone it, but dey sot about an\u2019 make marks in de san\u2019 des like you see\nfolks do when deyer tryin\u2019 fer ter git der thinkin\u2019 machine ter work.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Brer Rabbit he put his han\u2019 ter his head_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWell, suh, dar dey sot an\u2019 dar dey stood. Dey ax Brer Rabbit how\nhe know how ter fin\u2019 his laughin\u2019-place, an\u2019 how he know it wuz a\nlaughin\u2019-place atter he got dar. He tap hisse\u2019f on de head, he did, an\u2019\n\u2019low dat dey wuz a heap mo\u2019 und\u2019 his hat dan what you could git out wid a\nfine-toof comb. Den dey ax ef dey kin see his laughin\u2019-place, an\u2019 he say\nhe\u2019d take de idee ter bed wid \u2019im, an\u2019 study \u2019pon it, but he kin say dis\nmuch right den, dat if he did let um see it, dey\u2019d hatter go dar one at\na time, an\u2019 dey\u2019d hatter do des like he say; ef dey don\u2019t dey\u2019ll git de\nnotion dat it\u2019s a cryin\u2019-place.\n\n\u201cDey \u2019gree ter dis, de creeturs did, an\u2019 den Brer Rabbit say dat while\ndeyer all der tergedder, dey better choosen \u2019mongs\u2019 deyse\u2019f which un\nuv um wuz gwine fus\u2019, an\u2019 he\u2019d choosen de res\u2019 when de time come. Dey\njowered an\u2019 jowered, an\u2019 bimeby, dey hatter leave it all ter Brer Rabbit.\nBrer Rabbit, he put his han\u2019 ter his head, an\u2019 shot his eyeballs an\u2019 do\nlike he studyin\u2019. He say \u2018De mo\u2019 I think \u2019bout who shill be de fus\u2019 one,\nde mo\u2019 I git de idee dat it oughter be Brer Fox. He been here long ez\nanybody, an\u2019 he\u2019s purty well thunk uv by de neighbors--I ain\u2019t never hear\nnobody breave a breff ag\u2019in \u2019im.\u2019\n\n\u201cDey all say dat dey had Brer Fox in min\u2019 all de time, but somehow dey\ncan\u2019t come right out wid his name, an\u2019 dey vow dat ef dey had \u2019greed on\nsomebody, dat somebody would sho\u2019 \u2019a\u2019 been Brer Fox. Den, atter dat,\n\u2019twuz all plain sailin\u2019. Brer Rabbit say he\u2019d meet Brer Fox at sech an\u2019\nsech a place, at sech an\u2019 sech a time, an\u2019 atter dat dey wa\u2019n\u2019t no mo\u2019\nter be said. De creeturs all went ter de place whar dey live at, an\u2019 done\ndes like dey allers done.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_De creeturs all went ter de place whar dey live at_\u201d]\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit make a soon start fer ter go ter de p\u2019int whar he prommus\nter met Brer Fox, but soon ez he wuz, Brer Fox wuz dar befo\u2019 \u2019im. It seem\nlike he wuz so much in de habits er bein\u2019 outdone by Brer Rabbit dat he\ncan\u2019t do widout it. Brer Rabbit bow, he did, an\u2019 pass de time er day wid\nBrer Fox, an\u2019 ax \u2019im how his fambly wuz. Brer Fox say dey wuz peart ez\nkin be, an\u2019 den he \u2019low dat he ready an\u2019 a-waitin\u2019 fer ter go an\u2019 see dat\ngreat laughin\u2019-place what Brer Rabbit been talkin\u2019 \u2019bout.\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit say dat suit him ter a gnat\u2019s heel, an\u2019 off dey put. Bimeby\ndey come ter one er deze here cle\u2019r places dat you sometimes see in\nde middle uv a pine thicket. You may ax yo\u2019se\u2019f how come dey don\u2019t no\ntrees grow dar when dey\u2019s trees all round, but you ain\u2019t gwineter git no\nanswer, an\u2019 needer is dey anybody what kin tell you. Dey got dar, dey\ndid, an\u2019 den Brer Rabbit make a halt. Brer Fox \u2019low, \u2018Is dis de place? I\ndon\u2019t feel no mo\u2019 like laughin\u2019 now dan I did \u2019fo\u2019 I come.\u2019\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_But soon ez he wuz, Brer Fox wuz dar befo\u2019 \u2019im_\u201d]\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit, he say, \u2018Des keep yo\u2019 jacket on, Brer Fox; ef you git in\ntoo big a hurry it might come off. We done come mighty nigh ter de place,\nan\u2019 ef you wan ter do some ol\u2019 time laughin\u2019, you\u2019ll hatter do des like\nI tell you; ef you don\u2019t wanter laugh, I\u2019ll des show you de place, an\u2019\nwe\u2019ll go on back whar we come fum, kaze dis is one er de days dat I ain\u2019t\ngot much time ter was\u2019e laughin\u2019 er cryin\u2019.\u2019 Brer Fox \u2019low dat he ain\u2019t\nso mighty greedy ter laugh, an\u2019 wid dat, Brer Rabbit whirl roun\u2019, he did,\nan\u2019 make out he gwine on back whar he live at. Brer Fox holler at \u2019im; he\nsay, \u2018Come on back, Brer Rabbit; I\u2019m des a-projickin\u2019 wid you.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018Ef you wanter projick, Brer Fox, you\u2019ll hatter go home an\u2019 projick wid\ndem what wanter be projicked wid. I ain\u2019t here kaze I wanter be here.\nYou ax me fer ter show you my laughin\u2019-place, an\u2019 I \u2019greed. I speck we\nbetter be gwine on back.\u2019 Brer Fox say he come fer ter see Brer Rabbit\u2019s\nlaughin\u2019-place, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t gwineter be satchify twel he see it. Brer\nRabbit \u2019low dat ef dat de case, den he mus\u2019 ac\u2019 de gentermun all de\nway thoo, an\u2019 quit his behavishness. Brer Fox say he\u2019ll do de best he\nkin, an\u2019 den Brer Rabbit show \u2019im a place whar de bamboo briars, an\u2019 de\nblackberry bushes, an\u2019 de honeysuckles done start ter come in de pine\nthicket, an\u2019 can\u2019t come no furder. \u2019Twa\u2019n\u2019t no thick place; \u2019twuz des\nwhar de swamp at de foot er de hill peter\u2019d out in tryin\u2019 ter come ter\ndry lan\u2019. De bushes an\u2019 vines wuz thin an\u2019 scanty, an\u2019 ef dey could \u2019a\u2019\ntalked dey\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 hollered loud fer water.\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit show Brer Fox de place, an\u2019 den tell \u2019im dat de game is fer\nter run full tilt thoo de vines an\u2019 bushes, an\u2019 den run back, an\u2019 thoo um\nag\u2019in an\u2019 back, an\u2019 he say he\u2019d bet a plug er terbacker \u2019g\u2019in a ginger\ncake dat by de time Brer Fox done dis he\u2019d be dat tickled dat he can\u2019t\nstan\u2019 up fer laughin\u2019. Brer Fox shuck his head; he ain\u2019t nigh b\u2019lieve it,\nbut fer all dat, he make up his min\u2019 fer ter do what Brer Rabbit say,\nspite er de fack dat his ol\u2019 \u2019oman done tell im \u2019fo\u2019 he lef\u2019 home dat he\nbetter keep his eye open, kaze Brer Rabbit gwineter run a rig on \u2019im.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_His ol\u2019 \u2019oman done tell him dat he better keep his eye\nopen_\u201d]\n\n\u201cHe tuck a runnin\u2019 start, he did, an\u2019 he went thoo de bushes an\u2019 de\nvines like he wuz runnin\u2019 a race. He run an\u2019 he come back a-runnin\u2019, an\u2019\nhe run back, an\u2019 dat time he struck sump\u2019n wid his head. He try ter dodge\nit, but he seed it too late, an\u2019 he wuz gwine too fas\u2019. He struck it,\nhe did, an\u2019 time he do dat, he fetched a howl dat you might \u2019a\u2019 hearn a\nmile, an\u2019 atter dat, he holler\u2019d yap, yap, yap, an\u2019 ouch, ouch, ouch, an\u2019\nyow, yow, yow, an\u2019 whiles dis wuz gwine on Brer Rabbit wuz thumpin\u2019 de\nground wid his behime foot, an\u2019 laughin\u2019 fit ter kill. Brer Fox run roun\u2019\nan\u2019 roun\u2019, an\u2019 kep\u2019 on snappin\u2019 at hisse\u2019f an\u2019 doin\u2019 like he wuz tryin\u2019\nfer ter t\u2019ar his hide off. He run, an\u2019 he roll, an\u2019 wallow, an\u2019 holler,\nan\u2019 fall, an\u2019 squall twell it look like he wuz havin\u2019 forty-lev\u2019m duck\nfits.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_An\u2019 dat time he struck sump\u2019n wid his head_\u201d]\n\n\u201cHe got still atter while, but de mo\u2019 stiller he got, de wuss he looked.\nHis head wuz all swell up, an\u2019 he look like he been run over in de road\nby a fo\u2019-mule waggin. Brer Rabbit \u2019low, \u2018I\u2019m glad you had sech a good\ntime, Brer Fox; I\u2019ll hatter fetch you out ag\u2019in. You sho\u2019 done like you\nwuz havin\u2019 fun.\u2019 Brer Fox ain\u2019t say a word; he wuz too mad fer ter talk.\nHe des sot aroun\u2019 an\u2019 lick hisse\u2019f an\u2019 try ter git his ha\u2019r straight.\nBrer Rabbit \u2019low, \u2018You ripped aroun\u2019 in dar twel I wuz skeer\u2019d you wuz\ngwine ter hurt yo\u2019se\u2019f, an\u2019 I b\u2019lieve in my soul you done gone an\u2019 bump\nyo\u2019 head ag\u2019in a tree, kaze it\u2019s all swell up. You better go home, Brer\nFox, an\u2019 let yo\u2019 ol\u2019 \u2019oman poultice you up.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Fox show his tushes, an\u2019 say, \u2018You said dis wuz a laughin\u2019-place.\u2019\nBrer Rabbit \u2019low, \u2018I said \u2019twuz my laughin\u2019-place, an\u2019 I\u2019ll say it ag\u2019in.\nWhat you reckon I been doin\u2019 all dis time? Ain\u2019t you hear me laughin\u2019?\nAn\u2019 what you been doin\u2019? I hear you makin\u2019 a mighty fuss in dar, an\u2019 I\nsay ter myse\u2019f dat Brer Fox is havin\u2019 a mighty big time.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018I let you know dat I ain\u2019t been laughin\u2019,\u2019 sez Brer Fox, sezee.\u201d\n\nUncle Remus paused, and waited to be questioned. \u201cWhat was the matter\nwith the Fox, if he wasn\u2019t laughing?\u201d the child asked after a thoughtful\nmoment.\n\nUncle Remus flung his head back, and cried out in a sing-song tone,\n\n    \u201c_He run ter de Eas\u2019 an he run ter de Wes\u2019_\n    _An\u2019 jammed his head in a hornet\u2019s nes\u2019!_\u201d\n\n\n\n\nIV\n\nBROTHER RABBIT AND THE CHICKENS\n\n\nUncle Remus was sorely puzzled as to the best method of pleasing this\nyoungster. He wasn\u2019t sure the little boy enjoyed such tales as the one\nin which Riley Rabbit turned the tables on Wiley Wolf. So he ventured a\nquestion. \u201cHoney, what kinder tales does you like?\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, I like them all,\u201d replied the little boy, \u201conly some are nicer than\nthe others;\u201d and then, without waiting for an invitation, he told Uncle\nRemus the story of Cinderella. He told it very well for a small chap, and\nUncle Remus pretended to enjoy it, although he had heard it hundreds of\ntimes.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s a mighty purty tale,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s so purty dat you dunner\nwhedder ter b\u2019lieve it er not. Yit I speck it\u2019s so, kaze one time in\nforty-lev\u2019m hundred matters will turn out right een\u2019 upperds. Now, de\ncreeturs never had no godm\u2019ers; dey des hatter scuffle an\u2019 scramble an\u2019\ngit \u2019long de bes\u2019 way dey kin.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut they were very cruel,\u201d remarked the little boy, \u201cand they told\nstories.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen it come ter dat,\u201d Uncle Remus replied, \u201cde creeturs ain\u2019t much\nahead er folks, an\u2019 yit folks is got preachers fer ter tell um when\ndeyer gwine wrong. Mo\u2019 dan dat, dey got de Bible; an\u2019 yit when you git\na little older, you\u2019ll wake up some fine day an\u2019 say ter yo\u2019se\u2019f dat de\ncreeturs is got de \u2019vantage er folks, spite er de fack dat dey ain\u2019t know\nde diffunce \u2019twix\u2019 right an\u2019 wrong. Dey got ter live \u2019cordin\u2019 ter der\nnatur\u2019, kaze dey ain\u2019t know no better. I had in min\u2019 a tale \u2019bout Brer\nRabbit an\u2019 de chickens, but I speck it\u2019d hurt you\u2019 feelin\u2019s.\u201d\n\nThe little boy said nothing for some time; he was evidently expecting\nUncle Remus to go ahead with his story. But he was mistaken about this,\nfor when the old man broke the silence, it was to speak of something\ntrivial or commonplace. The child, in spite of the training to which he\nhad been subjected, retained his boy\u2019s nature. \u201cUncle Remus,\u201d he said,\n\u201cwhat about Brother Rabbit and the chickens?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhich Brer Rabbit wuz dat, honey?\u201d he asked with apparent surprise.\n\n\u201cYou said something about Brother Rabbit and the chickens.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho? Me? I mought er said sump\u2019n \u2019bout um day \u2019fo\u2019 yistiddy, but it done\ngone off \u2019n my min\u2019. I done got so ol\u2019 dat my min\u2019 flutters like a bird\nin de bush.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, you said that there was a tale about Brother Rabbit and the\nchickens, but if you told it, my feelings would be hurt. You must think I\nam a girl.\u201d\n\nUncle Remus laughed. \u201cNot ez bad ez dat, honey; but I\u2019m fear\u2019d youer\nmonstous tetchous. I\u2019ll tell you de tale, an\u2019 den you kin tell it ter yo\u2019\npa, kaze it\u2019s one he ain\u2019t never hear tell \u2019bout.\n\n\u201cWell, den, one time, \u2019way back yander dey wuz a man what live neighbor\nter de creeturs. Dey wa\u2019n\u2019t nothin\u2019 quare \u2019bout dis Mr. Man; he wuz des a\nplain, eve\u2019yday kinder man, an\u2019 he try ter git \u2019long de best he kin. He\nain\u2019t had no easy time, needer, kaze \u2019twant den like \u2019tis now, when you\nkin take yo\u2019 cotton er yo\u2019 corn ter town an\u2019 have de money planked down\nfer you.\n\n\u201cIn dem times dey wa\u2019n\u2019t no town, an\u2019 not much money. What folks dey wuz\nhatter git \u2019long by swappin\u2019 an\u2019 traffickin\u2019. How dey done it, I\u2019ll never\ntell you, but do it dey did, an\u2019 it seem like dey wuz in about ez happy\nez folks is deze days.\n\n\u201cWell, dish yer Mr. Man what I\u2019m a-tellin\u2019 you \u2019bout, he had a truck\npatch, an\u2019 a roas\u2019in\u2019-year patch, an\u2019 a goober patch. He grow\u2019d wheat an\u2019\nbarley, an\u2019 likewise rye, an\u2019 kiss de gals an\u2019 make um cry. An\u2019 on top er\ndat, he had a whole yard full er chickens, an\u2019 dar\u2019s whar de trouble come\nin. In dem times, all er de creeturs wuz meat-eaters, an\u2019 twuz in about\nez much ez dey kin do, an\u2019 sometimes a little mo\u2019, fer ter git \u2019long\nso dey won\u2019t go ter bed hongry. Dey got in de habit er bein\u2019 hongry,\nan\u2019 dey ain\u2019t never git over it. Look at Brer Wolf--gaunt; look at Brer\nFox--gaunt! Dey ain\u2019t never been able fer ter make deyse\u2019f fat.\n\n\u201cSo den, ez you see um now, dat de way dey wuz in dem days, an\u2019 a little\nmo\u2019 so. Mr. Man, he had chickens, des like I tell you. Hens ez plump ez\na pa\u2019tridge; pullets so slick dey\u2019d make yo\u2019 mouf water, an\u2019 fryin\u2019-size\nchickens dat look like dey want ter git right in de pan. Now, when dat\u2019s\nde case, what you reckon gwineter happen? Brer Wolf want chicken, Brer\nFox want chicken, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit want chicken. An\u2019 dey ain\u2019t got nothin\u2019\nwhat dey kin swap fer um. In deze days dey\u2019d be called po\u2019, but I take\nnotice dat po\u2019 folks gits des ez hongry ez de rich uns--an\u2019 hongrier,\nwhen it comes ter dat; yes, Lord! lots hongrier.\n\n\u201cWell, de creeturs got mighty frien\u2019ly wid Mr. Man. Dey\u2019d call on \u2019im,\nspeshually on Sundays, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t had no better sense dan ter cluck up\nhis chickens des ter show um what a nice passel he had. When dis happen,\nBrer Wolf under-jaw would trimble, an\u2019 Brer Fox would dribble at de mouf\nsame ez a baby what cuttin\u2019 his toofies. Ez fer Brer Rabbit, he\u2019d des\nlaugh, an\u2019 nobody ain\u2019t know what he laughin\u2019 at. It went on dis way twel\nit look like natur\u2019 can\u2019t stan\u2019 it, an\u2019 den, bimeby, one night when de\nmoon ain\u2019t shinin\u2019, Brer Rabbit take a notion dat he\u2019d call on Mr. Man;\nbut when he got ter de place, Mr. Man done gone ter bed. De lights wuz\nall out, an\u2019 de dog wuz quiled up un\u2019 de house soun\u2019 asleep.\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit shake his head. He \u2019low, \u2018Sholy dey\u2019s sump\u2019n wrong, kaze\nallers, when I come, Mr. Man call up his chickens whar I kin look at um.\u2019\nI dunner what de matter wid \u2019im. An\u2019 I don\u2019t see no chickens, needer. I\nboun\u2019 you sump\u2019n done happen, an\u2019 nobody ain\u2019t tell me de news, kaze dey\nknow how sorry I\u2019d be. Ef I could git in de house, I\u2019d go in dar an\u2019 see\nef ever\u2019thing is all right; but I can\u2019t git in.\u2019\n\n\u201cHe walk all \u2019roun\u2019, he did, but he ain\u2019t see nobody. He wuz so skeer\u2019d\nhe\u2019d wake um up dat he walk on his tippy-toes. He \u2019low, \u2018Ef Mr. Man\nknow\u2019d I wuz here, he\u2019d come out an\u2019 show me his chickens, an\u2019 I des\nmight ez well look in an\u2019 see ef deyer all right.\u2019 Wid dat he went ter de\nchicken-house an\u2019 peep in, but he can\u2019t see nothin\u2019. He went ter de door,\nan\u2019 foun\u2019 it onlocked. Brer Rabbit grin, he did, an\u2019 \u2019low, \u2018Mr. Man mos\u2019\nknow\u2019d dat I\u2019d be \u2019long some time ter-day, an\u2019 done gone an\u2019 lef\u2019 his\nchicken-house open so I kin see his pullets--an\u2019 he know\u2019d dat ef I can\u2019t\nsee um, I\u2019d wanter feel um fer ter see how slick an\u2019 purty dey is.\u2019\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Went off home des ez gayly ez a colt in a barley\npatch_\u201d]\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit slap hisse\u2019f on de leg an\u2019 laugh fit ter kill. He ain\u2019t\nmake fuss nuff fer ter wake Mr. Man, but he woke de fat hens an\u2019 de slick\npullets, an\u2019 dey ax one an\u2019er what de name er goodness is de matter. Brer\nRabbit laugh an\u2019 say ter hisse\u2019f dat ef he\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 brung a bag, it\u2019d make\na good overcoat fer four er five er de fat hens, an\u2019 six er sev\u2019m er de\nslick pullets. Den he \u2019low, \u2018Why, what is I thinkin\u2019 \u2019bout? I got a bag\nin my han\u2019, an\u2019 I fergit dat I had it. It\u2019s mighty lucky fer de chickens\ndat I fotch it, kaze a little mo\u2019--an\u2019 dey\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been friz stiff!\u2019 So he\nscoop in de bag ez many ez he kin tote. He \u2019low, \u2018I\u2019ll take um home an\u2019\nkinder git um warm, an\u2019 ter-morrer Mr. Man kin have um back--ef he want\num.\u2019 an\u2019 wid dat he mighty nigh choke hisse\u2019f tryin\u2019 fer ter keep fum\nlaughin\u2019. De chickens kinder flutter, but dey ain\u2019t make much fuss, an\u2019\nBrer Rabbit flung de sack \u2019cross his shoulders an\u2019 went off home des ez\ngayly ez a colt in a barley patch.\u201d\n\n\u201cWouldn\u2019t you call that stealing, Uncle Remus?\u201d inquired the little boy\nvery seriously.\n\n\u201cEf Brer Rabbit had \u2019a\u2019 been folks, it\u2019d be called stealin\u2019, but you\nknow mighty well dat de creeturs dunno de diffunce \u2019twix\u2019 takin\u2019 an\u2019\nstealin\u2019. When it come ter dat, dey\u2019s a-plenty folks dat ain\u2019t know de\ndiffunce, an\u2019 how you gwineter blame de creeturs?\u201d Uncle Remus paused to\nsee what comment the little boy would make, but he was silent, though it\nis doubtful if he was satisfied.\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit tuck de chickens on home, he did, an\u2019 made way wid um. Now,\ndat wuz de las\u2019 er de chickens, but des de beginnin\u2019s er de feathers. Ol\u2019\nMiss Rabbit, she wanter burn um in de fier, but Brer Rabbit say de whole\nneighborhood would smell um, an\u2019 he \u2019low dat he got a better way dan dat.\nSo, nex\u2019 mornin\u2019 atter brekkus, he borried a bag fum ol\u2019 Brer Wolf, an\u2019\ninter dis he stuff de feathers, an\u2019 start off down de road.\n\n\u201cWell, suh, ez luck would have it, Brer Rabbit hatter pass by Brer Fox\nhouse, an\u2019 who should be stannin\u2019 at de gate wid his walkin\u2019-cane in\nhan\u2019, but Brer Fox? Brer Fox, he fetched a bow, wid, \u2018Brer Rabbit, whar\nyou gwine?\u2019 Brer Rabbit \u2019low, \u2018Ef I had de win\u2019, Brer Fox, I\u2019d be gwine\nto mill. Dish yer\u2019s a turrible load I got, an\u2019 I dunner how soon I\u2019ll gi\u2019\nout. I ain\u2019t strong in de back an\u2019 limber in de knees like I useter be,\nBrer Fox. You may be holdin\u2019 yo\u2019 own, an\u2019 I hope you is, but I\u2019m on de\ndown grade, dey ain\u2019t no two ways \u2019bout dat.\u2019 Wid dat, he sot de bag down\nby de side er de road, an\u2019 wipe his face wid his hankcher.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c\u2018_Brer Rabbit, whar you gwine?_\u2019\u201d]\n\n\u201cBrer Fox, he come on whar Brer Rabbit wuz a-settin\u2019 at, an\u2019 ax ef it\u2019s\ncorn er wheat. Brer Rabbit \u2019low dat tain\u2019t na\u2019er one; it\u2019s des some\nstuff dat he gwine ter sell ter de miller. Brer Fox, he want ter know\nwhat \u2019tis so bad he ain\u2019t know what ter do, an\u2019 he up an\u2019 ax Brer Rabbit\np\u2019intedly. Brer Rabbit say he fear\u2019d ter tell \u2019im kaze de truck what he\ngot in de bag is de onliest way he kin make big money. Brer Fox vow he\nwon\u2019t tell nobody, an\u2019 den Brer Rabbit say dat bein\u2019 ez him an\u2019 Brer Fox\nis sech good frien\u2019s--neighbors, ez you might say--he don\u2019t min\u2019 tellin\u2019\n\u2019im, kaze he know dat atter Brer Fox done prommus, he won\u2019t breave a word\n\u2019bout it. Den he say dat de truck what he got in de bag is roots er de\nWinniannimus grass, an\u2019 when deyer groun\u2019 up at de mill, dey er wuff nine\ndollars a poun\u2019.\n\n\u201cDis make Brer Fox open his eyes. He felt de heft er de bag, he did, an\u2019\nhe say dat it\u2019s mighty light, an\u2019 he dunner what make Brer Rabbit pant\nan\u2019 grunt when \u2019tain\u2019t no heftier dan what it is.\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit \u2019low dat de bag wouldn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 felt heavy ter him ef he wuz\nbig an\u2019 strong like Brer Fox. Dat kinder talk make Brer Fox feel biggity,\nan\u2019 he \u2019low dat he\u2019ll tote de bag ter mill ef Brer Rabbit feel like it\u2019s\ntoo heavy. Brer Rabbit say he\u2019ll be mighty much erbleeged, an\u2019 be glad\nfer ter pay Brer Fox sump\u2019n ter boot. An\u2019 so, off dey put down de road,\nBrer Fox a-trottin\u2019 an\u2019 Brer Rabbit gwine in a canter.\n\n\u201cBrer Fox ax what dey does wid de Winniannimus grass atter dey gits it\ngroun\u2019 up at de mill. Brer Rabbit \u2019low dat rich folks buys it fer ter\nmake Whipmewhopme puddin\u2019. Brer Fox say he\u2019ll take some home when de\nmiller git it groun\u2019 an\u2019 see how it tas\u2019es, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit say he\u2019s mo\u2019\ndan welcome. Atter dey been gwine on some little time, Brer Rabbit look\nback an\u2019 see Mr. Man a-comin\u2019, an\u2019 he say ter Brer Fox, sezee, \u2018Brer Fox,\nyou is de outdoinist man I ever is see. You done got me plum\u2019 wo\u2019 out,\nan\u2019 I\u2019m bleeze ter take a res\u2019. You go on an\u2019 I\u2019ll ketch up wid you ef I\nkin; ef not, des wait fer me at de mill.\u2019 Brer Fox \u2019low, \u2018Shucks, Brer\nRabbit! you ain\u2019t \u2019quainted wid me; you dunner nothin\u2019 \u2019tall \u2019bout me. I\nkin go on dis a-way all day long an\u2019 half de night.\u2019 Brer Rabbit roll his\nbig eyes, an\u2019 say, \u2018Well, suh!\u2019\n\n\u201cAn\u2019 den he sot down by de side er de road, an\u2019 \u2019twuz all he kin do fer\nter keep fum bustin\u2019 out in a big laugh.\n\n\u201cBimeby, Mr. Man come \u2019long an\u2019 say, \u2018Who dat wid de big bag on his\nback?\u2019 Brer Rabbit make answer dat it\u2019s Brer Fox. Mr. Man say, \u2018What he\ngot in his bag?\u2019 Brer Rabbit \u2019low, \u2018I ax \u2019im, an\u2019 he say it\u2019s some kinder\ngrass what he takin\u2019 ter de mill fer ter git groun\u2019, but I seed mo\u2019 dan\none chicken feather stickin\u2019 ter de bag.\u2019 Mr. Man say, \u2018Den he\u2019s de chap\nwhat tuck an\u2019 tuck my fat hens an\u2019 my slick pullets, an\u2019 I\u2019ll make \u2019im\nsorry dat he yever is see a chicken.\u2019\n\n\u201cWid dat he put out atter Brer Fox, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit, he put out too,\nbut he stay in de bushes, so dat nobody can\u2019t see \u2019im. Mr. Man he cotch\nup wid Brer Fox, an\u2019 ax \u2019im what he got in de bag. Brer Fox say he got\nWinniannimus grass what he gwineter have groun\u2019 at de mill. Mr. Man say\nhe wanter see what Winniannimus grass look like. Brer Fox sot de bag\ndown an\u2019 say dat when it\u2019s groun\u2019 up de rich folks buys it fer ter make\nWhipmewhopme puddin\u2019. Mr. Man open de bag, an\u2019 dey wa\u2019n\u2019t nothin\u2019 in it\nbut chicken feathers. He \u2019low, \u2018Whipmewhopme puddin\u2019! I\u2019ll whip you an\u2019\nwhop you,\u2019 an\u2019 wid dat he grab Brer Fox in de collar, an\u2019 mighty nigh\nfrailed de life out\u2019n \u2019im.\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit seed it well done, an\u2019 he des fell down in de bushes an\u2019\nroll an\u2019 laugh twel he can\u2019t laugh no mo\u2019.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, I don\u2019t see why he should think it was funny,\u201d the little boy\nremarked.\n\nUncle Remus looked hard at this modern little boy before he answered:\n\u201cMaybe you dunno Brer Fox, honey; I don\u2019t speck you hear talk er de way\nhe try ter git de inturn on Brer Rabbit. But on top er dat, Brer Rabbit\nwuz so ticklish dat mos\u2019 anything would make \u2019im laugh. It sholy wuz\nscan\u2019lous de way Brer Rabbit kin laugh.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nV\n\nLITTLE MISTER CRICKET AND THE OTHER CREATURES\n\n\nUncle Remus was very anxious to know what the child thought about\nthe story of Brother Rabbit and the chicken feathers, but he made no\ninquiries; he was willing to let the youngster\u2019s preferences show\nthemselves without any urging on his part.\n\nWhen the little boy did speak, he made no reference to Brother Rabbit\nand the chicken feathers: his thoughts were elsewhere. \u201cUncle Remus,\u201d he\nsaid, \u201cI never saw a cricket. What do they look like?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou ain\u2019t never see no cricket!\u201d exclaimed Uncle Remus, with a\ngreat display of amazement. \u201cWell, dat bangs my time! What yo\u2019 ma an\u2019\npa--speshually yo\u2019 pa--what dey been doin\u2019 all deze lonesome years dat\nthey ain\u2019t never show\u2019d you no cricket? How dey speck you ter git \u2019long\nin de worl\u2019 ef dey ain\u2019t gwine ter tell you \u2019bout de things you oughter\nknow, an\u2019 show you de things dat you oughter see? You ain\u2019t never see no\ncricket, an\u2019 here you is mos\u2019 ready ter shave off de down on your face!\u201d\n\nThe child blushed. \u201cWhy, I have no down on my face, Uncle Remus,\u201d he\nprotested.\n\n\u201cWell, you will have some er deze days, an\u2019 den what will folks think uv\na great big man what ain\u2019t never seed no cricket?\u201d\n\n\u201cMother has never seen one,\u201d replied the little boy, somewhat\ntriumphantly.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s a lady,\u201d Uncle Remus explained, \u201can\u2019 dat\u2019s diffunt. She been\nbrung up in \u2019Lantamatantarum, an\u2019 I speck she\u2019d fall down an\u2019 faint ef\nshe wuz ter see one. Folks ain\u2019t like dey use ter be; in my day an\u2019 time,\nef man er boy wuz ter say dat he ain\u2019t never seed no cricket, dem what he\ntol\u2019 de news ter would git up an\u2019 go \u2019way fum \u2019im; but deze days I boun\u2019\nyou dey\u2019d huddle up close \u2019roun\u2019 \u2019im, an\u2019 j\u2019ine in wid \u2019im, an\u2019 say dey\nain\u2019t never is seed one nudder.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you had never seen one, you wouldn\u2019t talk that way, Uncle Remus,\u201d\nremarked the little boy quite seriously. \u201cHow can I help myself, if I\nhave never seen one? It isn\u2019t my fault, is it?\u201d\n\n\u201cTooby sho\u2019 it ain\u2019t, honey. Nobody ain\u2019t blamin\u2019 you. Yit when I see a\ngreat big boy what ain\u2019t never seed no cricket, I bleeze ter ax myse\u2019f\nwhar he come fum an\u2019 what he been doin\u2019. I boun\u2019 ef you\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been wid\nyo\u2019 gran\u2019mammy an me you\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 seed crickets twel you got tired er seein\u2019\num. Dat\u2019s de kinder folks we-all is. \u2019Tain\u2019t no trouble ter we-all ter\nshow chillun what dey oughter see. I bet you, you\u2019 pa know\u2019d what a\ncricket wuz long \u2019fo\u2019 he wuz ol\u2019 ez you is. Dey wa\u2019n\u2019t nothin\u2019 fer ter\nhender \u2019im. Miss Sally des turned \u2019im over ter me, an\u2019 say, \u2018Don\u2019t let\n\u2019im git hurted,\u2019 an\u2019 dar he wuz. Ef he ain\u2019t seed all dey wuz ter be\nseed, it \u2019uz kaze it \u2019uz in a show, an\u2019 de show in town whar he can\u2019t git\nat it. Dat\u2019s de way we done wid him, an\u2019 dat\u2019s de way I\u2019d like ter do wid\nyou. It\u2019s a mighty pity you wa\u2019n\u2019t brung up here at home, stidder up dar\nin \u2019Lantamatantarum, whar dey ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 \u2019tall but dust, an\u2019 mud, an\u2019\nmoney. De folks up dar ain\u2019t want de mud an\u2019 dust, an\u2019 de mo\u2019 dey wash\nit off de mo\u2019 dey gits on um; but dey does want de money, an\u2019 de mo\u2019 dey\nscuffles fer it, de mo\u2019 dey has ter scuffle.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs a cricket like a grasshopper, Uncle Remus?\u201d inquired the little boy,\nwho took no interest in the old man\u2019s prejudice against Atlanta.\n\n\u201cDey mos\u2019ly is, an\u2019 den ag\u2019in dey mos\u2019ly ain\u2019t. Befo\u2019 de time dat\nol\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket kick down de chimbley, dey wa\u2019n\u2019t no mo\u2019 like\ngrasshoppers dan I\u2019m like a steer, but atter dat, when he git his knees\non wrongsudouterds, dey sorter look like grasshoppers \u2019cepin\u2019 when you\nlook at um right close, an\u2019 den dey don\u2019t look like um.\n\n\u201cDey got lots mo\u2019 sense dan de yuther crawlin\u2019 an\u2019 hoppin\u2019 creeturs. Dey\nought not ter be put wid de hoppin\u2019 creeturs, kaze dey don\u2019t b\u2019long wid\n\u2019um, an\u2019 dey wouldn\u2019t be a-hoppin\u2019 in deze days ef ol\u2019 Grandaddy Cricket\nhadn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 got cripple\u2019 when he kick de chimbley down. In de times when\nol\u2019 Boss Elephant, an\u2019 Brer Lion, an\u2019 Brer Tiger wuz meanderin\u2019 roun\u2019 in\ndeze parts, little Mr. Cricket wuz on mighty good terms wid um. Ez dey\nsay er folks, he stood mighty well whar dey know\u2019d \u2019im--mighty well--an\u2019\nhe wuz \u2019bout de sharpes\u2019 er de whole caboodle, ef you\u2019ll leave out de\nname er Brer Rabbit.\n\n\u201cIt come \u2019bout one time dat de creeturs wuz all sunnin\u2019 deyse\u2019f--it\nmought er been Sunday fer all I know--an\u2019 dey des stretch out an\u2019 sot an\u2019\nsot roun\u2019 lickin\u2019 der chops, an\u2019 blinkin\u2019 der eyes, an\u2019 combin\u2019 der ha\u2019r.\nMr. Elephant wuz swingin\u2019 hisse\u2019f backerds an\u2019 forerds, an\u2019 flingin\u2019 de\nsan\u2019 on his back fer ter keep off de flies, an\u2019 all de res\u2019 wuz gwine on\n\u2019cordin\u2019 ter der breed an\u2019 need.\n\n\u201cEf you\u2019ll watch right close, honey, you\u2019ll fin\u2019 out fer yo\u2019se\u2019f\ndat when folks ain\u2019t got much ter do, an\u2019 little er nothin\u2019 fer ter\ntalk \u2019bout, dey\u2019ll soon git ter braggin\u2019, an\u2019 dat\u2019s des de way wid de\ncreeturs. Brer Fox start it up; he say, \u2018Gents, \u2019fo\u2019 I fergit it off\n\u2019n my min\u2019, I wanter tell you dat I\u2019m de swiffes\u2019 one in dis bunch.\u2019\nMr. Elephant wink one er his little eyeballs, an\u2019 fling his snout in de\na\u2019r an\u2019 whispered--an\u2019 you mought \u2019a\u2019 hearn dat whisper a mile--\u2018I\u2019m de\nstrenkiest; I wanter call yo\u2019 \u2019tention ter dat.\u2019 Mr. Lion shuck his mane\nan\u2019 showed his tushes. He say, \u2018Don\u2019t fergit dat I\u2019m de King er all de\ncreetur tribe.\u2019 Mr. Tiger stretched hisse\u2019f an\u2019 gap\u2019d. He say, \u2018I\u2019m de\npurtiest an\u2019 de mos\u2019 servigrous.\u2019\n\n\u201cFum one ter de yuther de braggin\u2019 went roun\u2019. Ef \u2019twant dis it uz dat,\nan\u2019 ef \u2019twant dat, \u2019twuz de yuther. Dey went on so twel bimeby little Mr.\nCricket chirped up an\u2019 say he kin make all un um run dey heads off, fum\nol\u2019 Mr. Elephant down ter de las\u2019 one. Dey all laugh like it\u2019s a good\njoke, an\u2019 Brer Fox he \u2019low dat he had de idee dat dey wuz all doin\u2019 some\nmonstus tall braggin\u2019, but Mr. Cricket wuz away ahead er de whole gang,\nan\u2019 den he say, \u2018How you gwineter begin fer ter commence fer ter do all\ndeze great deeds an\u2019 didoes?\u2019 Mr. Cricket say, \u2018Des gi\u2019 me time; gi\u2019 me\ntime, an\u2019 yo\u2019ll all hear fum me--yo\u2019ll hear, but you won\u2019t stop fer ter\nlis\u2019n\u2019, an\u2019 den he work his jaws fer all de worl\u2019 like Brer Rabbit does\nwhen he\u2019s chawin\u2019 terbacker.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Brer Fox, say, \u2018Gents, \u2026 I wanter tell you dat I\u2019m de\nswiffes\u2019 one in dis bunch_\u2019\u201d]\n\n\u201cNow, ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit know\u2019d dat Mr. Cricket wuz up ter some sharp trick\ner n\u2019er, an\u2019 so he wait twel he kin have a confab wid \u2019im. He ain\u2019t had\nlong ter wait, kaze Mr. Crickley Cricket make up his min\u2019 dat Brer Rabbit\nwuz de one what kin he\u2019p him out. Dey bofe wanter see one an\u2019er, an\u2019\nwhen dat\u2019s de case, dey ain\u2019t much trouble \u2019bout it. Dey soon got off by\ndeyse\u2019f, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit \u2019low dat Mr. Cricket got a mighty big job on his\nhan\u2019s, an\u2019 Mr. Cricket, he say it\u2019s sech a big job dat he can\u2019t git thoo\nwid it less\u2019n Brer Rabbit will he\u2019p \u2019im out. Mr. Cricket say \u2019tain\u2019t much\nhe gwine ter ax er Brer Rabbit, but little ez \u2019tis, he bleeze ter ax it.\nBrer Rabbit look at \u2019im right hard an\u2019 twis\u2019 his mustache. \u2018Out wid it,\nMr. Cricket; out wid it, an\u2019 I\u2019ll see ef I kin he\u2019p you out. But I want\nyou ter take notice dat all de yuthers is got a crow fer ter pick wid me,\non account er de way I been doin\u2019.\u2019\n\nMr. Cricket chirp up, \u2018So I hear, Brer Rabbit--so I hear,\u2019 an\u2019 den he\nwent on fer ter tell Brer Rabbit what he want \u2019im ter do. Brer Rabbit\nlaugh, he did, an\u2019 say, \u2018Ef dat\u2019s all you want, Mr. Cricket, you kin\ncount me in, kaze I laid off fer ter he\u2019p you lot\u2019s mo\u2019 dan dat--lots\nmo\u2019.\u2019 Mr. Cricket say dat\u2019ll be de greates\u2019 plenty, an\u2019 wid dat dey went\noff home fer ter kinder res\u2019 deyse\u2019f, but not \u2019fo\u2019 dey fix on a day when\ndey\u2019ll have time fer ter work der trick on de yuther creeturs.\n\n\u201cDey \u2019greed on de day, an\u2019 dat day dey met, an\u2019 atter colloguin\u2019\ntergedder, off dey put ter de place whar dey \u2019spected ter fin\u2019 de yuther\ncreeturs. De fust one dey meet wuz ol\u2019 Mr. Elephant. Dey pass de time er\nday, dey did, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit say he got bad news. Mr. Elephant flung up\nhis snout like he \u2019stonish\u2019d, an\u2019 swung backerd an\u2019 forerds like he \u2019bout\nter cry. Brer Rabbit \u2019low dat de win\u2019 blow\u2019d a hick\u2019y-nut down right \u2019pon\ntop er Mr. Cricket an\u2019 cripple \u2019im so he can\u2019t go home, an\u2019 he ax ef Mr.\nElephant won\u2019t tote \u2019im ez fur ez he kin. Mr. Elephant say tooby sho\u2019 he\nwill an\u2019 be glad in de bargain, an\u2019 so he kneel down, he did, an\u2019 let Mr.\nCricket crawl on his back.\n\n\u201cBut Mr. Cricket crawl furder dan de back; he crawl on Mr. Elephant\nneck, an\u2019 den inter his y\u2019ear. Dis whar he wanter git, an\u2019 soon ez he got\nsettle, he flutter his wings right fas\u2019 an\u2019 Mr. Elephant think de win\u2019\nis blowin\u2019 thoo de trees. Mr. Cricket flutter his wings harder, an\u2019 Mr.\nElephant think dey\u2019s a storm cornin\u2019 up. He splunge thoo de bushes, he\ndid, an\u2019 ef Mr. Cricket hadn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 been inside his year, he\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been\nknocked off by de lim\u2019s er de trees. Ez \u2019twuz, he sot back an\u2019 laugh, an\u2019\nsay ter hisse\u2019f dat Mr. Elephant ain\u2019t hear nothin\u2019 \u2019tall ter what he\nwill hear.\n\n\u201cWid dat, he chune up his whistle, an\u2019 started fer ter blow on it. He\nblow\u2019d kinder low ter begin wid, an\u2019 den he \u2019gun ter git louder. An\u2019 de\nlouder he got de mo\u2019 he skeer\u2019d Mr. Elephant, an\u2019 he went splungin\u2019 thoo\nde woods same ez a harrycane. He went so fas\u2019 dat he come mighty nigh\nrunnin\u2019 over King Lion whiles he wuz talkin\u2019 ter ol\u2019 Brer Tiger. He ain\u2019t\nhear \u2019um say, \u2018Mr. Elephant, whar you gwine?\u2019 but he stop right whar dey\nwuz an\u2019 \u2019gun ter turn roun\u2019 an\u2019 roun\u2019. King Lion ax \u2019im what de matter,\nan\u2019 Mr. Elephant say he b\u2019lieve he gwine ravin\u2019 \u2019stracted. He \u2019low, \u2018I\ngot a singin\u2019 an\u2019 a whistlin\u2019 in one er my years, an\u2019 I dunner which un\nit\u2019s in. Don\u2019t you-all hear it?\u2019\n\n\u201cDey lis\u2019n, dey did, an\u2019 bless gracious, dey kin hear it. Ol\u2019 King\nLion look like he \u2019stonished. He say, \u2018It soun\u2019s fer all de worl\u2019, Mr.\nElephant, like you des \u2019bout ter bile over, an\u2019 ef dat\u2019s what yer gwine\nter do, I wanter be out\u2019n de way--clean out\u2019n de way.\u2019\n\n\u201cMr. Elephant turn roun\u2019 an\u2019 roun\u2019, he did, an\u2019 ef he\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been\nlight-headed like some folks I knows, he\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 drapt right dar. Mr.\nCricket watch his chance, an\u2019 when Mr. Elephant got nigh ter King Lion,\nhe tuck a flyin\u2019 jump an\u2019 lit right in King Lion\u2019s mane, an\u2019 \u2019twant long\n\u2019fo\u2019 he made his way ter de year. But while he wuz makin\u2019 his way dar Mr.\nElephant stopped whirlin\u2019 roun\u2019; he stop an\u2019 lis\u2019n, he did, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t\nhear nothin\u2019; he lis\u2019n some mo\u2019 an\u2019 still he ain\u2019t hear nothin\u2019. He say,\n\u2018I b\u2019lieve in my soul dat I\u2019m kyo\u2019d! I\u2019m mighty glad I met you-all, kaze\nI know one un you is a doctor, an\u2019 ever which un it is, he sho\u2019 has done\nde work.\u2019\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Mr. Elephant went splungin\u2019 thoo de woods same ez a\nharrycane_\u201d]\n\n\u201cBy dis time, Mr. Cricket had got in King Lion year, an\u2019 \u2019twant long\n\u2019fo\u2019 he start up his whistlin\u2019. He whistle low fer ter start wid, an\u2019\nKing Lion hol\u2019 his head sideways an\u2019 lis\u2019n. He say, \u2018I still hears it,\nMr. Elephant, an\u2019 ef youer kyo\u2019d I done cotch de thing you had.\u2019 Mr.\nCricket went a little louder, an\u2019 King Lion \u2019gun ter back off like he had\nbusiness ter ten\u2019 ter. Mr. Tiger say, \u2018Whar you gwine? I hope you ain\u2019t\nskeer\u2019d er Brer Elephant, kaze he ain\u2019t gwineter hurt you. Ef you gwine\nany whar, you better turn \u2019roun\u2019 an\u2019 go right.\u2019\n\n\u201cBut King Lion ain\u2019t pay no \u2019tention ter Mr. Tiger; he des back off, he\ndid, an\u2019 wave his tail an\u2019 shake his mane. Mr. Cricket \u2019gun ter whistle\nlouder an\u2019 flutter his wings, an\u2019 make um zoon like a locus\u2019. King Lion\nsay, \u2018I hear de win\u2019 a-blowin\u2019 an\u2019 I better git home ter my wife an\u2019\nchillun,\u2019 an\u2019 off he put, runnin\u2019 like he wuz gwine atter de doctor. Mr.\nTiger laugh, an\u2019 say dat some folks is so funny he dunner what ter make\nun um. Dey stayed dar confabbin\u2019, an\u2019 bimeby dey hear a fuss, an\u2019 here\ncome King Lion gwine ez hard ez he kin. Tryin\u2019 fer ter git away fum de\nfuss in his year, he had run all roun\u2019 twel he come back ag\u2019in ter whar\nhe start fum. He had his tongue out, an\u2019 his tail wuz droopin\u2019; he wuz\nmighty nigh wo\u2019 out.\n\n\u201cHe say, \u2018Heyo! what you-all doin\u2019 here? I had de idee dat I lef\u2019 you\nback yander whar I come fum.\u2019 Mr. Elephant \u2019low, \u2018We ain\u2019t skacely move\nout \u2019n our tracks. You run away an\u2019 lef\u2019 us, an\u2019 here you is back; what\nde name er goodness is de matter wid you?\u2019 King Lion say, \u2018I done got a\nwhistlin\u2019 in my head, an\u2019 look like I can\u2019t \u2019scape fum it. It\u2019s in dar\nyit, an\u2019 I dunner what I\u2019m gwine ter do \u2019bout it.\u2019 Mr. Elephant say, \u2018Do\nlike I done--stan\u2019 it de bes\u2019 you kin.\u2019 Brer Tiger \u2019low, \u2018I hear it, an\u2019\nit soun\u2019 zactly like you wuz \u2019bout ter bile over, an\u2019 when you does I\nwanter be out\u2019n de way.\u2019\n\n\u201cBy dat time little Mr. Cricket had done made a flyin\u2019 jump an\u2019 lit\non Mr. Tiger, an\u2019 \u2019twant long \u2019fo\u2019 he wuz snug in Mr. Tiger year. Mr.\nTiger lis\u2019n, he did, an\u2019 den he \u2019gun ter back off an\u2019 wave his tail. Mr.\nElephant swing his snout, an\u2019 say, \u2018What de matter, Mr. Tiger? I hope you\nain\u2019t thinkin\u2019 \u2019bout leavin\u2019 us.\u2019 But Mr. Tiger wuz done gone. He des\nflit away. Long \u2019bout dat time, Mr. Rabbit come lopin\u2019 up, laughin\u2019 fit\nter kill. He \u2019low, \u2018Brer Cricket say he gwine ter make you-all run an\u2019\ndat\u2019s des what he done. Bofe un you been runnin\u2019 kaze I see you pantin\u2019,\nan\u2019 ef you\u2019ll des wait here, Mr. Cricket will fetch Mr. Tiger back safe\nan\u2019 soun\u2019,\u2019 an\u2019 dey ain\u2019t had ter wait long, nudder, kaze bimeby, here\ncome Mr. Tiger, tongue out an\u2019 tail a-droopin\u2019. He say, \u2018Hello! how come\nyou-all ter outrun me? I got de idee dat you wuz back yander in de woods\nwhar I come fum,\u2019 an\u2019 den dey got ter laughin\u2019 at \u2019im, an\u2019 dey laugh twel\ndey can\u2019t laugh no mo\u2019. Mr. Cricket jump outer Mr. Tiger\u2019s year, an\u2019 git\nin de grass, an\u2019 bimeby he show hisse\u2019f.\n\n\u201cHe come close up wid a \u2018Howdy do, gents?\u2019 an\u2019 dey pass de time day wid\n\u2019im. Bimeby Mr. Elephant \u2019low, \u2018Mr. Cricket, ain\u2019t you say de yuther day\ndat you wuz gwineter make we-all run?\u2019 an\u2019 Mr. Cricket, he make answer,\n\u2018Why, I wouldn\u2019t talk \u2019bout runnin\u2019 ef I\u2019d been runnin\u2019 same ez what\nyou been doin\u2019.\u2019 Mr. Elephant swing his snout kinder slow an\u2019 say, \u2018How\nyou know I been runnin\u2019?\u2019 Mr. Cricket \u2019low, \u2018I know bekaze ef I hadn\u2019t\ner helt on monstus tight, I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 fell off; mo\u2019 dan dat, ef I hadn\u2019t er\nstopped singin\u2019 an\u2019 whistlin\u2019 you\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been runnin\u2019 yit.\u2019 Mr. Elephant\nshot his two little eyes, an\u2019 say, \u2018Well, suh!\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat did the others do?\u201d the little boy inquired, when he was sure that\nthe story was ended.\n\n\u201cDey mos\u2019ly got \u2019way fum dem parts, kaze dey wuz skeer\u2019d Mr. Cricket\nwould git on um ag\u2019in. King Lion say he got ter look atter some fresh\nmeat what he got, Mr. Elephant say he bleeze ter go an\u2019 cut some grass,\nan\u2019 Mr. Tiger \u2019low dat he got ter hunt up some vittles fer his fambly.\nAn\u2019 ez fer Mr. Cricket, he clomb on Brer Rabbit\u2019s back, an\u2019 dey mosied\noff somers, I dunner whar. All I know is dat dey giggle ez dey went.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nVI\n\nWHEN BROTHER RABBIT WAS KING\n\n\nOne afternoon, while Uncle Remus was sitting in the sun, he felt so\ncomfortable and thankful for all the blessings that he enjoyed, and\nfor those that he had seen others enjoy, that he suddenly closed his\neyes; and he had no sooner done so than he drifted across the dim and\npleasant borderland that lies somewhere between sleeping and waking.\nHe must have drifted back again immediately, for it seemed that he was\nnot so fast asleep that he was unable to hear the sound of stealthy\nfootsteps somewhere near him. Instantly he was on the alert, but still\nkept his eyes closed. He knew at once that the little boy was trying to\nsurprise him. The lad had improved much in health since coming to the\nplantation, and with the growth of his strength had come a certain degree\nof boisterousness that his mother thought was somewhat unusual, but which\nhis grandmother and Uncle Remus knew was the natural result of good\nhealth.\n\nBy opening one eye a trifle, Uncle Remus could watch the youngster,\nwho was creeping, Indian-like, upon him, and this gave the old negro\nan immense advantage, for just as the little boy was about to jump\nat him, Uncle Remus straightened himself in his chair and uttered a\nblood-curdling yell that would have alarmed a much larger and older\nperson than the lad. As a matter of fact, the little fellow was almost\nparalyzed with fright, and for a moment or two could hardly get his\nbreath.\n\n\u201cWhy, what in the world is the matter with you, Uncle Remus?\u201d he asked as\nsoon as he could speak.\n\n\u201cWuz dat you comin\u2019 \u2019long dar, honey?\u201d said Uncle Remus, by way of\nresponse. \u201cWell, ef \u2019twuz, you kin des go up dar ter de big house an\u2019\ntell um all dat you saved my life, kaze dat what you done. Dey ain\u2019t\nno tellin\u2019 what would \u2019a\u2019 happen ef you hadn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 come creepin\u2019 \u2019long\nan\u2019 woke me up, kaze whiles I wuz dozin\u2019 dar I wuz on a train, an\u2019\nde bullgine look like it wuz runnin\u2019 away. \u2019Twant one er deze yer\n\u2019commydatin\u2019 trains, kaze de man what tuck up de tickets say he wa\u2019n\u2019t\nin no hurry fer ter see how fur anybody gwine; dey wuz all boun\u2019 fer de\nsame place, an\u2019 when dey got dar dey\u2019d know it. De kyars wuz lined wid\ncaliker, an\u2019 de brakeman wuz made out\u2019n straw. It went on, it did, an\u2019\nde bullgine run faster an\u2019 faster twel it run so fast you couldn\u2019t hear\nit toot fer brakes, an\u2019 des \u2019bout de time dat eve\u2019ything wuz a gittin\u2019\nsmashed up, here you come an\u2019 wokened me--an\u2019 a mighty good thing, kaze\nef I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 stayed on dat train dey wouldn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 been \u2019nough er me left\nfer de congergation ter sing a song over. I\u2019m mighty thankful dat dey\u2019s\nsomebody got sense \u2019nough fer ter come \u2019long an\u2019 skeer me out er my\ntroubles.\u201d\n\nThis statement was intended to change the course of the little boy\u2019s\nthoughts--to cause him to forget that he had been frightened--and it was\nquite successful, for he began to talk about dreams in general, telling\nsome peculiar ones of his own, such as children have.\n\n\u201cTalkin\u2019 \u2019bout dreams,\u201d remarked Uncle Remus, \u201cit put me in min\u2019 er de\nman what been sick off an\u2019 on, an\u2019 he hatter be mighty keerful er his\neatin\u2019. One night he had a dream. It seemed like dat somebody come \u2019long\nan\u2019 gi\u2019 him a great big hunk er ol\u2019 time ginger-cake, an\u2019 it smell so\nsweet an\u2019 taste so good dat he e\u2019t \u2019bout a poun\u2019. He wuz eatin\u2019 it in his\nsleep, but de dream wuz so natchal dat de nex\u2019 mornin\u2019 dey hatter sen\u2019\nfer de doctor, an\u2019 \u2019twuz e\u2019en \u2019bout all dey could do fer ter pull \u2019im\nthoo. De doctor gun \u2019im all de truck what he had in his saddle-bags, an\u2019\n\u2019low dat he b\u2019lieve in his soul he\u2019d hatter sen\u2019 fer mo\u2019, an\u2019 den atter\ndat he tuck an\u2019 lay down de law ter de man. He say dat whatsomever else\nhe mought do, he better not eat no ginger-cakes in his dreams, kaze de\nnext un \u2019ud be sho\u2019 fer ter take \u2019im off spite er all de doctor truck in\nde roun\u2019 worl\u2019.\u201d\n\nThen the little boy told of a dream he had had. It seems that he had\nslipped into the pantry, when no one was looking, and had taken a piece\nof apple-pie. It wasn\u2019t stealing, he said, for he knew that if he asked\nhis grandmother for a piece she would have given it to him; but he didn\u2019t\nwant to bother her while she was talking to the sewing-woman, and so he\njust went in the pantry and got it for himself. Perhaps he took a larger\npiece than his grandmother would have given him, but he had nothing to\nmeasure it by, and so he was compelled to guess how much she would have\ngiven him.\n\n\u201cI boun\u2019 you stretched yo\u2019 guesser, honey,\u201d said Uncle Remus dryly.\n\nThe child admitted with a laugh that perhaps he had, and he was very\nsorry of it afterwards, for when he went to bed he dreamed that something\nscratched at his door and made such a fuss that he was obliged to get up\nand let it in. He didn\u2019t wait to see what it was, but just flung the door\nopen, and ran and jumped back in bed, pulling the cover over his head. In\nthe dream he lay right still and listened. Everything was so quiet that\nhe became curious, and finally ventured to look out from under the cover.\nWell, sir, the sight that he saw was enough, for between the door and the\nbed a big black dog was lying. He seemed to be very tired, for his tongue\nhung out long and red, and he was panting as though he had come a long\nway in a very short time.\n\nUncle Remus groaned in sympathy. The black dog that gallops through a\ndream with his tongue hanging out was one of his familiars. \u201cI know dat\ndog,\u201d he said. \u201cHe got a bunch er white on de een\u2019 er his tail, an\u2019 his\neyeballs look like dey green in de dark. You call him an\u2019 he\u2019ll growl,\ncall him ag\u2019in, an\u2019 he\u2019ll howl. I\u2019d know dat dog ef I wuz ter see him\nin de daytime--I\u2019d know him so well dat I\u2019d run an\u2019 ax somebody fer ter\nplease, suh, wake me up, an\u2019 do it mighty quick.\u201d\n\nThe little boy didn\u2019t know anything about that; what he did know was\nthat the dog in his dream, when he had rested himself, jumped up on the\nbed, and began to nose at the cover, and he seemed to get mad when he\nfailed to pull it off the little boy. He tried and tried, and then he\nseized a corner of the counterpane, or the spread, or whatever you call\nit, and shook it with his teeth. When he grew tired of this, the little\nboy could hear him smelling all about over the bed, and then he knew the\ncreature was hunting for the piece of apple-pie.\n\nUncle Remus agreed with the child about this. \u201c\u2019Cordin\u2019 ter my notion,\u201d\nhe said, \u201cwhen folks slip \u2019roun\u2019 an\u2019 take dat what don\u2019t b\u2019long ter um er\ndat what dey oughtn\u2019t ter have by good rights, de big black dog is sho\u2019\nter come \u2019roun\u2019 growlin\u2019 an\u2019 smellin\u2019 atter dey goes ter bed. Dey ain\u2019t\nno two ways \u2019bout dat. Dey may not know it, dey may be too sleepy fer ter\nsee \u2019im in der dreams, but de dog\u2019s dar. Mo\u2019 dan dat, dogs will growl an\u2019\nsmell \u2019roun\u2019 ef deyer in dreams er outer dreams. Dey got in de habits\ner smellin\u2019 \u2019way back yander in de days when ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit had tooken\nde place er de King one time when de King wanter go off down de country\nfishin\u2019.\u201d\n\nThe little boy seemed to be very much interested in this information,\nbut while they were speaking of this curious habit that is common to\ndogs, a hound that had been raised on the place came into view. He was\ngoing at a gallop, as if he had important business to attend to, but when\nhe had galloped past a large tree, he paused suddenly, and turned back to\ninvestigate it with his nose; and though he was entirely familiar with\nthe tree, it seemed to be new to him now, for he smelled all around the\ntrunk of it and was apparently much perplexed. Whatever information he\nreceived was sufficient to cause him to forget all about the business\nthat had caused him to come galloping past the tree, for when his\ninvestigation had ended, he turned about and went back the way he had\ncome.\n\n\u201cNow, you see dat, don\u2019t you?\u201d exclaimed Uncle Remus, with some show of\nindignation. \u201cAin\u2019t it des a little mo\u2019 dan you wanter stan\u2019? Here he\ncome, gwine, I dunner whar, des a-gallin\u2019-up like he done been sent fer.\nHe come ter dat ar tree, he did, an\u2019 went on by--spang by!--an\u2019 den \u2019fo\u2019\nyou kin bat yo\u2019 eyeball, whiff, he turn roun\u2019 an\u2019 go ter smellin\u2019 at de\ntree, des like he ain\u2019t never seed it befo\u2019; an\u2019 he must \u2019a\u2019 got some\nkind er news whar he smellin\u2019 at, kaze atter he smell twel it look like\nhe gwineter smell de bark clean off, he fergit all \u2019bout whar he gwine,\nan\u2019 tuck his tail an\u2019 go on back whar he come fum. Maybe you know sump\u2019n\n\u2019bout it, honey--you an\u2019 de balance er de white folks, but me--I\u2019m bofe\nblin\u2019 an\u2019 deff when it come ter tellin\u2019 you what de dog foun\u2019 out. I may\nknow what make \u2019im smell at de tree, but what news he got I never is ter\ntell you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you know you said that dogs got in the habit of smelling away back\nyonder when old Brother Rabbit took the place of the King, who had gone\nfishing. I was wondering if that was a story.\u201d\n\n\u201cWuz you, honey?\u201d Uncle Remus asked with a pleased smile. \u201cWell, you\nsho\u2019 is got a dumplin\u2019 eye fer de kinder tales what I tells. I b\u2019lieve\nef I wuz ter take one er dem ol\u2019-time tales an\u2019 skin it an\u2019 drag de hide\nthoo de house an\u2019 roun\u2019 de lot--ef I wuz ter do dat, I b\u2019lieve you\u2019d open\nup on de trail same ez ol\u2019 Louder follerin\u2019 on atter Brer Possum; I sho\u2019\ndoes!\u201d\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Some run fer ter dig bait_\u201d]\n\nThe child seemed to appreciate the compliment, and he laughed in a way\nthat did the old negro a world of good. \u201cI have found out one thing,\u201d\nsaid the little boy with emphasis. \u201cWhenever you are hinting at a story,\nyou always look at me out of the corner of your eye, and there\u2019s always a\nfunny little wrinkle at the corner of your mouth.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, suh!\u201d exclaimed Uncle Remus, gleefully; \u201cwell, suh! an\u2019 me\na-settin\u2019 right here an\u2019 doin\u2019 dat a-way \u2019fo\u2019 yo\u2019 face an\u2019 eyes! I\nnever would \u2019a\u2019 \u2019speckted it. Peepin\u2019 out de cornder er my eyeball, an\u2019\na-wrinklin\u2019 at de mouf! It look like I mus\u2019 be gettin\u2019 ol\u2019 an\u2019 fibble in\nde min\u2019.\u201d He chuckled as proudly as if some one had given him a piece of\npound-cake of which he was very fond. But presently his chuckling ceased,\nand he leaned back in his chair with a serious air.\n\n\u201cI dunno so mighty well \u2019bout all de yuther times you talkin\u2019 \u2019bout,\nhoney, but when I say what I did \u2019bout ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit takin\u2019 de place\ner der King, I sho\u2019 had a tale in my min\u2019. I say tale, but I dunner what\nyou\u2019ll say \u2019bout it; you kin name it atter you git it. Well, way back\nyander, mos\u2019 \u2019fo\u2019 de time when folks got in de habits er dreamin\u2019 dreams,\ndey wuz a King an\u2019 dish yer King king\u2019d it over all un um what wuz dar,\nmo\u2019 speshually de creeturs, kaze what folks dey wuz ain\u2019t know nothin\u2019\n\u2019tall \u2019bout whedder dey need any kingin\u2019 er not; look like dey didn\u2019t\ncount.\n\n\u201cWell, dish yer King what I\u2019m a-tellin\u2019 you \u2019bout had purty well grow\u2019d\nup at de business, and de time come when he got mighty tired er settin\u2019\nin one place an\u2019 hol\u2019in\u2019 a crown on his head fer ter keep it fum fallin\u2019\non de flo\u2019. He say ter hisse\u2019f dat he wanter git out an\u2019 git de fresh\na\u2019r, an\u2019 have some fun \u2019long wid dem what he been kingin\u2019 over. He \u2019low\ndat he wanter fix it so dat he ain\u2019t a-keerin\u2019 whedder school keep er no,\nan\u2019 he ax um all what de best thing he kin do. Well, one say one thing\nan\u2019 de yuther say t\u2019other, but bimeby some un um chipped in an\u2019 say dat\nde best way ter have fun is ter go fishin\u2019, an\u2019 dis kinder hit de King\nright in de middle er his notions.\n\n\u201cHe jump up an\u2019 crack his heels tergedder, he did, an\u2019 he say dat dat\u2019s\nwhat he been thinkin\u2019 \u2019bout all de time. A-fishin\u2019 it wuz an\u2019 a-fishin\u2019\nhe\u2019d go, ef his life wuz spar\u2019d twel he kin git ter de creek. An\u2019, wid\ndat, dey wuz a mighty stirrin\u2019 roun\u2019 \u2019mongs\u2019 dem what he wuz a-kingin\u2019\nover; some un um run off ter git fishin\u2019-poles, an\u2019 some run fer ter dig\nbait, an\u2019 some run fer ter git de bottle, an\u2019 dar dey had it--you\u2019d \u2019a\u2019\nthunk dat all creation wuz gwine fishin\u2019.\u201d\n\n\u201cUncle Remus,\u201d said the little boy, interrupting the old man, \u201cwhat did\nthey want with a bottle?\u201d\n\nThe old man looked at the child with a puzzled expression on his face.\n\u201cDe bottle?\u201d he asked with a sigh. \u201cI b\u2019lieve I did say sump\u2019n \u2019bout de\nbottle. I dunner whedder it \u2019uz a long white bottle er a chunky black un.\nDem what handed de tale down ter me ain\u2019t say what kinder one it wuz, an\u2019\nI\u2019m fear\u2019d ter say right short off dat it \u2019uz one er de yuther. We\u2019ll des\ncall it a plain, eve\u2019yday bottle an\u2019 let it go at dat.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut what did they want with a bottle, Uncle Remus?\u201d persisted the little\nboy.\n\n\u201cYou ain\u2019t never been fishin\u2019, is you honey? An\u2019 you ain\u2019t never see\nyo\u2019 daddy go fishin\u2019. All I know is dat whar dey\u2019s any fishin\u2019 gwine on,\nyou\u2019ll fin\u2019 a bottle some\u2019rs in de neighborhoods ef you\u2019ll scratch about\nin de bushes. Well, de creeturs done like folks long \u2019fo\u2019 folks got ter\ndoin\u2019 dat a-way, an\u2019 when dish yer King went a-fishin\u2019, he had ter have a\nbottle fer ter put de bait in.\n\n\u201cWhen eve\u2019ything got good an\u2019 ready, an\u2019 de King wuz \u2019bout ter start\noff, ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit kinder hung his head on one side an\u2019 set up a\nsnigger. De King, he look \u2019stonish an\u2019 den he \u2019low, \u2018What\u2019s de joke, ol\u2019\nfrien\u2019?\u2019 \u2018Well,\u2019 sez ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit, sezee, \u2018it look like ter me dat\nyou \u2019bout ter go off an\u2019 fergit sump\u2019n. \u2019Tain\u2019t none er my business,\nbut I couldn\u2019t he\u2019p fum gigglin\u2019.\u2019 De King, he say, \u2018Up an\u2019 out wid it,\nol\u2019 frien\u2019; le\u2019s hear de wust dey is ter hear.\u2019 Ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit, he\nsay, sezee, \u2018I dunner ef it makes any diffunce, but who gwine ter do de\nkingin\u2019 whiles you gone a-fishin\u2019?\u2019\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_De King \u2026 sot right flat in a cheer_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWell, de King look like he wuz might\u2019ly tuck back; he flung up bofe\nhan\u2019s an\u2019 sot right flat in a cheer, an\u2019 den he \u2019low, \u2018I done got so dat\nI\u2019m de fergittines\u2019 creetur what live on top er de groun\u2019; you may hunt\nhigh an\u2019 low an\u2019 you won\u2019t never fin\u2019 dem what kin beat me a-fergittin\u2019.\nHere I wuz \u2019bout fer ter go off an\u2019 leave de whole business at sixes an\u2019\nsev\u2019ms.\u2019 Ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit, he say, sezee, \u2018Oh, I speck dat would \u2019a\u2019 been\nall right; dey ain\u2019t likely ter be no harrycane, ner no fresh\u2019 whiles you\ngone.\u2019 De King, he \u2019low, \u2018Dat ain\u2019t de thing; here I wuz \u2019bout ter go\noff on a frolic an\u2019 leave eve\u2019ything fer ter look atter itse\u2019f. What yo\u2019\nreckon folks would \u2019a\u2019 said? I tell you now, dey ain\u2019t no fun in bein\u2019\na King, kaze yo\u2019 time ain\u2019t yo\u2019 own, an\u2019 you can\u2019t turn roun\u2019 widout\nskinnin\u2019 yo\u2019 shins on some by-law er \u2019nother. \u2019Fo\u2019 I go, ef go I does,\nI got ter \u2019p\u2019int somebody fer ter take my place an\u2019 be King whiles I\u2019m\ngone; an\u2019 ef \u2019twant dat, it\u2019d be sump\u2019n\u2019 else, an\u2019 so dar you go year in\nan\u2019 year out.\u2019\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Dey ain\u2019t no fun in bein\u2019 a King_\u201d]\n\n\u201cHe sot dar, he did, an\u2019 study an\u2019 study, an\u2019 bimeby he say, sezee,\n\u2018Brer Rabbit, s\u2019posin\u2019 you take my place whiles I\u2019m gone? I\u2019ll pay you\nwell; all you got to do is ter set right flat in a cheer an\u2019 make a\ndollar a day.\u2019 Ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit say dat would suit him mighty well, kaze\nhe bleeze fer ter have some money so he kin buy his ol\u2019 \u2019oman a caliker\ndress. Well, it ain\u2019t take um long fer ter fix it all up, an\u2019 so Brer\nRabbit, he done de kingin\u2019 whiles de King gone a-fishin\u2019. He made de job\na mighty easy one, kaze stidder settin\u2019 up an\u2019 hol\u2019in\u2019 de crown on his\nhead, he tied some strings on it an\u2019 fix it so it\u2019d stay on his head\nwidout hol\u2019in\u2019.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_When de King went a-fishin\u2019, he went de back way_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWell, when de King went a-fishin\u2019, he went de back way, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t\nmo\u2019 dan got out de gate twel ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit hear a big rumpus in de\nfront yard. He hear sump\u2019n\u2019 growlin\u2019 an\u2019 howlin\u2019 an\u2019 whinin\u2019, an\u2019 he ax\nwhat it wuz. Some er dem what wait on de King shuck der heads an\u2019 say\ndat ef de King wuz dar he wouldn\u2019t pay no \u2019tention ter de racket fer der\nlongest; dey say dat de biggest kind er fuss ain\u2019t \u2019sturb de King, kaze\nhe\u2019d des set right flat an\u2019 wait fer some un ter come tell somebody what\nde rumpus is \u2019bout, an\u2019 den dat yuther somebody would tell some un else,\nan\u2019 maybe \u2019bout dinner-time de King would fin\u2019 out what gwine on, when\nall he hatter do wuz ter look out de winder an\u2019 see fer hisse\u2019f.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Some er dem what wait on de King shuck der heads_\u201d]\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_He lay back \u2026 wid dat ar crown on top er his head, an\u2019\nmake out he takin\u2019 a nap_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWhen ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit hear dat, he lay back ez well ez he kin wid\ndat ar crown on top er his head, an\u2019 make out he takin\u2019 a nap. Atter\nso long a time, word come dat Mr. Dog wuz out dar in de entry whar dey\nall hatter wait at, an\u2019 he sont word dat he bleeze ter see de King. Ol\u2019\nBrer Rabbit, he sot dar, he did, an\u2019 do like he studyin\u2019, an\u2019 atter so\nlong a time, he tell um fer ter fetch Mr. Dog in an\u2019 let him say what he\ngot ter say. Well, Mr. Dog come creepin\u2019 in, he did, an\u2019 he look mighty\n\u2019umble-come-tumble. He wuz so po\u2019 dat it look like you can see eve\u2019y bone\nin his body an\u2019 he wuz mangy lookin\u2019. His head hung down, an\u2019 he wuz\nkinder shiverin\u2019 like he wuz col\u2019. Brer Rabbit make out he tryin\u2019 fer ter\nfix de crown on his head so it\u2019ll set up straight, but all de time he wuz\nlookin\u2019 at Mr. Dog fer ter see ef he know\u2019d \u2019im--an\u2019 sho\u2019 \u2019nough, he did,\nkaze it uz de same Mr. Dog what done give him many a long chase.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Well Mr. Dog come creepin\u2019 in_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWell, Mr. Dog, he stood dar wid his head hangin\u2019 down an\u2019 his tail\n\u2019tween his legs. Eve\u2019ything wuz so still an\u2019 sollum dat he \u2019gun ter git\noneasy, an\u2019 he look roun\u2019 fer ter see ef dey\u2019s any way fer ter git out\nwidout runnin\u2019 over somebody. Dey ain\u2019t no way, an\u2019 so Mr. Dog sorter\nwiggle de een\u2019 er his tail fer ter show dat he ain\u2019t mad, an\u2019 he stood\ndar \u2019specktin\u2019 dat eve\u2019y minnit would be de nex\u2019.\n\n\u201cBimeby, somebody say, \u2018Who dat wanter see de King an\u2019 what business is\nhe got wid \u2019im?\u2019 When Mr. Dog hear dat, de howl dat he sot up mought \u2019a\u2019\nbeen heern a mile er mo\u2019. He up an\u2019 \u2019low, he did, dat him an\u2019 all his\ntribe, an\u2019 mo\u2019 speshually his kinnery, is been havin\u2019 de wuss times dat\nanybody ever is hear tell un. He say dat whar dey use ter git meat, dey\nnow gits bones, an\u2019 mighty few er dem, an\u2019 whar dey use ter be fat, dey\nnow has ter lean up ag\u2019in de fence, an\u2019 lean mighty hard, ef dey wanter\nmake a shadder. Mr. Dog had lots mo\u2019 ter say, but de long an\u2019 de short un\nit wuz dat him an\u2019 his kinnery wa\u2019n\u2019t treated right.\n\n\u201cOl\u2019 Brer Rabbit, which he playin\u2019 King fer de day, he kinder study,\nan\u2019 den he cle\u2019r up his th\u2019oat an\u2019 look sollum. He ax ef dey\u2019s any\nturkentime out dar in de back yard er in de cellar whar dey keep de\nharness grease, an\u2019 when dey say dey speck dey\u2019s a drap er two lef\u2019, ol\u2019\nBrer Rabbit tell um fer ter fetch it in, an\u2019 den he tell um ter git a\npoun\u2019 er red pepper an\u2019 mix it wid de turkentime. So said, so done. Dey\ngrab Mr. Dog, an\u2019 rub de turkentime an\u2019 red pepper frum head ter heel,\nan\u2019 when he holler dey run \u2019im out\u2019n de place whar de kingin\u2019 wuz done at.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Dey run im out\u2019n de place whar de kingin\u2019 wuz done at_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWell, time went on, an\u2019 one day follered an\u2019er des like dey does now,\nan\u2019 Mr. Dog ain\u2019t never gone back home, whar his tribe an\u2019 his kinnery\nwuz waitin\u2019 fer \u2019im. Dey wait, an\u2019 dey wait, an\u2019 bimeby dey \u2019gun ter git\noneasy. Den dey wait some mo\u2019 but it git so dey can\u2019t stan\u2019 it no longer,\nan\u2019 den a whole passel un um went ter de house whar dey do de kingin\u2019\nat, an\u2019 make some inquirements \u2019bout Mr. Dog. Dem dat live at de King\u2019s\nhouse up an\u2019 tell um dat Mr. Dog done come an\u2019 gone. Dey say he got what\nhe come atter, an\u2019 ef he ain\u2019t gone back home dey dunner whar he is. Dey\ntol\u2019 \u2019bout de po\u2019 mouf he put up, an\u2019 dey say dat dey gun \u2019im purty well\nall dat a gen\u2019termun dog could ax fer.\n\n\u201cDe yuther dogs say dat Mr. Dog ain\u2019t never come back home, an\u2019 dem\nwhat live at de King\u2019s house say dey mighty sorry fer ter hear sech bad\nnews, an\u2019 dey tell de dogs dat dey better hunt \u2019im up an\u2019 fin\u2019 out what\nhe done wid dat what de king gi\u2019 \u2019im. De dogs ax how dey gwineter know\n\u2019im when dey fin\u2019 him, an\u2019 dem at de King\u2019s house say dey kin tell \u2019im\nby de smell, kaze dey put some turkentime an\u2019 red pepper on \u2019im fer ter\nkill de fleas an\u2019 kyo de bites. Well, sence dat day de yuther dogs been\nhuntin\u2019 fer de dog what went ter de King\u2019s house; an\u2019 how does dey hunt?\n\u2019Tain\u2019t no needs fer ter tell you, honey, kaze you know pine-blank ez\ngood ez I kin tell you. Sence dat day an\u2019 hour dey been smellin\u2019 fer \u2019im.\nDey smells on de groun\u2019 fer ter see ef he been \u2019long dar; dey smells de\ntrees, de stumps, an\u2019 de bushes, an\u2019 when dey comes up wid an\u2019er dog dat\ndey ain\u2019t never seed befo\u2019, dey smells him good fer ter see ef he got any\nred pepper an\u2019 turkentime on \u2019im; an\u2019 ef you\u2019ll take notice dey sometimes\nsmells at a bush er a stump, an\u2019 der bristles will rise, an\u2019 dey\u2019ll paw\nde groun\u2019 wid der fo\u2019 feet, an\u2019 likewise wid der behime feet, an\u2019 growl\nlike deyer mad. When dey do dat, dey er tellin\u2019 you what dey gwineter do\nwhen dey git holt er dat dog what went to de King\u2019s house an\u2019 ain\u2019t never\ncome back. I may be wrong, but I\u2019ll bet you a white ally ag\u2019in\u2019 a big\nlong piece er mince-pie dat dey\u2019ll be gwine on dat a-way when you git ter\nbe ol\u2019 ez I is.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_A whole passel un um went ter de house whur dey do the\nkingin_\u2019\u201d]\n\n\n\n\nVII\n\nHOW OLD CRANEY-CROW LOST HIS HEAD\n\n\nOne day, while Uncle Remus was preparing some wild cherry bark for\na decoction which he took for his rheumatism, the little boy, who\nwas an interested spectator of the proceedings, chanced to hear a\nnoise overhead. Looking up, he saw a very large bird flying over. He\nimmediately called the attention of Uncle Remus to the bird, which was\nindeed a singular-looking creature. Its long neck stretched out in front,\nand its long legs streamed out behind. Its wings were not very large,\nand it had no tail to speak of, but it flew well and rapidly, apparently\nanxious to reach its destination in the shortest possible time.\n\nUncle Remus shaded his eyes with his right hand as he gazed upward at\nthe bird. \u201cLaws-a-mussy!\u201d he exclaimed; \u201cis dey anybody yever see de beat\ner dat!\u201d He knew well that the bird was a blue heron going to join its\nkindred in Florida, but he affected great surprise at sight of the bird,\nand continued to gaze at it as long as it remained in sight. He drew a\nlong breath when it could no longer be seen, and shook his head sadly.\n\u201cEf she ain\u2019t got no mo\u2019 sense dan what her great-grandaddy had, I\u2019m\nmighty sorry fer her,\u201d he declared.\n\n\u201cWhat kind of a bird is it, Uncle Remus?\u201d the child inquired.\n\n\u201cFolks useter call um Craney-Crows, honey, but now dey ain\u2019t got no name\nbut des plain blue crane--an\u2019 I dunner whedder dey er wuff sech a big\nname. Yit I ain\u2019t got nothin\u2019 ag\u2019in um dat I knows un. Mo\u2019 dan dat, when\nI ermembers \u2019bout de ol\u2019 grandaddy crane what drifted inter deze parts,\nmany\u2019s de long time ago, \u2019twouldn\u2019t take much fer ter make me feel right\nsorry fer de whole kit an\u2019 bilin\u2019 un um--dey er sech start natchul fools.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut what is there to be sorry about, Uncle Remus?\u201d the little boy\nasked. He was rapidly learning to ask questions at the proper time.\n\n\u201c\u2019Bout dey havin\u2019 sech a little grain er sense, honey. Ef you know\u2019d what\nI does, I dunner ef you\u2019d be tickled, er ef you\u2019d feel sorry, an\u2019 it\u2019s de\nsame way wid me. When I think er dat ol\u2019 Great-Grandaddy Crane, I dunner\nwhedder ter laugh er cry.\u201d\n\nThis was small satisfaction to the little boy, and he was compelled to\ninquire about it. As this was precisely what the old negro wanted him to\ndo, he lost nothing by being inquisitive. \u201cDey wuz one time--I dunno de\nday, an\u2019 I dunno de year, but \u2019twuz one time--dey come a big storm. De\nwin\u2019 blow\u2019d a harrycane, an\u2019 de rain rained like all de sky an\u2019 de clouds\nin it done been turn ter water. De win\u2019 blow\u2019d so hard dat it lifted ol\u2019\nCraney-Crow fum his roost in de lagoons way down yan\u2019 whar dey live at,\nan\u2019 fotch \u2019im up in deze parts, an\u2019 when he come, he come a-whirlin\u2019. De\nwin\u2019 tuck \u2019im up, it did, an\u2019 turn \u2019im roun\u2019 an\u2019 roun\u2019, an\u2019 when he lit\nwhar he did, he stagger des like he wuz drunk--you know how you feel when\nyou been turnin\u2019 roun\u2019 an\u2019 roun\u2019. Well, dat wuz de way wid him; he wuz so\ndrunk dat he hatter lean up ag\u2019in a tree.\n\n\u201cBut \u2019twant long \u2019fo\u2019 he \u2019gun ter feel all right, an\u2019 he look roun\u2019 fer\nter see whar he at. He look an\u2019 he look, but he ain\u2019t fin\u2019 out, kaze\nhe wuz a mighty fur ways fum home. Yit he feel de water half-way up\nhis legs, an\u2019 ef ol\u2019 Craney-Crow is in a place whar he kin do a little\nwadin\u2019, he kinder has de home-feelin\u2019--you know how dat is yo\u2019se\u2019f. Well,\ndar he wuz, a mighty fur ways fum home, an\u2019 yit up ter his knees in\nwater, an\u2019 he des stood dar, he did, an\u2019 tuck his ease, hopin\u2019 fer better\ntimes bimeby. Now, de place whar he wuz blow\u2019d ter wuz Long Cane Swamp,\nan\u2019 I wish I had time fer ter take you over dar an\u2019 show you right whar\nhe wuz at when he lit, an\u2019 I wish I had time fer ter take you all thoo de\nSwamp an\u2019 let you see fer yo\u2019se\u2019f what kinder Thing it is. \u2019Tain\u2019t only\ndes a Swamp; it\u2019s sump\u2019n wuss \u2019n dat. You kin stan\u2019 in de middle un it,\nan\u2019 mos\u2019 hear it ketch its breff, an\u2019 dat what make I say dat \u2019tain\u2019t no\nSwamp, fer all it look like one.\n\n\u201cWell, dar wuz ol\u2019 Craney-Crow, an\u2019 dar wuz de Thing you call de Swamp,\nan\u2019 bimeby de sun riz an\u2019 let his lamp shine in dar in places; an den\u2019\nol\u2019 Craney-Crow had time fer ter look roun\u2019 an\u2019 see whar he wuz at. But\nwhen he fin\u2019 out, he ain\u2019t know no mo\u2019 dan what he know at fus\u2019. Now, you\nkin say what you please, an\u2019 you kin laugh ef you wanter, but I\u2019m a-gwine\nter tell you dat de Swamp know\u2019d dat dey wuz somebody dar what ain\u2019t\nb\u2019long dar. Ef you ax me how de Swamp know\u2019d, I\u2019ll shake my head an\u2019\nshet my eyes; an\u2019 ef you ax me how I know it know\u2019d, I\u2019ll des laugh at\nyou. You\u2019ll hatter take my word er leave it, I don\u2019t keer which. But dar\n\u2019twuz. De Swamp know\u2019d dat somebody wuz dar what ain\u2019t b\u2019long dar, an\u2019 it\nwent ter sleep an\u2019 had bad dreams, an\u2019 it keep on havin\u2019 dem dreams all\nday long.\u201d\n\nThe little boy had accepted Uncle Remus\u2019s statements up to this point,\nbut when he said that the Swamp went to sleep and had bad dreams, the\nchild fairly gasped with doubtful astonishment. \u201cWhy, Uncle Remus, how\ncould a swamp go to sleep?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s des like I tell you, honey; you kin take my word er you kin leave\nit. One way er de yuther, you won\u2019t be no better off dan what you is\nright now. All I know is dis, dat you can\u2019t tell no tale ter dem what\ndon\u2019t b\u2019lieve it.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you believe it, Uncle Remus? Mother says the stories are fables.\u201d\nThus the little boy was imbued, without knowing it, with the modern\nspirit of scientific doubt.\n\n\u201cDoes you speck I\u2019d tell you a tale dat I don\u2019t b\u2019lieve? Why, I dunner\nhow I\u2019d put de words one atter de yuther. Whensomever you ain\u2019t b\u2019lievin\u2019\nwhat I\u2019m a-tellin\u2019, honey, des le\u2019 me know, an\u2019 I won\u2019t take de time an\u2019\ntrouble fer ter tell it.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, tell me about the Swamp and old Craney-Crow,\u201d said the little boy,\nplacing his small hand on Uncle Remus\u2019s knee coaxingly.\n\n\u201cWell, suh, ef so be I must, den I shill. Whar wuz I? Yasser! de Swamp,\nbein\u2019 wide-awake all night long, is bleeze ter sleep endurin\u2019 er de day,\nan\u2019 so, wid ol\u2019 Craney-Crow stannin\u2019 in de water, when de sun rise up, de\nSwamp know dat sump\u2019n wuz wrong, an\u2019 it went ter sleep an\u2019 had mighty bad\ndreams. De sun riz an\u2019 riz; it come up on one side er de Swamp, an\u2019 atter\nso long a time stood over it an\u2019 look down fer ter see what de matter.\nBut bright ez de lamp er de sun wuz, it can\u2019t light up de Swamp, an\u2019 so\nit went on over an\u2019 went down on t\u2019er side.\n\n\u201cDe day wuz in about like deze days is, an\u2019 whiles de sun wuz s\u2019archin\u2019\nroun\u2019 tryin\u2019 fer ter fin\u2019 out what de trouble is in de Swamp, ol\u2019\nCraney-Crow wuz wadin\u2019 \u2019bout in de water tryin\u2019 ter fin\u2019 some frog steak\nfer his dinner, er maybe a fish fer ter whet his appetite on. But dey\nwa\u2019n\u2019t nary frog ner nary fish, kaze de Swamp done gone ter sleep. De\nmo\u2019 ol\u2019 Craney-Crow waded de mo\u2019 shallerer de water got, twel bimeby day\nwa\u2019n\u2019t nuff fer ter mo\u2019 dan wet his foots. He say, \u2018Hey! how come dis?\u2019\nBut he ain\u2019t got no answer, kaze de Swamp, wid all its bad dreams, wuz\nsoun\u2019 asleep. Dey wuz pools er water roun\u2019 an\u2019 about, an\u2019 ol\u2019 Craney-Crow\nwent fum one ter de yuther, an\u2019 fum yuther ter t\u2019other, but \u2019tain\u2019t do\nhim no good. He went an\u2019 stood by um, he did, but whiles he stannin\u2019 dar,\ndey wa\u2019n\u2019t a riffle on top un um. Bimeby he got tired er walkin\u2019 about,\nan\u2019 he stood on one leg fer ter res\u2019 hisse\u2019f--dough ef anybody\u2019ll tell me\nhow you gwineter res\u2019 yo\u2019se\u2019f wid stannin\u2019 on one leg, I\u2019ll set up an\u2019\ntell um tales fum now tell Chris\u2019mus, kaze ef I git tired I kin stan\u2019 on\none leg an\u2019 do my restin\u2019 dat a-way.\n\n\u201cWell, den, dar wuz ol\u2019 Craney-Crow, an\u2019 dar wuz de Swamp. Ol\u2019\nCraney-Crow wuz wide-awake, but de Swamp wuz fast asleep an\u2019 dreamin\u2019\nbad dreams like a wil\u2019 hoss an\u2019 waggin gwine down hill. But de Swamp\nwa\u2019n\u2019t no stiller dan ol\u2019 Craney-Crow, stannin\u2019 on one leg wid one eye\nlookin\u2019 in de tops er de trees, an\u2019 de yuther one lookin\u2019 down in de\ngrass. But in de Swamp er out\u2019n de Swamp, time goes on an\u2019 night draps\ndown, an\u2019 dat\u2019s de way it done dis time. An\u2019 when night drapped down, de\nSwamp kinder stretch itse\u2019f an\u2019 \u2019gun ter wake up. Ol\u2019 Brer Mud Turkle\nopened his eyes an\u2019 sneeze so hard dat he roll off de bank inter de\nwater--kersplash--an\u2019 he so close ter ol\u2019 Craney-Crow dat he fetched a\nhop sideways, an\u2019 come mighty nigh steppin\u2019 on Mr. Billy Black Snake. Dis\nskeer\u2019d \u2019im so dat he fetched an\u2019er hop, an\u2019 mighty nigh lit on de frog\nwhat he been huntin\u2019 fer. De frog he say \u2018hey!\u2019 an\u2019 dove in de mud-puddle.\n\n\u201cAtter dat, when ol\u2019 Craney-Crow move \u2019bout, he lif\u2019 his foots high,\nan\u2019 he done like de ladies does when dey walk in a wet place. De whole\ncaboodle wuz bran\u2019 new ter ol\u2019 Craney-Crow, an\u2019 he look wid all his\neyes, an\u2019 lissen wid all his years. Dey wuz sump\u2019n n\u2019er gwine on, but he\ncan\u2019t make out what \u2019twuz. He ain\u2019t never is been in no swamp befo\u2019, mo\u2019\nspeshually a Swamp what got life in it. He been useter ma\u2019shy places,\nwhar dey ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 but water an\u2019 high grass, but dar whar he fin\u2019\nhisse\u2019f atter de harrycane, dey wa\u2019n\u2019t no big sight er water, an\u2019 what\ngrass dey wuz, wa\u2019n\u2019t longer \u2019n yo\u2019 finger. Stidder grass an\u2019 water, dey\nwuz vines, an\u2019 reeds, an\u2019 trees wid moss on um dat made um look like\nGran\u2019suh Graybeard, an\u2019 de vines an\u2019 creepers look like dey wuz reachin\u2019\nout fer \u2019im.\n\n\u201cHe walked about, he did, like de groun\u2019 wuz hot, an\u2019 when he walk he\nlook like he wuz on stilts, his legs wuz so long. He hunt roun\u2019 fer a\nplace fer ter sleep, an\u2019 whiles he wuz doin\u2019 dat he tuck notice dat\ndey wuz sump\u2019n n\u2019er gwine on dat he ain\u2019t never is see de like un. De\njacky-ma-lantuns, dey lit up an\u2019 went sailin\u2019 roun\u2019 des like dey wuz\nhuntin\u2019 fer \u2019im an\u2019 de frogs, dey holler at \u2019im wid, \u2018What you doin\u2019\nhere? What you doin\u2019 here?\u2019 Mr. Coon rack by an\u2019 laugh at \u2019im; Mr. Billy\nGray Fox peep out\u2019n de bushes an\u2019 bark at \u2019im; Mr. Mink show \u2019im de green\neyes, an\u2019 Mr. Whipperwill scol\u2019 \u2019im.\n\n\u201cHe move \u2019bout, he did, an\u2019 atter so long a time dey let \u2019im \u2019lone, an\u2019\nden when dey wa\u2019n\u2019t nobody ner nothin\u2019 pesterin\u2019 \u2019im, he \u2019gun ter look\nroun\u2019 fer hisse\u2019f. Peepin\u2019 fust in one bush an\u2019 den in an\u2019er, he tuck\nnotice dat all de birds what fly by day had done gone ter bed widout der\nheads. Look whar he mought, ol\u2019 Craney-Crow ain\u2019t see na\u2019er bird but what\nhad done tuck his head off \u2019fo\u2019 he went ter bed. Look close ez he kin, he\nain\u2019t see no bird wid a head on. Dis make \u2019im wonder, an\u2019 he ax hisse\u2019f\nhow come dis, an\u2019 de onliest answer what he kin think un is dat gwine\nter bed wid der heads on wuz done gone out er fashion in dat part er de\ncountry.\n\n\u201cNow, you kin say what you please \u2019bout de creeturs an\u2019 der kin\u2019--\u2019bout\nde fowls dat fly, an\u2019 de feathery creeturs what run on de groun\u2019--you\nkin say what you please \u2019bout um, but dey got pride; dey don\u2019t wanter be\nout\u2019n de fashion. When it comes ter dat, deyer purty much like folks, an\u2019\ndat \u2019uz de way wid ol\u2019 Craney-Crow; he don\u2019t wanter be out er fashion. He\n\u2019shame\u2019 fer ter go ter bed like he allers been doin\u2019, kaze he ain\u2019t want\nde yuthers fer ter laugh an\u2019 say he \u2019uz fum de country deestrick, whar\ndey dunno much. Yit, study ez he mought, he dunner which a-way ter do fer\nter git his head off. De yuthers had der heads un\u2019 der wing. But he ain\u2019t\nknow dat.\n\n\u201cHe look roun\u2019, he did, fer ter see ef dey ain\u2019t some un he kin ax \u2019bout\nit, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t hatter look long nudder, fer dar, settin\u2019 right at \u2019im,\nwuz ol\u2019 Brer Pop-Eye.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, Uncle Remus, who was old Brother Pop-Eye?\u201d inquired the little boy.\n\n\u201cNobody in all de roun\u2019 worl\u2019, honey, but Brer Rabbit. He had one name\nfer de uplan\u2019 an\u2019 an\u2019er name fer de bottom lan\u2019--de swamps an\u2019 de dreens.\nWharsomever dar wuz any mischieviousness gwine on, right dar wuz Brer\nRabbit ez big ez life an\u2019 twice ez natchul. He wuz so close ter ol\u2019\nCraney-Crow dat he hatter jump when he seed \u2019im. Brer Pop-Eye say: \u2018No\nneeds fer ter be skeer\u2019d, frien\u2019 Craney-Crow. You may be mo\u2019 dan sho dat\nI\u2019m a well-wisher.\u2019 Ol\u2019 Craney-Crow \u2019low: \u2018It do me good fer ter hear\nyou sesso, Mr. Pop-Eye, an\u2019 seein\u2019 dat it\u2019s you an\u2019 not some un else, I\ndon\u2019t min\u2019 axin\u2019 you how all de flyin\u2019 birds takes der heads off when dey\ngo ter bed. It sho stumps me.\u2019 Brer Pop-Eye say, \u2018An\u2019 no wonder, frien\u2019\nCraney-Crow, kaze youer stranger in deze parts. Dey ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 ter\nhide \u2019bout it. De skeeters is been so bad in dis Swamp sence de year one,\nan\u2019 endurin\u2019 er de time what\u2019s gone by, dat dem what live here done got\nin de habits er takin\u2019 off der heads an\u2019 puttin\u2019 um in a safe place.\u2019\n\n\u201cDe Craney-Crow \u2019low: \u2018But how in de name er goodness does dey do it,\nBrer Pop-Eye?\u2019 Mr. Pop-Eye laugh ter hisse\u2019f \u2019way down in his gizzard.\nHe say: \u2018Dey don\u2019t do it by deyse\u2019f, kaze dat \u2019ud be axin\u2019 too much. Oh,\nno! dey got some un hired fer ter do dat kin\u2019 er work.\u2019 \u2018An\u2019 whar kin I\nfin\u2019 \u2019im, Brer Pop-Eye?\u2019 sez ol\u2019 Craney-Crow, sezee. Brer Pop-Eye \u2019low:\n\u2018He\u2019ll be roun\u2019 terreckly; he allers hatter go roun\u2019 fer ter see dat he\nain\u2019t miss none un um.\u2019 Ol\u2019 Craney-Crow sorter study, he did, an\u2019 den he\n\u2019low: \u2018How does dey git der heads back on, Brer Pop-Eye?\u2019 Brer Pop-Eye\nshuck his head. He say: \u2018I\u2019d tell you ef I know\u2019d, but I hatter stay up\nso much at night, dat \u2019long \u2019bout de time when dey gits der heads put\non, I\u2019m soun\u2019 asleep an\u2019 sno\u2019in\u2019 right along. Ef you sesso, I\u2019ll hunt\nup de doctor what does de business, an\u2019 I speck he\u2019ll commerdate you--I\nkin prommus you dat much, sence you been so perlite.\u2019 Ol\u2019 Craney-Crow\nlaugh an\u2019 say: \u2018I done fin\u2019 out in my time dat dey don\u2019t nothin\u2019 pay like\nperliteness, speshually ef she\u2019s ginnywine.\u2019\n\n\u201cWid dat, Brer Pop-Eye put out, he did, fer ter fin\u2019 Brer Wolf. Knowin\u2019\npurty well whar he wuz, \u2019twant long \u2019fo\u2019 here dey come gallopin\u2019 back.\nBrer Pop-Eye say: \u2018Mr. Craney-Crow, dis is Mr. Dock Wolf; Mr. Dock Wolf,\ndis is Mr. Craney-Crow; glad fer ter make you \u2019quainted, gents.\u2019\u201d At\nthis point, Uncle Remus paused and glanced at the little boy, who was\nlistening to the story with almost breathless interest. \u201cYou ain\u2019t got\nyo\u2019 hankcher wid you, is you?\u201d the old man inquired gently.\n\n\u201cMother always makes me carry a handkerchief,\u201d the child replied, \u201cand it\nmakes the pocket of my jacket stick out. Why did you ask, Uncle Remus?\u201d\n\n\u201cKaze we er comin\u2019 ter de place whar you\u2019ll need it,\u201d said the old man.\n\u201cYou better take it out an\u2019 hol\u2019 it in yo\u2019 han\u2019. Ef you got any tears\ninside er you, dey\u2019ll come ter de top now.\u201d\n\nThe child took out his handkerchief, and held it in his hand obediently.\n\u201cWell, suh,\u201d Uncle Remus went on, \u201catter dey been made \u2019quainted, ol\u2019\nCraney-Crow tell Dock Wolf \u2019bout his troubles, an\u2019 how he wanter do like\nde rest er de flyin\u2019 creeturs, an\u2019 Dock Wolf rub his chin an\u2019 put his\nthumb in his wescut pocket fer all de worl\u2019 like a sho nuff doctor. He\nsay ter ol\u2019 Craney-Crow dat he ain\u2019t so mighty certain an\u2019 sho dat he\nkin he\u2019p \u2019im much. He say dat in all his born days he ain\u2019t never see\nno flyin\u2019 creetur wid sech a long neck, an\u2019 dat he\u2019ll hatter be mighty\nintickler how he fool wid it. He went close, he did, an\u2019 feel un it an\u2019\nfumble wid it, an\u2019 all de time his mouf wuz waterin\u2019 des like yone do\nwhen you see a piece er lemon pie.\n\n\u201cHe say: \u2018You\u2019ll hatter hol\u2019 yo\u2019 head lower, Mr. Craney-Crow,\u2019 an\u2019 wid\ndat he snap down on it, an\u2019 dat wuz de last er dat Craney-Crow. He\nain\u2019t never see his home no mo\u2019, an\u2019 mo\u2019 dan dat, ol\u2019 Dock Wolf slung\n\u2019im \u2019cross his back an\u2019 cantered off home. An\u2019 dat\u2019s de reason dat de\nCraney-Crows all fly so fas\u2019 when dey come thoo dis part er de country.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut why did you ask me to take out my handkerchief, Uncle Remus?\u201d\n\n\u201cKaze I wanter be on de safe side,\u201d remarked the old man with much\nsolemnity. \u201cEf you got a hankcher when you cry, you kin wipe off de\nweeps, an\u2019 you kin hide de puckers in yo\u2019 face.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nVIII\n\nBROTHER FOX FOLLOWS THE FASHION\n\n\nThe little boy was not sure whether Uncle Remus had finished the story;\nit would have been hard for a grown man to keep up with the whimsical\nnotions of the venerable old darkey, and surely you couldn\u2019t expect a\nlittle bit of a boy, who had had no experience to speak of, to do as\nwell. The little lad waited a while, and, seeing that Uncle Remus showed\nno sign of resuming the narrative, he spoke up. \u201cI didn\u2019t see anything to\ncry about,\u201d he remarked.\n\n\u201cWell, some folks cries, an\u2019 yuther folks laughs. Dey got der reasons,\ntoo. Now, I dunno dat ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit wuz hard-hearted er col\u2019-blooded\nany mo\u2019 dan de common run er de creeturs, but it look like he kin see\nmo\u2019 ter tickle \u2019im dan ye yuthers, an\u2019 he wuz constant a-laughin\u2019. Mos\u2019\ner de time he\u2019d laugh in his innerds, but den ag\u2019in, when sump\u2019n tetch\nhis funny-bone, he\u2019d open up wid a big ha-ha-ha dat \u2019ud make de yuther\ncreeturs take ter de bushes.\n\n\u201cAn\u2019 dat \u2019uz de way he done when ol\u2019 Craney-Crow had his head tooken off\nfer ter be in de fashion. He laugh an\u2019 laugh twel it hurt \u2019im ter laugh,\nan\u2019 den he laugh some mo\u2019 fer good medjur. He laughed plum twel mornin\u2019,\nan\u2019 den he laugh whiles he wuz rackin\u2019 on todes home. He\u2019d lope a little\nways, an\u2019 den he\u2019d set down by de side er de road an\u2019 laugh some mo\u2019.\nWhiles he gwine on dis a-way, he come ter de place whar Brer Fox live at,\nan\u2019 den it look like he can\u2019t git no furder. Ef a leaf shook on de tree,\nit \u2019ud put \u2019im in min\u2019 er de hoppin\u2019 an\u2019 jumpin\u2019 an\u2019 scufflin\u2019 dat ol\u2019\nCraney-Crow done when Dock Wolf tuck an\u2019 tuck off his head fer \u2019im.\n\n\u201cEz luck would have it, Brer Fox wuz out in his pea-patch fer ter see\nhow his crap wuz gittin\u2019 on, an\u2019 huntin\u2019 roun\u2019 fer ter see ef dey wuz any\nstray tracks whar somebody had bin atter his truck. Whiles he wuz lookin\u2019\nroun\u2019 he hear some un laughin\u2019 fit ter kill, an\u2019 he looked over de fence\nfer ter see who \u2019tis. Dar wuz Brer Rabbit des a-rollin\u2019 in de grass an\u2019\nlaughin\u2019 hard ez he kin. Brer Fox \u2019low: \u2018Heyo, Brer Rabbit! what de name\ner goodness de matter wid you?\u2019 Brer Rabbit, in de middle er his laughin\u2019\ncan\u2019t do nothin\u2019 but shake his head an\u2019 kick in de grass.\n\n\u201c\u2019Bout dat time, ol\u2019 Miss Fox stuck \u2019er head out\u2019n de winder fer ter see\nwhat gwine on. She say, \u2018Sandy, what all dat fuss out dar? Ain\u2019t you know\ndat de baby\u2019s des gone ter sleep?\u2019 Brer Fox, he say, \u2018\u2019Tain\u2019t nobody in\nde roun\u2019 worl\u2019 but Brer Rabbit, an\u2019 ef I ain\u2019t mighty much mistooken, he\ndone gone an\u2019 got a case er de highstericks.\u2019 Ol\u2019 Miss Fox say, \u2018I don\u2019t\nkeer what he got, I wish he\u2019d go on \u2019way fum dar, er hush up his racket.\nHe\u2019ll wake de chillun, an\u2019 dem what ain\u2019t \u2019sleep he\u2019ll skeer de wits\nout\u2019n \u2019um.\u2019\n\n\u201cWid dat, ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit cotch his breff, an\u2019 pass de time er day wid\nBrer Fox an\u2019 his ol\u2019 \u2019oman. Den he say, \u2018You see me an\u2019 you hear me, Brer\nFox; well, des ez you see me now, dat de way I been gwine on all night\nlong. I speck maybe it ain\u2019t right fer ter laugh at dem what ain\u2019t got\nde sense dey oughter been born wid, but I can\u2019t he\u2019p it fer ter save my\nlife; I try, but de mo\u2019 what I try de wusser I gits. I oughter be at\nhome right now, an\u2019 I would be ef it hadn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 been fer sump\u2019n I seed\nlas\u2019 night,\u2019 an\u2019 den he went ter laughin\u2019 ag\u2019in. Ol\u2019 Miss Fox, she fix\nde bonnet on her head, an\u2019 den she say, \u2018What you see, Brer Rabbit? It\nmus\u2019 be mighty funny; tell us \u2019bout it, an\u2019 maybe we\u2019ll laugh wid you.\u2019\nBrer Rabbit \u2019low, \u2018I don\u2019t min\u2019 tellin\u2019 you, ma\u2019am, ef I kin keep fum\nlaughin\u2019, but ef I hatter stop fer ter ketch my breff, I know mighty well\ndat you\u2019ll skuzen me.\u2019 Ol\u2019 Miss Fox say, \u2018Dat we will, Brer Rabbit.\u2019\n\n\u201cWid dat Brer Rabbit up an\u2019 tol\u2019 all \u2019bout ol\u2019 Craney-Crow comin\u2019 in de\nSwamp, an\u2019 not knowin\u2019 how ter go ter bed. He say dat de funny part un\nit wuz dat ol\u2019 Craney-Crow ain\u2019t know dat when anybody went ter bed dey\noughter take der head off, an\u2019 den he start ter laughin\u2019 ag\u2019in. Ol\u2019 Miss\nFox look at her ol\u2019 man an\u2019 he look at her; dey dunner what ter say er\nhow ter say it.\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit see how dey er doin\u2019, but he ain\u2019t pay no \u2019tention. He\n\u2019low, \u2018Dat ol\u2019 Craney-Crow look like he had travel fur an\u2019 wide; he look\nlike he know what all de fashions is, but when he got in de Swamp an\u2019 see\nall de creeturs--dem what run an\u2019 dem what fly--sleepin\u2019 wid der heads\noff, he sho\u2019 wuz tuck back; he say he ain\u2019t never her er sech doin\u2019s ez\ndat. You done seed how country folks do--well, des dat a-way he done.\nI been tryin\u2019 hard fer ter git home, an\u2019 tell my ol\u2019 \u2019oman \u2019bout it,\nbut eve\u2019y time I gits a good start it pop up in my min\u2019 \u2019bout how ol\u2019\nCraney-Crow done when he fin\u2019 out what de fashion wuz in dis part er de\ncountry.\u2019 An\u2019 den Brer Rabbit sot inter laughin\u2019, and Brer Fox an\u2019 ol\u2019\nMiss Fox dey j\u2019ined in wid \u2019im, kaze dey ain\u2019t want nobody fer ter git de\nidee dat dey don\u2019t know what de fashion is, speshually de fashion in de\npart er de country whar dey er livin\u2019 at.\n\n\u201cOl\u2019 Miss Fox, she say dat ol\u2019 Craney-Crow must be a funny sort er\nsomebody not ter know what de fashions is, an\u2019 Brer Fox he \u2019gree twel he\ngrin an\u2019 show his tushes. He say he ain\u2019t keerin\u2019 much \u2019bout fashions\nhisse\u2019f, but he wouldn\u2019t like fer ter be laughed at on de \u2019count er\nplain ignunce. Brer Rabbit, he say he ain\u2019t makin\u2019 no pertence er doin\u2019\neve\u2019ything dat\u2019s done, kaze he ain\u2019t dat finnicky, but when fashions is\ncomfertubble an\u2019 coolin\u2019 he don\u2019t min\u2019 follerin\u2019 um fer der own sake ez\nwell ez his\u2019n. He say now dat he done got in de habits er sleepin\u2019 wid\nhis head off, he wouldn\u2019t no mo\u2019 sleep wid it on dan he\u2019d fly.\n\n\u201cOl\u2019 Miss Fox, she up \u2019n\u2019 spon\u2019, \u2018I b\u2019lieve you, Brer Rabbit--dat I\ndoes!\u2019 Brer Rabbit, he make a bow, he did, an\u2019 \u2019low, \u2018I know mighty well\ndat I\u2019m ol\u2019-fashion\u2019, an\u2019 dey ain\u2019t no \u2019nyin\u2019 it, Miss Fox, but when de\nnew gineration hit on ter sump\u2019n dat\u2019s cool an\u2019 comfertubble, I ain\u2019t de\nman ter laugh at it des kaze it\u2019s tollerbul new. No, ma\u2019am! I\u2019ll try it,\nan\u2019 ef it work all right I\u2019ll foller it; ef it don\u2019t, I won\u2019t. De fus\u2019\ntime I try ter sleep wid my head off I wuz kinder nervious, but I soon\ngot over dat, an\u2019 now ef it wuz ter go out fashion, I\u2019d des keep right\non wid it, I don\u2019t keer what de yuthers \u2019d think. Dat\u2019s me; dat\u2019s me all\nover.\u2019\n\n\u201cBimeby, Brer Rabbit look at de sun, an\u2019 des vow he bleeze ter git home.\nHe wish ol\u2019 Miss Fox mighty well, an\u2019 made his bow, an\u2019 put out down de\nroad at a two-forty gait. Brer Fox look kinder sheepish when his ol\u2019\n\u2019oman look at \u2019im. He say dat de idee er sleepin\u2019 wid yo\u2019 head off is\nbran new ter him. Ol\u2019 Miss Fox \u2019low dat dey\u2019s a heap er things in dis\nworl\u2019 what he dunno, an\u2019 what he won\u2019t never fin\u2019 out. She say, \u2018Here I\nis a-scrimpin\u2019 an\u2019 a-workin\u2019 my eyeballs out fer ter be ez good ez de\nbes\u2019, an\u2019 dar you is a projickin\u2019 roun\u2019 an\u2019 not a-keerin\u2019 whedder yo\u2019\nfambly is in de fashion er not.\u2019 Brer Fox \u2019low dat ef sleepin\u2019 wid yo\u2019\nhead off is one er de fashions, he fer one ain\u2019t keerin\u2019 \u2019bout tryin\u2019.\nOl\u2019 Miss Fox say, \u2018No, an\u2019 you ain\u2019t a-keerin\u2019 what folks say \u2019bout\nyo\u2019 wife an\u2019 fambly. No wonder Brer Rabbit had ter laugh whiles he wuz\ntellin\u2019 you \u2019bout Craney-Crow, kaze you stood dar wid yo\u2019 mouf open like\nyou ain\u2019t got no sense. It\u2019ll be a purty tale he\u2019ll tell his fambly \u2019bout\nde tacky Fox fambly.\u2019\n\n\u201cWid dat Ol\u2019 Miss Fox switch away fum de winder an\u2019 went ter cleanin\u2019\nup de house, an\u2019 bimeby Brer Fox went in de house hopin\u2019 dat brekfus wuz\nready; but dey wa\u2019n\u2019t no sign er nothin\u2019 ter eat. Atter so long a time,\nBrer Fox ax when he wuz gwine ter git brekfus\u2019. His ol\u2019 \u2019oman \u2019low dat\neatin\u2019 brekfus\u2019 an\u2019 gittin\u2019 it, too, wuz one er de fashions. Ef he ain\u2019t\nfollerin\u2019 fashions, she ain\u2019t needer. He ain\u2019t say no mo\u2019, but went off\nbehin\u2019 de house an\u2019 had a mighty time er thinkin\u2019 an\u2019 scratchin\u2019 fer\nfleas.\n\n\u201cWhen bedtime come, ol\u2019 Miss Fox wuz mighty tired, an\u2019 she ain\u2019t\na-keerin\u2019 much \u2019bout fashions right den. Des ez she wuz fixin\u2019 fer ter\nroll \u2019erse\u2019f in de kivver, Brer Fox come in fum a hunt he\u2019d been havin\u2019.\nHe fotch a weasel an\u2019 a mink wid \u2019im, an\u2019 he put um in de cubberd whar\ndey\u2019d keep cool. Den he wash his face an\u2019 han\u2019s, an\u2019 \u2019low dat he\u2019s ready\nfer ter have his head tooken off fer de night, ef his ol\u2019 \u2019oman\u2019ll be so\ngood ez ter he\u2019p \u2019im.\n\n\u201cBy dat time ol\u2019 Miss Fox had done got over de pouts, but she ain\u2019t got\nover de idee er follerin\u2019 atter de fashions, an\u2019 so she say she\u2019ll be\nglad fer ter he\u2019p \u2019im do what\u2019s right, seein\u2019 dat he\u2019s so hard-headed\nin gin\u2019ul. Den come de knotty part. Na\u2019er one un um know\u2019d what dey wuz\n\u2019bout, an\u2019 dar dey sot an\u2019 jowered \u2019bout de bes\u2019 way fer ter git de head\noff. Brer Fox say dey ain\u2019t but one way, less\u2019n you twis\u2019 de head off,\nan\u2019 goodness knows he ain\u2019t want nobody fer ter be twis\u2019in\u2019 his neck,\nkaze he ticklish anyhow. Dat one way wuz ter take de ax an\u2019 cut de head\noff. Ol\u2019 Miss Fox, she squall, she did, an\u2019 hol\u2019 up her han\u2019s like she\nskeer\u2019d.\n\n\u201cBrer Fox sot dar lookin\u2019 up de chimbley. Bimeby his ol\u2019 \u2019oman \u2019low, \u2018De\nax look mighty skeery, but one thing I know, an\u2019 dat ain\u2019t two, it ain\u2019t\ngwineter hurt you ef it\u2019s de fashion. Brer Fox kinder work his under jaw,\nbut he ain\u2019t sayin\u2019 nothin\u2019. So his ol\u2019 \u2019oman went out ter de woodpile\nan\u2019 got de ax, an\u2019 den she say, \u2018I\u2019m ready, honey, whenever you is,\u2019 an\u2019\nBrer Fox, he \u2019spon\u2019, \u2018I\u2019m des ez ready now ez I ever is ter be,\u2019 an\u2019 wid\ndat she up wid de ax an\u2019 _blip!_ she tuck \u2019im right on de neck. De head\ncome right off wid little er no trouble, an\u2019 ol\u2019 Miss Fox laugh an\u2019 say\nter herse\u2019f dat she glad dey follerin\u2019 de fashion at las\u2019.\n\n\u201cBrer Fox sorter kick an\u2019 squirm when de head fus\u2019 come off, but his ol\u2019\n\u2019oman \u2019low dat dat wuz de sign he wuz dreamin\u2019, an\u2019 atter he lay right\nstill she say he wuz havin\u2019 a better night\u2019s res\u2019 dan what he\u2019d had in a\nmighty long time. An\u2019 den she happen fer ter think dat whiles her ol\u2019 man\ndone gone an\u2019 got in de fashion, dar she wuz ready fer ter go ter bed wid\n\u2019er head on. She dunner how ter git \u2019er head off, an\u2019 she try ter wake up\nher ol\u2019 man, but it look like he wuz one er dem stubborn kinder sleepers\nwhat won\u2019t be woken\u2019d atter dey once drap off. She shake \u2019im an\u2019 holler\nat \u2019im, but \u2019tain\u2019t do no good. She can\u2019t make \u2019im stir, spite er all de\nracket she make, an\u2019 she hatter go ter bed wid her head on.\n\n\u201cShe went ter bed, she did, but she ain\u2019t sleep good, kaze she had\ntrouble in de min\u2019. She\u2019d wake up an\u2019 turn over, an\u2019 roll an\u2019 toss, an\u2019\nwonder what de yuther creeturs\u2019d say ef dey know\u2019d she wuz so far outer\nde fashion ez ter sleep wid \u2019er head on. An\u2019 she had bad dreams; she\ndremp dat Brer Rabbit wuz laughin\u2019 at \u2019er, an\u2019 she start fer ter run at\n\u2019im, an\u2019 de fust news she know\u2019d de dogs wuz on her trail an\u2019 gwine in\nfull cry. \u2019Twuz dat a-way all night long, an\u2019 she wuz mo\u2019 dan thankful\nwhen mornin\u2019 come.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_So his ol\u2019 \u2019oman went out ter de woodpile an\u2019 got de\nax_\u201d]\n\n\u201cShe try ter wake up her ol\u2019 man, but still he won\u2019t be woke. He lay dar,\nhe did, an\u2019 won\u2019t budge, an\u2019 bimeby ol\u2019 Miss Fox git mad an\u2019 go off an\u2019\nleave \u2019im. Atter so long a time she went back ter whar he wuz layin\u2019, an\u2019\nhe wuz des like she lef\u2019 \u2019im. She try ter roust \u2019im up, but he won\u2019t be\nrousted. She holler so loud dat Brer Rabbit which he wuz gwine by, got de\nidee dat she wuz callin\u2019 him, an\u2019 he stick his head in de do\u2019 an\u2019 \u2019low,\n\u2018Is you callin\u2019 me, ma\u2019am?\u2019\n\n\u201cShe say, \u2018La! Brer Rabbit? I ain\u2019t know you wuz anywheres aroun\u2019. I been\ntryin\u2019 fer ter wake up my ol\u2019 man; he mo\u2019 lazier dis mornin\u2019 dan I ever\nis know \u2019im ter be. Ef my house wa\u2019n\u2019t all to\u2019 up, I\u2019d ax you in an\u2019 git\nyou ter drag \u2019im out an\u2019 git \u2019im up.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit say, \u2018Ef dey ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 de matter wid Brer Fox he\u2019ll git\nup in good time.\u2019 Ol\u2019 Miss Fox \u2019low, \u2018La! I dunner what you call good\ntime. Look at de sun--it\u2019s \u2019way up yander, an\u2019 dar he is sleepin\u2019 like a\nlog. \u2019Fo\u2019 he went ter bed he made me take his head off, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t woke\nup sence.\u2019 \u2018An\u2019 how did you git it off, mum?\u2019 sez ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit, sezee.\n\u2018I tuck an\u2019 tuck de ax an\u2019 cut it off,\u2019 se\u2019she. Wid dat Brer Rabbit flung\nbofe han\u2019s over his face, an\u2019 mosied off like he wuz cryin\u2019. Fum de way\nhe look you\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 thunk his heart wuz broke; yit he wa\u2019n\u2019t cryin\u2019.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen what was he doing, Uncle Remus?\u201d the little boy asked.\n\n\u201cDes a-laughin\u2019--laughin\u2019 fit ter kill. When ol\u2019 Miss Fox see \u2019im gwine\nlong like he wuz cryin\u2019, she spicion\u2019d dat sump\u2019n wuz wrong, an\u2019 sho\n\u2019nuff \u2019twuz, kaze Brer Fox ain\u2019t wake up no mo\u2019. She \u2019low, \u2018Ol\u2019 honey\nlook like he dead, but he better be dead dan outer de fashion!\u2019\n\n\u201cI take notice, honey, dat you ain\u2019t use yo\u2019 hankcher yit. What de matter\nwid you? Is yo\u2019 weeps all dry up?\u201d\n\nThe child laughed and stuffed his handkerchief back in his pocket.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_She dremp dat Brer Rabbit wuz laughin\u2019 at \u2019er_\u201d]\n\n\n\n\nIX\n\nWHY THE TURKEY BUZZARD IS BALD-HEADED\n\n\n\u201cMother,\u201d said the little boy one day, \u201cdo you know why the turkey\nbuzzards are bald?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, no,\u201d replied the young mother, very much surprised. \u201cI didn\u2019t even\nknow they were bald. But why do you ask such a silly question?\u201d\n\n\u201cBecause Uncle Remus said you knew why they are bald.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou tell Uncle Remus,\u201d said the grandmother, laughing heartily, \u201cthat I\nsay he is an old rascal, and he had better behave himself.\u201d\n\nThe way of it was this: The little boy had been walking out in the\nfields with Uncle Remus, and had seen, away up in the sky, two or three\nturkey buzzards floating lazily along on motionless wings. From the\nfields they had gone into the woods, and in these woods they had found\nwhat Uncle Remus had said was a buzzard\u2019s nest. It was in a hollow tree,\nflat on the ground, and when they came near, the mother buzzard issued\nforth from the hollow, with such a hissing and flapping of wings that the\nlittle boy was frightened for a moment.\n\n\u201cGo on \u2019way fum here, you bald-headed ol\u2019 rapscallion; ef you don\u2019t I\u2019ll\ndo you wuss dan Brer Rabbit done you. Honey,\u201d he went on, turning to the\nchild, \u201cyou better put yo\u2019 hankcher ter yo\u2019 nose ef you gwineter look in\ndat nes\u2019, kaze ol\u2019 Miss Turkey Buzzard is a scandalious housekeeper.\u201d\n\nThe child did as he was bid, and, peeping in the nest, he saw two young\nones, as white as goslings. While he was peeping in he got a whiff of the\nodor of the buzzards, and turned and ran away from the place as hard as\nhe could. Uncle Remus followed suit, and hobbled away as fast as his legs\ncould carry him. When they were both out of range of the buzzard\u2019s nest,\nthey stopped and laughed at each other.\n\n\u201cYou nee\u2019nter be skeer\u2019d dat anything\u2019ll ketch you, honey. Dey ain\u2019t\nnothin\u2019 but a race-hoss got yo\u2019 gait. Why, ef I hadn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 been wid you,\nyou\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been home by now, kaze you\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 started when ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard\nfus flew out er dat hole.\u201d\n\nThe little boy made no denial, for he knew that what Uncle Remus said had\nmuch more than a grain of truth in it. Besides, he was thinking of other\nthings just then. He soon made known what it was. \u201cWhy did you call the\nbuzzard bald-headed, Uncle Remus?\u201d\n\n\u201cA mighty good reason,\u201d responded the old man. \u201cDey ain\u2019t no mo\u2019 got\nfedders on de top er der head dan you got ha\u2019r in de pa\u2019m er yo\u2019 han\u2019.\nYou ketch one un um, an\u2019 ef you kin hol\u2019 yo\u2019 breff long nuff ter look,\nyou\u2019ll see dat I\u2019m tellin\u2019 you de trufe. I ain\u2019t blamin\u2019 um fer dat,\nkaze dey got a mighty good reason fer bein\u2019 bal\u2019-headed. Dey\u2019s mighty\nfew folks dat know what de reason is, an\u2019 one un um is yo\u2019 ma. Ef you\u2019ll\nkinder coax \u2019er, I speck she\u2019ll tell you.\u201d\n\nThis was what led up to the question the child had asked his mother, and\nwas the occasion of the grandmother\u2019s laughing remark that Uncle Remus\nwas an old rascal.\n\nThe little boy gave Uncle Remus the full particulars the next time he\nsaw him. The old man laughed merrily when he heard that his Miss Sally\nhad called him an old rascal. \u201cTalk \u2019bout yo\u2019 smart wimmen folks!\u201d he\nexclaimed. \u201cDey ain\u2019t na\u2019er man in de worl\u2019 what kin hol\u2019 a candle ter\nyo\u2019 gran\u2019ma; an\u2019 des ez you see \u2019er now, dat des de way she been sence\nshe wuz a gal. She know what you gwineter say long \u2019fo\u2019 you kin git de\nwords out \u2019n yo\u2019 mouf; she kin look right thoo you an\u2019 tell you what you\nthinkin\u2019 \u2019bout. You may laugh all you wanter, but ef youer feelin\u2019 bad\nshe\u2019ll know it. When Miss Sally goes an\u2019 dies, dey won\u2019t be na\u2019er nudder\nsomebody fer ter take her place. Dey ain\u2019t no two ways \u2019bout dat.\u201d\n\n\u201cI think she is getting used to mother,\u201d the little boy remarked in his\nold-fashioned way--a way that was a source of constant amazement to Uncle\nRemus, who could hardly understand how a child could act and talk like\na grown person. He regarded the child with a puzzled look, and closed\nhis eyes with a sigh. The child had no idea that Uncle Remus was either\npuzzled or amazed, and so he harked back to the original problem. \u201cWhy is\nthe buzzard bald-headed?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cEf yo\u2019 ma an\u2019 yo\u2019 gran\u2019ma dunno,\u201d replied Uncle Remus, \u201cI speck I\u2019ll\nhatter tell you, an\u2019 de bes\u2019 way ter do dat is ter tell de tale dat de\nol\u2019 folks tol\u2019 der chillun. What make it mo\u2019 easy, is dat dey ain\u2019t\nnothin\u2019 er Brer Turkey Buzzard in it but his name. Ef he wuz in it\nhisse\u2019f, I don\u2019t speck you\u2019d stay long nuff fer ter hear me tell it.\u201d The\nchild laughed, for he remembered how he wanted to run away from the tree\nwhen old Mrs. Buzzard came flopping out. He laughed, but said nothing,\nand Uncle Remus resumed:\n\n\u201cDey wuz a time when Brer Rabbit live in one side uv a holler tree. One\nday whiles he wuz gwine pirootin\u2019 roun\u2019, ol\u2019 Miss Turkey Buzzard come\nknockin\u2019 at de do\u2019, an\u2019 when she don\u2019t hear nothin\u2019 she stuck \u2019er head\nin an\u2019 look roun\u2019. Ter see \u2019er den an\u2019 see \u2019er now you wouldn\u2019t know she\nwuz de same creetur. She had a fine top-knot on \u2019er head, bigger dan de\none on de freezlin\u2019 hen, which de win\u2019 done blow all her fedders de wrong\nway. Yasser, she had a fine top-knot, an\u2019 she \u2019uz purty good-lookin\u2019.\n\n\u201cWell, suh, she peeped in, she did, an\u2019 den she seed dat dey wa\u2019n\u2019t\nnobody in dar, needer Grandaddy Owl, ner Brer Polecat, ner Brer\nRattlesnake. She take an\u2019er look, an\u2019 den in she walked, an\u2019 made \u2019erself\nmighty much at home. It ain\u2019t take ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard long fer ter fix\nher nes\u2019, kaze she ain\u2019t want nothin\u2019 but five sticks an\u2019 a han\u2019ful er\nleaves. She went out an\u2019 fotch um in an\u2019 dar she wuz. She went right\nstraight ter housekeepin\u2019, kaze she ain\u2019t had ter put down no kyarpits,\nner straighten out no rugs, ner move de cheers roun\u2019, ner wash no dishes.\n\n\u201cWell, long todes night, er maybe a little later, Brer Rabbit come home,\nan\u2019 like he mos\u2019 allers done, he come a-laughin\u2019. He been projickin\u2019 wid\nsome er de yuther creeturs, an he wuz mighty pleased wid hisse\u2019f. When\nhe fus\u2019 come he ain\u2019t take no notice er ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard. He come in\na-laughin\u2019, an\u2019 he laugh twel he don\u2019t wanter laugh no mo\u2019. But bimeby\nhe \u2019gun ter take notice dat ever\u2019thing wa\u2019n\u2019t des like it use ter be. He\n\u2019low, \u2018Somebody done been here while I\u2019m gone, an\u2019 whoever \u2019twuz, is got\na mighty bad breff.\u2019 He keep still, kaze \u2019twuz mighty dark in de holler,\nbut he keep on wigglin\u2019 his nose an\u2019 tryin\u2019 ter sneeze. Bimeby, he say,\n\u2018I dunner who \u2019twuz; all I know, is dat he better go see de doctor.\u2019\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Long todes night, er maybe a little later, Brer Rabbit\ncome home_\u201d]\n\n\u201cDis \u2019uz too much fer ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard, an\u2019 she say, \u2018I thank you\nkin\u2019ly, Brer Rabbit! Youer in de way er makin\u2019 frien\u2019s wharsomever you\ngo!\u2019 Brer Rabbit, he jump mos\u2019 out \u2019n his skin, he wuz so skeer\u2019d. He\ncotch his breff an\u2019 sneeze, an\u2019 den he \u2019low, \u2018Heyo, Sis Buzzard! is dat\nyou? I thought you stayed in de trees. What win\u2019 blow you here, an\u2019 how\nis ol\u2019 Brer Buzzard?\u2019 She say, \u2018Oh, he\u2019s doin\u2019 ez well ez you kin speck\na man ter do; he\u2019s \u2019way fum home when he oughter be dar, an\u2019 when he\u2019s\ndar, he\u2019s in de way. Men folks is monstus tryin\u2019, Brer Rabbit; you know\ndat yo\u2019se\u2019f.\u2019 Brer Rabbit \u2019low, \u2018I ain\u2019t \u2019sputin\u2019 what you say, but when\nwimmen gits out er sorts, an\u2019 has de all-overs, ez you may say, de men\nfolks has ter b\u2019ar de brunt er der ailments. You kin put dat down fer a\nfack.\u2019\n\n\u201cDey went on dat a-way, \u2019sputin\u2019 \u2019bout de seck twel ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard\n\u2019gun ter git sleepy. She say, \u2018Brer Rabbit, ef you took mo\u2019 time for\nsleep, you\u2019d be lots better off.\u2019 Brer Rabbit \u2019low, \u2018Maybe so--maybe\nso, Sis Buzzard, but I can\u2019t help my habits. I\u2019m a light sleeper, but I\nwuz born so, an\u2019 if you so much ez move endurin\u2019 er de night I\u2019ll have\none eye open.\u2019 Ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard say, \u2018Ef dat\u2019s de case, Brer Rabbit,\nI\u2019ll thank you fer ter wake me ef you hear a snake crawlin\u2019. Dey ain\u2019t\nmany things I\u2019m afeard un, an\u2019 one uv um is a snake.\u2019 Brer Rabbit laugh\nhearty, an\u2019 low, \u2018Ef snakes wuz all dat trouble me, Sis Buzzard, I\u2019d be\nmo\u2019 dan happy. Many an\u2019 many\u2019s de time when I uv woke up an\u2019 foun\u2019 um\nquiled up in my britches laig.\u2019 Miss Buzzard, she sorter flutter her\nwings, an\u2019 say, \u2018Oh, hush, Brer Rabbit! you gi\u2019 me de creeps; you sho do.\u2019\n\n\u201cDat \u2019uz de fust night,\u201d said Uncle Remus, flinging away a quid of\ntobacco and taking a fresh one. \u201cBy de nex\u2019 day ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard had done\ntook up her \u2019bode an\u2019 lodgin\u2019 whar Brer Rabbit wuz livin\u2019 at. He ain\u2019t\nsay nothin\u2019, kaze he des waitin\u2019 de time when he kin play some kinder\nprank on her an\u2019 her fambly. All dat he need fer ter brace \u2019im up wuz\nter have a mighty strong stomach, an\u2019 he thank de Lord dat he got dat.\nTime went on, an\u2019 ez any kinder soun\u2019 egg will hatch ef you gi\u2019 it time,\nso ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard egg hatch, an\u2019 mos\u2019 \u2019fo\u2019 you know it, ef you ain\u2019t\nhatter live dar like Brer Rabbit, she hatch out her eggs an\u2019 have a pair\ner mighty likely chillun, ef you kin call Buzzards likely.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard wuz monstus proud er deze young uns_\u201d]\n\n\u201cOl\u2019 Miss Buzzard wuz monstus proud er deze young uns, an\u2019 de time come\nwhen she wuz hard put ter git um vittles. She\u2019d fly off an\u2019 dey\u2019d holler\nfer sump\u2019n ter eat when dey hear \u2019er come back, an\u2019 it got so atter\nwhile dat dey\u2019d hatter go hongry, dey wuz so ravenous. An\u2019 den she \u2019gun\nter look sideways at Brer Rabbit. He knew mighty well what she thinkin\u2019\n\u2019bout, but he ain\u2019t say nothin\u2019. He\u2019d come an\u2019 go des like ol\u2019 Miss\nBuzzard want in de back part er her head, but all de time, he know\u2019d what\nshe plannin\u2019 ter do, an\u2019 he ack accordin\u2019. He \u2019low ter ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard\ndat he know she wanter be kinder private when she raisin\u2019 a fambly, an\u2019\nez dey wuz two hollers in de tree, he say he gwinter make his home in de\nyuther one. Miss Buzzard, she say, she did, dat Brer Rabbit wuz mighty\ngood fer ter be thinkin\u2019 \u2019bout yuther people, but Brer Rabbit make a bow\nan\u2019 say he been raise dat a-way.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_He sot so still dat ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard got de idee dat he\ngone abroad_\u201d]\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Went off ter his laughin\u2019-place_\u201d]\n\n\u201cBut \u2019fo\u2019 Brer Rabbit went in de yuther holler he made sho dat dey wuz\nmo\u2019 dan one way er gittin\u2019 out. He went in dar, he did, an\u2019 scratch\nabout an\u2019 make a new bed, an\u2019 den he git in it fer ter git it warm. He\nset dar wid one eye open an\u2019 t\u2019er one shot. He sot so still dat ol\u2019 Miss\nBuzzard got de idee dat he gone abroad, an\u2019 so when her chillun cry fer\ndey dinner, she say, \u2018Don\u2019t cry, honey babies; mammy gwine ter git you a\ngood warm dinner \u2019fo\u2019 long, an\u2019 it\u2019ll be fresh meat, too, you kin \u2019pen\u2019\non dat.\u2019 De chillun, dey cry wuss at dis, kaze dey so hongry dey don\u2019t\nwanter wait a minnit. Dey say, \u2018Git it now, mammy! git it now!\u2019 Ol\u2019 Brer\nRabbit wuz settin\u2019 in dar lis\u2019nin\u2019, an\u2019 he \u2019low ter hisse\u2019f, \u2018It\u2019ll tas\u2019e\nmighty good when you does git it, honey babies!\u2019 Wid dat, he skip out fum\ndar, an\u2019 went off ter his laughin\u2019-place.\u201d\n\n\u201cAtter so long a time, ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard went \u2019roun\u2019 ter de yuther\nholler, an\u2019 peep in. Ef Brer Rabbit had \u2019a\u2019 been in dar, she wuz gwineter\nax \u2019im how he like his new house, but he wa\u2019n\u2019t dar, an\u2019 she hove a long\nbreff, kaze when you gwineter do mischief, it seem like eve\u2019ybody know\nwhat you gwineter do. Anyhow, she \u2019uz mighty glad dat Brer Rabbit wa\u2019n\u2019t\ndar fer ter look at \u2019er wid his pop-eyes. Den she tell her chillun dat\nshe gwine off atter some vittles, an\u2019 she flop \u2019er wings a time er two,\nan\u2019 off she flew\u2019d.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_She \u2019uz mighty glad dat Brer Rabbit wa\u2019n\u2019t dar_\u201d]\n\n\u201cDey got \u2019long tollable well dat day an\u2019 de nex\u2019 but \u2019twant long \u2019fo\u2019\nder craw \u2019gun ter feel like a win\u2019-bag, an\u2019 den dey set up a cry fer mo\u2019\nvittles, an\u2019 der mammy ain\u2019t got no vittles fer ter gi\u2019 um. Brer Rabbit\nwent abroad mighty soon dat day, an\u2019 atter he had his fill er fun an\u2019\nturnip greens he come home an\u2019 went ter bed. He went ter bed, he did,\nan\u2019 went ter sleep, but he ain\u2019t sleep long, kaze he hear some kinder\nnoise. He wake up, an\u2019 open an\u2019 shet his pop-eyes kinder slow, an\u2019 wiggle\nhis mouf an\u2019 nose. He kin hear ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard trompin\u2019 roun\u2019 at his\nfront door, kinder hummin\u2019 a chune ter herself. He say, \u2018Heyo, dar! who\ndat projickin\u2019 at my front do\u2019?\u2019 Ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard, she say, \u2018Take yo\u2019\nres\u2019, Brer Rabbit; \u2019tain\u2019t nobody but me. I got de idee dat some un wuz\npirootin\u2019 roun\u2019 de place, an\u2019 I des got up fer ter see dat everything wuz\nall right.\u2019\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_De mornin sun wuz shinin\u2019 thoo a knot-hole right in Brer\nRabbit\u2019s face_\u201d]\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit say, \u2018It\u2019s mighty dark in here,\u2019 an\u2019 \u2018A mighty good\nreason,\u2019 sez ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard, se\u2019she, \u2018kaze it\u2019s black night out here,\u2019\nse\u2019she; \u2018you can\u2019t see yo\u2019 han\u2019 befo\u2019 you,\u2019 se\u2019she. Dis make Brer Rabbit\nlaugh, kaze de mornin\u2019 sun wuz shinin\u2019 thoo a knot-hole right in Brer\nRabbit\u2019s face. He laugh an\u2019 \u2019low ter hisse\u2019f, \u2018Shoot yo\u2019 shekels, ol\u2019\n\u2019oman, an\u2019 shoot um hard, kaze youer gwineter git de rough een\u2019 er dis\nbusiness. You hear my horn!\u2019 He hear ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard walkin\u2019 roun\u2019 out\ndar, an\u2019 he holler out, \u2018I can\u2019t git out! I b\u2019lieve it\u2019s daytime out dar,\nan\u2019 I can\u2019t git out! Somebody better run here an\u2019 he\u2019p me ter git out.\nSome un done lock me in my own house, an\u2019 I can\u2019t git out! Ain\u2019t somebody\ngwineter run here an\u2019 turn me out! I can\u2019t git a breff er fresh a\u2019r.\u2019\n\n\u201cWell, ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard ain\u2019t got no mo\u2019 sense dan ter b\u2019lieve Brer\nRabbit, an\u2019 she wuz des certain an\u2019 sho dat he wuz her meat. She say,\n\u2018I\u2019m de one what shet you up in dar, an\u2019 I\u2019m gwine ter keep you in dar\ntwel youer done dead, an\u2019 den I\u2019ll pull de meat off\u2019n yo\u2019 bones, bofe\nfat an\u2019 lean, an\u2019 feed my chillun. I done got you shot up wid red clay\nan\u2019 white, an\u2019 I\u2019m gwineter keep you in dar bofe day an\u2019 night, twel you\nain\u2019t got no breff in you.\u2019 Wid dat she went in her own house an\u2019 sot\ndown wid \u2019er chillun fer ter wait an\u2019 see what gwineter happen. Brer\nRabbit he stay still fer de longes\u2019, kaze he one er de mos\u2019 fidgetty\ncreeturs you yever is lay yo\u2019 eyes on. He stay right still, he did,\ntwel ol\u2019 Miss Turkey Buzzard git tired er waitin\u2019 an\u2019 come out fer ter\npromenade up an\u2019 down \u2019fo\u2019 Brer Rabbit front do\u2019.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_She got de hot ashes over her head an\u2019 neck_\u201d]\n\n\u201cHe hear de ol\u2019 huzzy, an\u2019 he say, \u2018I know you des jokin\u2019 wid me, Sis\nBuzzard; please, ma\u2019am, le\u2019 me out. My breff gittin\u2019 shorter, an\u2019 dish\nyer an\u2019 what in here smell mos\u2019 ez bad ez what yo\u2019 breff do. Please,\nma\u2019am, make \u2019as\u2019e an\u2019 let me out.\u2019 Den she got mad. \u2018My breff, I hear you\nsay! Well, \u2019fo\u2019 I git thoo wid you, you won\u2019t have no breff--I prommus\nyou dat.\u2019 Atter ol\u2019 Miss Buzzard went back in her part er de house, Brer\nRabbit tuck a notion dat he\u2019d git out er dar, an\u2019 pay \u2019er back fer de ol\u2019\nan\u2019 de new. An\u2019 out er his back door he went. He ain\u2019t take time fer ter\ngo ter de laughin\u2019-place--no, suh! not him. Stidder dat he put off ter\nwhar he know\u2019d Mr. Man had been cle\u2019rin\u2019 up a new groun\u2019. Dey wuz a tin\nbucket what Mr. Man had done off an\u2019 forgot, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit tuck dat an\u2019\nfill it full er red-hot embers, an\u2019 went sailin\u2019 back home wid it.\n\n\u201cWhen he git dar, he stuck his head in Miss Buzzard do\u2019, an\u2019 low,\n\u2018Peep-eye, Sis Buzzard! I hope you done had yo\u2019 dinner ter day, an\u2019 ef\nyou ain\u2019t I got it right here fer you an\u2019 you mo\u2019 dan welcome ter all\ndat\u2019s in it.\u2019 He ain\u2019t mo\u2019 dan got de words out \u2019n his mouf, \u2019fo\u2019 ol\u2019\nMiss Buzzard flew\u2019d out at \u2019im des like she flew\u2019d out at you, de yuther\nday. She flew\u2019d out, she did, but she ain\u2019t flew\u2019d fur \u2019fo\u2019 she got de\nhot ashes over her head an\u2019 neck, an\u2019 de way she hopp\u2019d \u2019roun\u2019 wuz so\nscandalious dat folks calls dat kinder doin\u2019s de buzzard-dance down ter\ndis day an\u2019 time.\n\n\u201cSome er de ashes got on de little buzzards, an fum dat time on none\ner de buzzard tribe is had any ha\u2019r er fedders on der head, an\u2019 not much\non der neck. An\u2019 ef you look at um right close, you\u2019ll fin\u2019 dat I\u2019m \u2019a\u2019\ntellin\u2019 you de plain trufe. Dey look so ba\u2019r on der head an\u2019 neck dat you\nwanter gi\u2019 um a piece er rag fer to tie roun\u2019 it ter keep um fum ketchin\u2019\ncol\u2019.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nX\n\nBROTHER DEER AN\u2019 KING SUN\u2019S DAUGHTER\n\n\nIt is only fair to say that the little boy came to the plantation\nsomewhat prejudiced. His mother, had never known the advantages of\nassociation with the old-time negroes, and was a great stickler for\naccuracy of speech. She was very precise in the use of English and could\nnot abide the simple dialect in which the stories had been related to the\nlittle boy\u2019s father. She was so insistent in this matter that the child\u2019s\nfather, when asked for a story such as Uncle Remus had told him, thought\nit best to avoid the dialect that he knew so well. In consequence, the\nessence of the stories was dissipated for the child, and he lacked the\nenthusiasm which Uncle Remus had hoped to find.\n\nBut this enthusiasm came by degrees as Uncle Remus wandered from one\ntale to another. The child never told his mother how he enjoyed the\nstories, and yet he came to play the part that had been played by his\nfather long before he was born, and matters came to such a pass, that,\nif he was long with Uncle Remus without hearing a story, he straightway\nimagined that the old man was angry or out of sorts. The lad was gaining\nin health and strength every day he remained on the plantation, and in\nconsideration of this fact--and as the result of wise diplomacy of Uncle\nRemus--the child\u2019s mother relaxed the discipline that she had thought\nnecessary for his welfare, so that not many weeks elapsed before his\ncheeks became ruddy with health. Uncle Remus hailed him as a town rowdy,\nand declared that the plantation would soon be too small to hold him.\n\n\u201cI pity yo\u2019 gran\u2019ma,\u201d said Uncle Remus, \u201ckaze ef you stay roun\u2019 here,\nshe\u2019ll hatter buy all de \u2019j\u2019inin\u2019 plantations ef she gwineter keep you on\nher lan\u2019.\u201d\n\nThere was no more corn to be hauled, but there was harness to be mended,\nand the little boy, sitting on a high stool in the workshop, or leaning\nagainst Uncle Remus, watched the operation with great interest. He\nobserved one day that the old man was frowning darkly. His forehead was\npuckered into knots and seamed with wrinkles that did not belong there,\nand his eyebrows were drawn together over his nose.\n\n\u201cWhat is the matter with you, Uncle Remus? Are you angry, or are you\ngoing to cry?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ll tell you de trufe, honey. I\u2019m mighty nigh on de p\u2019int er cryin\u2019.\nYou see my face puckered up, don\u2019t you? Well, ef you had ez much on yo\u2019\nmin\u2019 ez what I got on mine, you\u2019d be boo-hooin\u2019 same ez a baby. I tell\nyou dat. An\u2019 des ter show you dat I\u2019m in deep trouble, I\u2019ll ax you ter\ntell me how many times dey is.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow many times? How many times what?\u201d the child inquired.\n\nUncle Remus regarded him sorrowfully, and then returned to his work\nwith a heavy sigh. \u201cDid I ax you \u2019bout what? No, I ain\u2019t; I ax\u2019d you\n\u2019bout times. I say ez plain ez writin\u2019: \u2018How many times is dey?\u2019 an\u2019 you\n\u2019spon\u2019, \u2018How many times what?\u2019 It look mighty funny ter me. Dar\u2019s daytime\nan\u2019 night-time, bedtime an\u2019 meal-time, an\u2019 some time an\u2019 no time, an\u2019\nhigh time an\u2019 fly time, an\u2019 long time an\u2019 wrong time, \u2019simmon time an\u2019\nplum time. Dey ain\u2019t no use er talkin\u2019; it\u2019s nuff fer ter make yo\u2019 head\nswim. I been tryin\u2019 fer ter count um up, but de mo\u2019 I count um up de mo\u2019\ndey is.\u201d\n\nThe little boy looked at the old man with a half-smile on his face. He\nwas plainly puzzled, but he didn\u2019t like to admit it even to himself. \u201cWhy\ndo you want to know how many times there are?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cKaze I wanter live an\u2019 l\u2019arn,\u201d replied Uncle Remus. \u201cLe\u2019 me see,\u201d he\nwent on, puckering his face again. \u201cDars de ol\u2019 time an\u2019 de new time, de\ncol\u2019 time an\u2019 de due time--bless yo\u2019 soul, honey, I can\u2019t count um up.\nNo, suh; you\u2019ll hatter skusen me!\u201d\n\nHe paused and looked at the little boy to see what the child could make\nout of all he had said.\n\nHe saw nothing in the small countenance but curiosity. \u201cWhat made you\nthink of it?\u201d was the question the child asked.\n\n\u201cMos\u2019 eve\u2019ything I see make me think \u2019bout it, an\u2019 you\u2019ll think \u2019bout\nit you\u2019se\u2019f, when you come ter be ol\u2019 ez what I is. But de reason it\nwuz runnin\u2019 in my head dis time wuz kaze I start ter tell a tale widout\nknowin\u2019 when de time wuz. I know it wuz \u2019way back yander, but de mont\u2019 er\nde year I can\u2019t tell, an\u2019 when I try ter fix on de time eve\u2019ything look\ndim an\u2019 smoky, an\u2019 I say ter myse\u2019f dat dey mus\u2019 be a fog in my mind.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan\u2019t you tell the story unless you can find out about the time?\u201d\ninquired the little boy.\n\n\u201cTooby sho\u2019 I kin, honey; but you\u2019d b\u2019lieve it lots quicker ef you know\u2019d\nwhat time it happen. \u2019Fo\u2019 yo\u2019 great-gran\u2019ma died she had a trunk full er\nollymenacks, an\u2019 I boun\u2019 you ef I had \u2019em here whar you could look at um,\nwe wouldn\u2019t have no trouble. I speck dey done got strow\u2019d about endurin\u2019\ner de war time.\n\n\u201cWell, anyhow, once \u2019pon a time, when dey wuz mighty few folks in de\nworl\u2019, ef any, Brer Deer fell in love wid ol\u2019 King Sun\u2019s daughter.\u201d\nHaving made this preliminary statement, Uncle Remus paused to see what\neffect it had on the child. Amazement and incredulity were written on\nthe little boy\u2019s face, observing which the old man smiled. \u201cYou nee\u2019nter\ngit de idee in yo\u2019 head dat ol\u2019 King Sun is like he wuz in dem days. No,\nbless you! He wuz des ez diffunt ez dem times wuz fum deze times, an\u2019\nwhen you git ter readin\u2019 in de books you\u2019ll fin\u2019 out what de diffunce\nwuz. He wuz closer by, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t hide out at night like he does now.\nHe wuz up in de sky, but he ain\u2019t live ez high up; he wuz mo\u2019 neighborly,\nez you may say.\n\n\u201cHe live so close by dat he useter sen\u2019 de house-gal down ter de spring\nfer drinkin\u2019-water. Three times a day she\u2019d come ter fetch it; she\u2019d\nclime down wid de bucket in her han\u2019 an\u2019 she\u2019d clime back wid de bucket\non her head, an\u2019 she\u2019d sing bofe ways, comin\u2019 an\u2019 gwine. In dem times\ndey all know\u2019d dat ol\u2019 King Sun had a daughter, but dey ain\u2019t know what\n\u2019er name is; an\u2019 dey know she wuz purty. Well, Brer Deer he hear talk un\n\u2019er, an\u2019 he tuck a notion dat he gwineter marry \u2019er, but he dunner how he\ngwineter git up dar whar she live at. He study an\u2019 study, but he can\u2019t\nfin\u2019 no way.\n\n\u201cHe was settin\u2019 down by de road studyin\u2019 out a plan fer ter git word ter\nde gal, when ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit come lopin\u2019 down de lane. He mus\u2019 a been\nplayin\u2019 hoss, kaze when he see Brer Deer, he shied an\u2019 sneezed, he did,\nan\u2019 make like he gwineter run away. But he ain\u2019t run. He pass de time\ner day wid Brer Deer an\u2019 ax \u2019im how his copperosity seem to segashuate.\nBrer Deer \u2019low dat his copperosity is segashuatin\u2019 all right, but he got\ntrouble in his min\u2019 an\u2019 he can\u2019t git it out. He looked mighty sollumcolly\nwhen he say dis, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit say he sorry.\n\n\u201cHe sot down, Brer Rabbit did, an\u2019 cross his legs, an\u2019 rub his chin same\nlike de doctor do when he gwineter slap a dose er bitter truck on yo\u2019\ninsides. He rub his chin, he did, an\u2019 look like he know all dey is fer\nter be know\u2019d. He say, \u2018Brer Deer, when I wuz growin\u2019 up I useter hear\nde ol\u2019 folks say dat a light heart made a long life, an\u2019 I b\u2019lieve um.\nI sho\u2019 does. Dey know\u2019d what dey wuz talkin\u2019 \u2019bout, kaze I done had de\nspeunce un it.\n\n\u201cBrer Deer shuck his head an\u2019 grieve. Ef he\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 had a hankcher, he\n\u2019a\u2019 had need un it right den an\u2019 dar, but he wink his eye fas\u2019 fer ter\ngit de tears out \u2019n um. He \u2019low, \u2018I speck youer tellin\u2019 me de trufe,\nBrer Rabbit, but I can\u2019t he\u2019p it ef you is. I am what I am, an\u2019 I can\u2019t\nbe no ammer. I feels mo\u2019 like cryin\u2019 dan I does like eatin\u2019, an\u2019 I\u2019m\ndat fractious dat I can\u2019t skacely see straight. Ol\u2019 Mr. Ram tol\u2019 me\nhowdy a while ago, an\u2019 I ain\u2019t done a thing but run at \u2019im an butt him\nslonchways. You nee\u2019nter tell me dat I ain\u2019t got no business fer ter do\ndat a-way; I des can\u2019t he\u2019p it.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit kinder edge hisse\u2019f away fum Brer Deer. He say, \u2018Dat bein\u2019\nde case, Brer Deer, I speck I better gi\u2019 you mo\u2019 room. When I lef\u2019\nhome dis mornin\u2019 my ol\u2019 \u2019oman \u2019low: \u201cYou better take keer er yo\u2019se\u2019f,\nhoney,\u201d an\u2019 I\u2019m gwineter do dat identual thing. I dunno dat I\u2019m skeered\ner gittin\u2019 hurted, but I\u2019m monstus ticklish when de horned creeturs is\nroun\u2019.\u2019 Brer Deer say: \u2018You nee\u2019nter be fear\u2019d er me, Brer Rabbit. I been\nknowin\u2019 you a long time, an\u2019 many\u2019s de night dat we bofe graze in de\nsame pastur\u2019, you a-nibblin\u2019 on de green grass an\u2019 me a-crappin\u2019 it. I\u2019m\nmonstus glad I run \u2019cross you, kaze ef I can\u2019t tell my troubles ter some\nun, I b\u2019lieve in my soul I\u2019ll bust wide open.\u2019\n\n\u201cWid dat Brer Deer went on fer ter tell Brer Rabbit dat he done fell\ndead in love wid ol\u2019 King Sun\u2019s daughter. He dunner how come it ter be\nso, but anyhow so it is. He ain\u2019t had no talk wid \u2019er; he ain\u2019t mo\u2019 dan\ncotch a glimp\u2019 er de gal, yet dar he wuz dead in love wid \u2019er. Brer\nRabbit mought laugh at \u2019im ef he wanter; he\u2019ll des set dar an\u2019 take it.\nHe talk an\u2019 talk, he did, twel Brer Rabbit got right sorry fer \u2019im. He\nsot dar, he did, an\u2019 study, an\u2019 he tell Brer Deer dat he\u2019ll he\u2019p \u2019im ef\nhe kin, an\u2019 he mos\u2019 know he kin.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Brer Deer went on fer ter tell Brer Rabbit_\u201d]\n\n\u201cBrer Deer raise his head, an\u2019 open his eyes. He say, \u2018Brer Rabbit, you\n\u2019stonish me--you sho\u2019 does. Ef you\u2019ll he\u2019p me out in dis, I\u2019ll stan\u2019 by\nyou thoo thick an\u2019 thin.\u2019 But Brer Rabbit say he ain\u2019t doin\u2019 it fer no\npay; he done lay by his crap, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t got nothin\u2019 much ter do, an\u2019\nhe say he\u2019ll he\u2019p Brer Deer des fer ter keep his han\u2019 in. Brer Deer look\nlike he wuz might\u2019ly holp up. Fust he smole a smile, an\u2019 den he broke out\nin a laugh. He say, \u2018Youer de man fer my money!\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit kinder wiggle his nose. He say, \u2018Ef you keep yo\u2019 money twel\nyou think you got too much, you\u2019ll have it by you fer many a long year\nter come.\u2019 Wid dat, he got up an\u2019 bresh de dus\u2019 off\u2019n his britches, an\u2019\nshuck han\u2019s wid Brer Deer. He say, \u2018I hope fer ter have some good news\nfer you de nex\u2019 time we meet in de big road.\u2019 He bowed, he did, an\u2019 den\noff he put, lippity-clip. He look back fer ter see ef Brer Deer wuz\nfollerin\u2019 \u2019im, but Brer Deer had sense \u2019nuff fer ter hunt \u2019im a cool\nplace in de woods, whar he kin take de fust nap what he had in many a\nnight an\u2019 day.\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit lope off todes de spring, kaze he know\u2019d dat de spring wuz\nde place whar King Sun\u2019s house-gal come atter water--an\u2019 she hatter tote\na mighty heap un it. It look like de mo\u2019 water what King Sun drunk de\nmo\u2019 he want, an\u2019 dat bein\u2019 de case, de gal had \u2019bout ez much totin\u2019 ez\nshe kin do. Brer Rabbit went down ter de spring, but dey wa\u2019n\u2019t nobody\ndar, an\u2019 he look in it an\u2019 see hisse\u2019f in de water. Dar he wuz, his ha\u2019r\nall comb, his face clean, an\u2019 he look slicker dan sin. He laugh, he\ndid, an\u2019 say ter de Rabbit what he see in de water, \u2018You sho\u2019 is mighty\ngood-lookin\u2019, whoever you is, an\u2019 ef you blame anybody, don\u2019t blame me,\nkaze I can\u2019t he\u2019p it.\u2019\n\n\u201cNow, down at de bottom er de spring wuz ol\u2019 man Spring Lizzard. He wuz\ntakin\u2019 his mornin\u2019 nap, when we hear some un talkin\u2019. He raise up, he\ndid, an\u2019 lissen; den he look an\u2019 see Brer Rabbit lookin\u2019 at hisse\u2019f in\nde water, an\u2019 he holler out, \u2018Maybe you ain\u2019t ez good-lookin\u2019 ez you\nthink you is.\u2019 Brer Rabbit holler back, \u2018Hello, dar! dis is de fus time I\nknow\u2019d dat yo\u2019 shadder in de water kin talk back at you.\u2019\n\n\u201cWid dat, Mr. Spring Lizzard come fum under de green moss, an\u2019 float ter\nde top er de water. He pass de time er day wid Brer Rabbit, an\u2019 ax \u2019im\nwhar he gwine, an\u2019 what he gwine ter do when he git dar. Brer Rabbit \u2019low\ndat he tryin\u2019 fer ter do a good turn ter a frien\u2019 what\u2019s in trouble an\u2019\nden he went on an\u2019 tol\u2019 de ol\u2019 Spring Lizzard \u2019bout Brer Deer an\u2019 King\nSun\u2019s daughter. De Spring Lizzard say she\u2019s a mighty likely gal, kaze\nhe seed her one time when she slip off an\u2019 come wid de house-gal atter\nwater. He say she got long ha\u2019r dat look like spun silk, an\u2019 eyes dat\nshine like de mornin\u2019 star.\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit say he don\u2019t \u2019spute it, but what he wanter know is how he\nkin git word ter King Sun \u2019bout Brer Deer. De Spring Lizzard say dat\u2019s\neasy. He say dat when de house-gal come atter water, she hatter let down\nde step-ladder, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit kin slip by \u2019er an\u2019 go up, er he hisse\u2019f\nkin git in de bucket an\u2019 go up. Brer Rabbit say he kinder jub\u2019us \u2019bout\ngwine, kaze he\u2019s a kinder home body, an\u2019 den de Spring Lizzard \u2019low dat\nef Brer Deer will write a note, he\u2019ll take it.\n\n\u201cWell, Brer Deer can\u2019t write an\u2019 Brer Rabbit kin; so dey fix it up\n\u2019twix\u2019 um, an\u2019 \u2019twant long \u2019fo\u2019 dey had de note writ, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit\ntuck it an\u2019 gi\u2019 it ter de Spring Lizzard. He say, \u2018Don\u2019t let it git wet,\nwhatever you does,\u2019 and de Spring Lizzard ax how it gwineter git wet when\nhe put it in his pocket? He say dat eve\u2019ybody but him, de fishes an\u2019 de\nfrogs got a wrong idee \u2019bout water, kaze \u2019tain\u2019t wet ez it mought be,\n\u2019ceppin\u2019 on a rainy day.\n\n\u201cTime went on des like it do now; night swung by an\u2019 day swung in, an\u2019\nhere come King Sun\u2019s house-gal atter a bucket er water. She let down de\nstep-ladder an\u2019 come singin\u2019 ter de spring. She drapped her bucket in,\nan\u2019 de Spring Lizzard stepped in, an\u2019 crope roun\u2019 ter whar de shadder\nwuz de heaviest. De gal clomb up de step-ladder, an\u2019 pulled it atter\nher, an\u2019 went \u2019long de path ter King Sun\u2019s house. She took de water in\nde settin\u2019-room fer ter gi\u2019 King Sun a fresh drink, an\u2019 he grabbed up de\ngourd an\u2019 drunk an\u2019 drunk twel it look like he gwineter bust. Atter dat\nhe went in de liberry, an\u2019 de Spring Lizzard crope out an\u2019 lef\u2019 Brer Deer\nnote on de table, an\u2019 den he crope back in de bucket.\n\n\u201cAtter while, King Sun\u2019s daughter come bouncin\u2019 in de room atter a\ndrink er water, an\u2019 she see de note. She grab it up an\u2019 read it, an\u2019 den\nshe holler: \u2018Pa, oh, pa! here\u2019s a letter fer you, an\u2019 I mos\u2019 know dey\u2019s\nsump\u2019n in it \u2019bout me! La! I dunner who \u2019tis dat\u2019s got de impidence fer\nter put my name in a letter.\u2019 Ol\u2019 King Sun run his fingers thoo his\nbeard, des like he combin\u2019 it, an\u2019 den he cle\u2019r up his thoat. He take\nde letter an\u2019 hol\u2019 it off fum \u2019im, an\u2019 den put on his specks. He \u2019low,\n\u2018Well, well, well! who\u2019d a thunk it?\u2019 an\u2019 den he look at his daughter.\nShe look at de flo\u2019 an\u2019 pat \u2019er foot. He say, \u2018I ain\u2019t never hear er sech\nimpidence.\u2019 De gal \u2019low, \u2018What do he say, pa?\u2019 Wid dat, he han\u2019 \u2019er de\nletter, an\u2019 when she read it, she got red in de face, an\u2019 den she got\nwhite. She think one way, an\u2019 den she think an\u2019er. She got mad an\u2019 she\ngot glad, an\u2019 den she had de all-overs, des like gals does deze days when\nsome un ax um fer ter have um.\n\n\u201cSo den, dar \u2019twuz; Brer Deer want ter marry de gal, an\u2019 de gal dunner\nwhedder she wanter marry er not. Den ol\u2019 King Sun got his pen, an\u2019 put a\nlittle water in de ink, kaze it wuz mighty nigh dried up, an\u2019 den he writ\na letter back ter Brer Deer. He say dat ef de one what writ de letter\nwill sen\u2019 \u2019im a bag er gold, he kin have de gal. He fol\u2019 de letter up an\u2019\nhan\u2019 it ter de gal, an\u2019 she not knowin\u2019 what else ter do, tuck an\u2019 put it\non de table whar she fin\u2019 de yuther one.\n\n\u201cDe Spring Lizzard had his eye on \u2019er, an\u2019 when she went out\u2019n de room,\nhe clomb up on de table an\u2019 got de letter, an\u2019 went back in de bucket\nag\u2019in. Dat evenin\u2019 de house-gal hatter fetch water fer de night, an\u2019 she\nlet down de step-ladder an\u2019 went ter de spring. When she dip de bucket\nin, de Spring Lizzard, he slide out, an\u2019 went ter his bed un\u2019 de long\ngreen moss. \u2019Twant long \u2019fo\u2019 Brer Rabbit had de letter, an\u2019 atter dat,\n\u2019twant no time \u2019fo\u2019 Brer Deer know\u2019d what de intents wuz. \u2019Twix\u2019 an\u2019\n\u2019twen um dey got up a bag er gold, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit tuck it ter de spring\nwhar de house-gal got water.\n\n\u201cDe nex\u2019 mornin\u2019 de daughter come \u2019erse\u2019f, kaze she wanter see what\nkinder man Brer Deer is. At de spring she fin\u2019 a bag er gold. She clap\n\u2019er han\u2019s an\u2019 holler out: \u2018Look what I fin\u2019--fin\u2019, fin\u2019, fin\u2019y! It\u2019s\nmin\u2019--min\u2019, min\u2019, min\u2019y!\u2019 Brer Rabbit wuz settin\u2019 in de bushes, an\u2019 Brer\nDeer wa\u2019n\u2019t fur off, an\u2019 dey bofe watch de gal a-prancin\u2019 an\u2019 dancin\u2019;\nan\u2019 den, bimeby Brer Deer went out whar she kin see \u2019im, an\u2019 he des walk\nup ter \u2019er an\u2019 say, \u2018Look what I fin\u2019; honey, youer mine!\u2019 An\u2019 dat \u2019uz de\nway Brer Deer got ol\u2019 King Sun\u2019s daughter.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nXI\n\nBROTHER RABBIT\u2019S CRADLE\n\n\n\u201cI wish you\u2019d tell me what you tote a hankcher fer,\u201d remarked Uncle\nRemus, after he had reflected over the matter a little while.\n\n\u201cWhy, to keep my mouth clean,\u201d answered the little boy.\n\nUncle Remus looked at the lad, and shook his head doubtfully. \u201cUh-uh!\u201d\nhe exclaimed. \u201cYou can\u2019t fool folks when dey git ez ol\u2019 what I is. I been\nwatchin\u2019 you now mo\u2019 days dan I kin count, an\u2019 I ain\u2019t never see yo\u2019 mouf\ndirty \u2019nuff fer ter be wiped wid a hankcher. It\u2019s allers clean--too clean\nter suit me. Dar\u2019s yo\u2019 pa, now; when he wuz a little chap like you, his\nmouf useter git dirty in de mornin\u2019 an\u2019 stay dirty plum twel night. Dey\nwa\u2019 sca\u2019cely a day dat he didn\u2019t look like he been playin\u2019 wid de pigs in\nde stable lot. Ef he yever is tote a hankcher, he ain\u2019t never show it ter\nme.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe carries one now,\u201d remarked the little boy with something like a\ntriumphant look on his face.\n\n\u201cTooby sho\u2019,\u201d said Uncle Remus; \u201ctooby sho\u2019 he do. He start ter totin\u2019\none when he tuck an\u2019 tuck a notion fer ter go a-courtin\u2019. It had his name\nin one cornder, an\u2019 he useter sprinkle it wid stuff out\u2019n a pepper-sauce\nbottle. It sho\u2019 wuz rank, dat stuff wuz; it smell so sweet it make you\nfergit whar you live at. I take notice dat you ain\u2019t got none on yone.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo; mother says that cologne or any kind of perfumery on your\nhandkerchief makes you common.\u201d\n\nUncle Remus leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and permitted a\nheartrending groan to issue from his lips. The little boy showed enough\nanxiety to ask him what the matter was. \u201cNothin\u2019 much, honey; I wuz des\ntryin\u2019 fer ter count how many diffunt kinder people dey is in dis big\nworl\u2019, an\u2019 \u2019fo\u2019 I got mo\u2019 dan half done wid my countin\u2019, a pain struck me\nin my mizry, an\u2019 I had ter break off.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know what you mean,\u201d said the child. \u201cYou think mother is queer;\ngrandmother thinks so too.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow come you ter be so wise, honey?\u201d Uncle Remus inquired, opening his\neyes wide with astonishment.\n\n\u201cI know by the way you talk, and by the way grandmother looks sometimes,\u201d\nanswered the little boy.\n\nUncle Remus said nothing for some time. When he did speak, it was to\nlead the little boy to believe that he had been all the time engaged in\nthinking about something else. \u201cTalkin\u2019 er dirty folks,\u201d he said, \u201cyou\noughter seed yo\u2019 pa when he wuz a little bit er chap. Dey wuz long days\nwhen you couldn\u2019t tell ef he wuz black er white, he wuz dat dirty. He\u2019d\ncome out\u2019n de big house in de mornin\u2019 ez clean ez a new pin, an\u2019 \u2019fo\u2019 ten\ner-clock you couldn\u2019t tell what kinder clof his cloze wuz made out\u2019n.\nMany\u2019s de day when I\u2019ve seed ol\u2019 Miss--dat\u2019s yo\u2019 great-gran\u2019mammy--comb\n\u2019nuff trash out\u2019n his head fer ter fill a basket.\u201d\n\nThe little boy laughed at the picture that Uncle Remus drew of his\nfather. \u201cHe\u2019s very clean now,\u201d said the lad loyally.\n\n\u201cMaybe he is an\u2019 maybe he ain\u2019t,\u201d remarked Uncle Remus, suggesting a\ndoubt. \u201cDat\u2019s needer here ner dar. Is he any better off clean dan what he\nwuz when you couldn\u2019t put yo\u2019 han\u2019s on \u2019im widout havin\u2019 ter go an\u2019 wash\num? Yo\u2019 gran\u2019mammy useter call \u2019im a pig, an\u2019 clean ez he may be now, I\ntake notice dat he makes mo\u2019 complaint er headache an\u2019 de heartburn dan\nwhat he done when he wuz runnin\u2019 roun\u2019 here half-naked an\u2019 full er mud. I\nhear tell dat some nights he can\u2019t git no sleep, but when he wuz little\nlike you--no, suh, I\u2019ll not say dat, bekaze he wuz bigger dan what you\nis fum de time he kin toddle roun\u2019 widout nobody he\u2019pin\u2019 him; but when\nhe wuz ol\u2019 ez you an\u2019 twice ez big, dey ain\u2019t narry night dat he can\u2019t\nsleep--an\u2019 not only all night, but half de day ef dey\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 let \u2019im. Dey\nought ter let you run roun\u2019 here like he done, an\u2019 git dirty. Dey ain\u2019t\nnothin\u2019 mo\u2019 wholesomer dan a peck er two er clean dirt on a little chap\nlike you.\u201d\n\nThere is no telling what comment the child would have made on this\nsincere tribute to clean dirt, for his attention was suddenly attracted\nto something that was gradually taking shape in the hands of Uncle Remus.\nAt first it seemed to be hardly worthy of notice, for it had been only a\nthin piece of board. But now the one piece had become four pieces, two\nlong and two short, and under the deft manipulations of Uncle Remus it\nsoon assumed a boxlike shape.\n\nThe old man had reached the point of his work where silence was necessary\nto enable him to do it full justice. As he fitted the thin boards\ntogether, a whistling sound issued from his lips, as though he were\nletting off steam; but the singular noise was due to the fact that he\nwas completely absorbed in his work. He continued to fit and trim, and\ntrim and fit, until finally the little boy could no longer restrain his\ncuriosity. \u201cUncle Remus, what are you making?\u201d he asked plaintively.\n\n\u201cLarroes fer ter kech meddlers,\u201d was the prompt and blunt reply.\n\n\u201cWell, what are larroes to catch meddlers?\u201d the child insisted.\n\n\u201cNothin\u2019 much an\u2019 sump\u2019n mo\u2019. Dicky, Dicky, killt a chicky, an\u2019 fried it\nquicky, in de oven, like a sloven. Den ter his daddy\u2019s Sunday hat, he\ntuck \u2019n\u2019 hitched de ol\u2019 black cat. Now what you reckon make him do dat?\nEf you can\u2019t tell me word fer word an\u2019 spellin\u2019 fer spellin\u2019 we\u2019ll go out\nan\u2019 come in an\u2019 take a walk.\u201d\n\nHe rose, grunting as he did so, thus paying an unintentional tribute to\nthe efficacy of age as the partner of rheumatic aches and stiff joints.\n\u201cYou hear me gruntin\u2019,\u201d he remarked--\u201cwell, dat\u2019s bekaze I ain\u2019t de\nchicky fried by Dicky, which he e\u2019t \u2019nuff fer ter make \u2019im sicky.\u201d As he\nwent out the child took his hand, and went trotting along by his side,\nthus affording an interesting study for those who concern themselves with\nthe extremes of life. Hand in hand the two went out into the fields, and\nthence into the great woods, where Uncle Remus, after searching about for\nsome time, carefully deposited his oblong box, remarking: \u201cEf I don\u2019t\nmake no mistakes, dis ain\u2019t so mighty fur fum de place whar de creeturs\nhas der playgroun\u2019, an\u2019 dey ain\u2019t no tellin\u2019 but what one un um\u2019ll creep\nin dar when deyer playin\u2019 hidin\u2019, an\u2019 ef he do, he\u2019ll sho\u2019 be our meat.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, it\u2019s a trap!\u201d exclaimed the little boy, his face lighting up with\nenthusiasm.\n\n\u201cAn\u2019 dey wa\u2019n\u2019t nobody here fer ter tell you!\u201d Uncle Remus declared,\nastonishment in his tone. \u201cWell, ef dat don\u2019t bang my time, I ain\u2019t no\nfree nigger. Now, ef dat had \u2019a\u2019 been yo\u2019 pa at de same age, I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 had\nter tel \u2019im forty-lev\u2019m times, an\u2019 den he wouldn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 b\u2019lieved me twel\nhe see sump\u2019in in dar tryin\u2019 fer ter git out. Den he\u2019d say it wuz a trap,\nbut not befo\u2019. I ain\u2019t blamin\u2019 \u2019im,\u201d Uncle Remus went on, \u201ckaze \u2019tain\u2019t\neve\u2019y chap dat kin tell a trap time he see it, an\u2019 mo\u2019 dan dat, traps\ndon\u2019 allers ketch what dey er sot fer.\u201d\n\nHe paused, looked all around, and up in the sky, where fleecy clouds\nwere floating lazily along, and in the tops of the trees, where the\nfoliage was swaying gently in the breeze. Then he looked at the little\nboy. \u201cEf I ain\u2019t gone an\u2019 got los\u2019,\u201d he said, \u201cain\u2019t so mighty fur fum de\nplace whar Mr. Man, once \u2019pon a time--not yo\u2019 time ner yit my time, but\nsome time--tuck \u2019n\u2019 sot a trap fer Brer Rabbit. In dem days, dey hadn\u2019t\nl\u2019arnt how to be kyarpenters, an\u2019 dish yer trap what I\u2019m tellin\u2019 you\n\u2019bout wuz a great big contraption. Big ez Brer Rabbit wuz, it wuz lots\ntoo big fer him.\n\n\u201cNow, whiles Mr. Man wuz fixin\u2019 up dis trap, Mr. Rabbit wa\u2019n\u2019t so mighty\nfur off. He hear de saw--er-rash! er-rash!--an\u2019 he hear de hammer--bang,\nbang, bang!--an\u2019 he ax hisse\u2019f what all dis racket wuz \u2019bout. He see Mr.\nMan come out\u2019n his yard totin\u2019 sump\u2019n, an\u2019 he got furder off; he see Mr.\nMan comin\u2019 todes de bushes, an\u2019 he tuck ter de woods; he see \u2019im comin\u2019\ntodes de woods, an\u2019 he tuck ter de bushes. Mr. Man tote de trap so fur\nan\u2019 no furder. He put it down, he did, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit watch \u2019im; he put\nin de bait, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit watch \u2019im; he fix de trigger, an\u2019 still Brer\nRabbit watch \u2019im. Mr. Man look at de trap an\u2019 it satchify him. He look at\nit an\u2019 laugh, an\u2019 when he do dat, Brer Rabbit wunk one eye, an\u2019 wiggle\nhis mustache, an\u2019 chaw his cud.\n\n\u201cAn\u2019 dat ain\u2019t all he do, needer. He sot out in de bushes, he did, an\u2019\nstudy how ter git some game in de trap. He study so hard, an\u2019 he got so\nerrytated, dat he thumped his behime foot on de groun\u2019 twel it soun\u2019\nlike a cow dancin\u2019 out dar in de bushes, but \u2019twant no cow, ner yit no\ncalf--\u2019twuz des Brer Rabbit studyin\u2019. Atter so long a time, he put out\ndown de road todes dat part er de country whar mos\u2019 er de creeturs live\nat. Eve\u2019y time he hear a fuss, he\u2019d dodge in de bushes, kaze he wanter\nsee who comin\u2019. He keep on an\u2019 he keep on, an\u2019 bimeby he hear ol\u2019 Brer\nWolf trottin\u2019 down de road.\n\n\u201cIt so happen dat Brer Wolf wuz de ve\u2019y one what Brer Rabbit wanter\nsee. Dey was perlite ter one an\u2019er, but dey wa\u2019n\u2019t no frien\u2019ly feelin\u2019\n\u2019twixt um. Well, here come ol\u2019 Brer Wolf, hongrier dan a chicken-hawk on\na frosty mornin\u2019, an\u2019 ez he come up he see Brer Rabbit settin\u2019 by de side\ner de road lookin\u2019 like he done los\u2019 all his fambly an\u2019 his friends ter\nboot.\n\n\u201cDey pass de time er day, an\u2019 den Brer Wolf kinder grin an\u2019 say,\n\u2018Laws-a-massy, Brer Rabbit, what ail you? You look like you done had\na spell er fever an\u2019 ague; what de trouble?\u2019 \u2018Trouble, Brer Wolf? You\nain\u2019t never see no trouble twel you git whar I\u2019m at. Maybe you wouldn\u2019t\nmin\u2019 it like I does, kaze I ain\u2019t usen ter it. But I boun\u2019 you done seed\nme light-minded fer de las\u2019 time. I\u2019m done--I\u2019m plum wo\u2019 out,\u2019 sez Brer\nRabbit, sezee. Dis make Brer Wolf open his eyes wide. He say, \u2018Dis de\nfus time I ever is hear you talk dat a-way, Brer Rabbit; take yo\u2019 time\nan\u2019 tell me \u2019bout it. I ain\u2019t had my brekkus yit, but dat don\u2019t make no\ndiffunce, long ez youer in trouble. I\u2019ll he\u2019p you out ef I kin, an\u2019 mo\u2019\ndan dat, I\u2019ll put some heart in de work.\u2019 When he say dis, he grin an\u2019\nshow his tushes, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit kinder edge \u2019way fum \u2019im. He say, \u2018Tell\nme de trouble, Brer Rabbit, an\u2019 I\u2019ll do my level bes\u2019 fer ter he\u2019p you\nout.\u2019\n\n\u201cWid dat, Brer Rabbit \u2019low dat Mr. Man done been hire him fer ter take\nkeer er his truck patch, an\u2019 keep out de minks, de mush-rats, an\u2019 de\nweasels. He say dat he done so well settin\u2019 up night atter night, when\nhe des might ez well been in bed, dat Mr. Man prommus \u2019im sump\u2019n extry\n\u2019sides de mess er greens what he gun \u2019im eve\u2019y day. Atter so long a time,\nhe say, Mr. Man \u2019low dat he gwineter make \u2019im a present uv a cradle so he\nkin rock de little Rabs ter sleep when dey cry. So said, so done, he say.\nMr. Man make de cradle an\u2019 tell Brer Rabbit he kin take it home wid\u2019 im.\nHe start out wid it, he say, but it got so heavy he hatter set it down in\nde woods, an\u2019 dat\u2019s de reason why Brer Wolf seed \u2019im settin\u2019 down by de\nside er de road, lookin\u2019 like he in deep trouble. Brer Wolf sot down, he\ndid, an\u2019 study, an\u2019 bimeby he say he\u2019d like mighty well fer ter have a\ncradle fer his chillun, long ez cradles wuz de style. Brer Rabbit say dey\nbeen de style fer de longest, an\u2019 ez fer Brer Wolf wantin\u2019 one, he say he\nkin have de one what Mr. Man make fer him, kaze it\u2019s lots too big fer his\nchillun. \u2018You know how folks is,\u2019 sez Brer Rabbit, sezee. \u2018Dey try ter do\nwhat dey dunner how ter do, an\u2019 dar\u2019s der house bigger dan a barn, an\u2019\ndar\u2019s de fence wid mo\u2019 holes in it dan what dey is in a saine, an\u2019 kaze\ndey have great big chillun dey got de idee dat eve\u2019y cradle what dey make\nmus\u2019 fit der own chillun. An\u2019 dat\u2019s how come I can\u2019t tote de cradle what\nMr. Man make fer me mo\u2019 dan ten steps at a time.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Wolf ax Brer Rabbit what he gwineter do fer a cradle, an\u2019 Brer\nRabbit \u2019low he kin manage fer ter git long wid de ol\u2019 one twel he kin\n\u2019suade Mr. Man ter make \u2019im an\u2019er one, an\u2019 he don\u2019t speck dat\u2019ll be so\nmighty hard ter do. Brer Wolf can\u2019t he\u2019p but b\u2019lieve dey\u2019s some trick in\nit, an\u2019 he say he ain\u2019t see de ol\u2019 cradle when las\u2019 he wuz at Brer Rabbit\nhouse. Wid dat, Brer Rabbit bust out laughin\u2019. He say, \u2018Dat\u2019s been so\nlong back, Brer Wolf, dat I done fergit all \u2019bout it; \u2019sides dat, ef dey\nwuz a cradle dar, I boun\u2019 you my ol\u2019 \u2019oman got better sense dan ter set\nit in de parler, whar comp\u2019ny comes; an\u2019 he laugh so loud an\u2019 long dat he\nmake Brer Wolf right shame er himse\u2019f.\n\n\u201cHe \u2019low, ol\u2019 Brer Wolf did, \u2018Come on, Brer Rabbit, an\u2019 show me whar de\ncradle is. Ef it\u2019s too big fer yo\u2019 chillun, it\u2019ll des \u2019bout fit mine.\u2019\nAn\u2019 so off dey put ter whar Mr. Man done sot his trap. \u2019Twant so mighty\nlong \u2019fo\u2019 dey got whar dey wuz gwine, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit say, \u2018Brer Wolf,\ndar yo\u2019 cradle, an\u2019 may it do you mo\u2019 good dan it\u2019s yever done me!\u2019 Brer\nWolf walk all roun\u2019 de trap an\u2019 look at it like \u2019twuz live. Brer Rabbit\nthump one er his behime foots on de groun\u2019 an\u2019 Brer Wolf jump like some\nun done shot a gun right at \u2019im. Dis make Brer Rabbit laugh twel he can\u2019t\nlaugh no mo\u2019. Brer Wolf, he say he kinder nervious \u2019bout dat time er de\nyear, an\u2019 de leas\u2019 little bit er noise\u2019ll make \u2019im jump. He ax how he\ngwineter git any purchis on de cradle, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit say he\u2019ll hatter\ngit inside an\u2019 walk wid it on his back, kaze dat de way he done done.\n\n\u201cBrer Wolf ax what all dem contraptions on de inside is, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit\n\u2019spon\u2019 dat dey er de rockers, an\u2019 dey ain\u2019t no needs fer ter be skeer\u2019d\nun um, kaze dey ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 but plain wood. Brer Wolf say he ain\u2019t\n\u2019zackly skeer\u2019d, but he done got ter de p\u2019int whar he know dat you better\nlook \u2019fo\u2019 you jump. Brer Rabbit \u2019low dat ef dey\u2019s any jumpin\u2019 fer ter\nbe done, he de one ter do it, an\u2019 he talk like he done fergit what dey\ncome fer. Brer Wolf, he fool an\u2019 fumble roun\u2019, but bimeby he walk in de\ncradle, sprung de trigger, an\u2019 dar he wuz! Brer Rabbit, he holler out,\n\u2018Come on, Brer Wolf; des hump yo\u2019se\u2019f, an\u2019 I\u2019ll be wid you.\u2019 But try ez\nhe will an\u2019 grunt ez he may, Brer Wolf can\u2019t budge dat trap. Bimeby Brer\nRabbit git tired er waitin\u2019 an\u2019 he say dat ef Brer Wolf ain\u2019t gwineter\ncome on he\u2019s gwine home. He \u2019low dat a frien\u2019 what say he gwineter he\u2019p\nyou, an\u2019 den go in a cradle an\u2019 drap off ter sleep, dat\u2019s all he wanter\nknow \u2019bout um; an\u2019 wid dat he made fer de bushes, an\u2019 he wa\u2019n\u2019t a minnit\ntoo soon, kaze here come Mr. Man fer ter see ef his trap had been sprung.\nHe look, he did, an\u2019 sho\u2019 nuff, it \u2019uz sprung, an\u2019 dey wuz sump\u2019n in dar,\ntoo, kaze he kin hear it rustlin\u2019 roun\u2019 an\u2019 kickin\u2019 fer ter git out.\n\n\u201cMr. Man look thoo de crack, an\u2019 he see Brer Wolf, which he wuz so\nskeer\u2019d twel his eye look right green. Mr. Man say, \u2018Aha! I got you, is\nI?\u2019 Brer Wolf say, \u2018Who?\u2019 Mr. Man laugh twel he can\u2019t sca\u2019cely talk, an\u2019\nstill Brer Wolf say, \u2018Who? Who you think you got?\u2019 Mr. Man \u2019low, \u2018I don\u2019t\nthink, I knows. Youer ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit, dat\u2019s who you is.\u2019 Brer Wolf say,\n\u2018Turn me outer here, an\u2019 I\u2019ll show you who I is.\u2019 Mr. Man laugh fit ter\nkill. He \u2019low, \u2018You neenter change yo\u2019 voice; I\u2019d know you ef I met you\nin de dark. Youer Brer Rabbit, dat\u2019s who you is.\u2019 Brer Wolf say, \u2018I ain\u2019t\nnot; dat\u2019s what I\u2019m not!\u2019\n\n\u201cMr. Man look thoo de crack ag\u2019in, an\u2019 he see de short years. He \u2019low,\n\u2018You done cut off yo\u2019 long years, but still I knows you. Oh, yes! an\u2019 you\ndone sharpen yo\u2019 mouf an\u2019 put smut on it--but you can\u2019t fool me.\u2019 Brer\nWolf say, \u2018Nobody ain\u2019t tryin\u2019 fer ter fool you. Look at my fine long\nbushy tail.\u2019 Mr. Man \u2019low, \u2018You done tied an\u2019er tail on behime you, but\nyou can\u2019t fool me. Oh, no, Brer Rabbit! You can\u2019t fool me.\u2019 Brer Wolf\nsay, \u2018Look at de ha\u2019r on my back; do dat look like Brer Rabbit?\u2019 Mr. Man\n\u2019low, \u2018You done wallered in de red san\u2019, but you can\u2019t fool me.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Wolf say, \u2018Look at my long black legs; do dey look like Brer\nRabbit?\u2019 Mr. Man \u2019low, \u2018You kin put an\u2019er j\u2019int in yo\u2019 legs, an\u2019 you kin\nsmut um, but you can\u2019t fool me.\u2019 Brer Wolf say, \u2018Look at my tushes; does\ndey look like Brer Rabbit?\u2019 Mr. Man \u2019low, \u2018You done got new toofies, but\nyou can\u2019t fool me.\u2019 Brer Wolf say, \u2018Look at my little eyes; does dey\nlook like Brer Rabbit?\u2019 Mr. Man \u2019low, \u2018You kin squinch yo\u2019 eyeballs, but\nyou can\u2019t fool me, Brer Rabbit.\u2019 Brer Wolf squall out, \u2018I ain\u2019t not Brer\nRabbit, an\u2019 you better turn me out er dis place so I kin take hide an\nha\u2019r off \u2019n Brer Rabbit.\u2019 Mr. Man say, \u2018Ef bofe hide an\u2019 ha\u2019r wuz off,\nI\u2019d know you, kaze \u2019tain\u2019t in you fer ter fool me.\u2019 An\u2019 it hurt Brer Wolf\nfeelin\u2019s so bad fer Mr. Man ter \u2019spute his word, dat he bust out inter a\nbig boo-boo, an\u2019 dat\u2019s \u2019bout all I know.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid the man really and truly think that Brother Wolf was Brother\nRabbit?\u201d asked the little boy.\n\n\u201cWhen you pin me down dat a-way,\u201d responded Uncle Remus, \u201cI\u2019m bleeze\nter tell you dat I ain\u2019t too certain an\u2019 sho\u2019 \u2019bout dat. De tale come\ndown fum my great-grandaddy\u2019s great-grandaddy; it come on down ter my\ndaddy, an\u2019 des ez he gun it ter me, des dat a-way I done gun it ter you.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nXII\n\nBROTHER RABBIT AND BROTHER BULL-FROG\n\n\nThe day that the little boy got permission to go to mill with Uncle\nRemus was to be long remembered. It was a bran new experience to the\ncity-bred child, and he enjoyed it to the utmost. It is true that Uncle\nRemus didn\u2019t go to mill in the old-fashioned way, but even if the little\nchap had known of the old-fashioned way, his enjoyment would not have\nbeen less. Instead of throwing a bag of corn on the back of a horse, and\nperching himself on top in an uneasy and a precarious position, Uncle\nRemus placed the corn in a spring wagon, helped the little boy to climb\ninto the seat, clucked to the horse, and went along as smoothly and as\nrapidly as though they were going to town.\n\nEverything was new to the lad--the road, the scenery, the mill, and\nthe big mill-pond, and, best of all, Uncle Remus allowed him to enjoy\nhimself in his own way when they came to the end of their journey. He was\nsuch a cautious and timid child, having little or none of the spirit of\nadventure that is supposed to dominate the young, that the old negro was\nsure he would come to no harm. Instead of wandering about, and going to\nplaces where he had no business to go, the little boy sat where he could\nsee the water flowing over the big dam. He had never seen such a sight\nbefore, and the water seemed to him to have a personality of its own--a\npersonality with both purpose and feeling.\n\nThe river was not a very large one, but it was large enough to be\nimpressive when its waters fell and tumbled over the big dam. The little\nboy watched the tumbling water as it fell over the dam and tossed itself\ninto foam on the rocks below; he watched it so long, and he sat so still\nthat he was able to see things that a noisier youngster would have missed\naltogether. He saw a big bull-frog creep warily from the water, and wipe\nhis mouth and eyes with one of his fore legs and he saw the same frog\nedge himself softly toward a white butterfly that was flitting about\nnear the edge of the stream. He saw the frog lean forward, and then the\nbutterfly vanished. It seemed like a piece of magic. The child knew that\nthe frog had caught the butterfly, but how? The fluttering insect was\nmore than a foot from the frog when it disappeared, and he was sure that\nthe frog had neither jumped nor snapped at the butterfly. What he saw, he\nsaw as plainly as you can see your hand in the light of day.\n\nAnd he saw another sight too that is not given to every one to see.\nWhile he was watching the tumbling water, and wondering where it all\ncame from and where it was going, he thought he saw swift-moving shadows\nflitting from the water below up and into the mill-pond above. He never\nwould have been able to discover just what the shadows were if one of\nthem had not paused a moment while half-way to the top of the falling\nwater. It poised itself for one brief instant, as a humming-bird poises\nover a flower, but during that fraction of time the little boy was able\nto see that what he thought was a shadow was really a fish going from the\nwater below to the mill-pond above. The child could hardly believe his\neyes, and for a little while it seemed that the whole world was turned\ntopsy-turvy, especially as the shadows continued to flit from the water\nbelow to the mill-pond above.\n\nAnd he was still more puzzled when he reported the strange fact to Uncle\nRemus, for the old negro took the information as a matter of course.\nWith him the phenomenon was almost as old as his experience. The only\nexplanation that he could give of it was that the fish--or some kinds of\nfish, and he didn\u2019t know rightly what kind it was--had a habit of falling\nfrom the bottom of the falls to the top. The most that he knew was that\nit was a fact, and that it was occurring every day in the year when the\nfish were running. It was certainly wonderful, as in fact everything\nwould be wonderful if it were not so familiar.\n\n\u201cWe ain\u2019t got but one way er lookin\u2019 at things,\u201d remarked Uncle Remus,\n\u201can\u2019 ef you\u2019ll b\u2019lieve me, honey, it\u2019s a mighty one-sided way. Ef you\ncould git on a perch some\u2019rs an\u2019 see things like dey reely is, an\u2019 not\nlike dey seem ter us, I be boun\u2019 you\u2019d hol\u2019 yo\u2019 breff an\u2019 shet yo\u2019 eyes.\u201d\n\nThe old man, without intending it, was going too deep into a deep subject\nfor the child to follow him, and so the latter told him about the\nbull-frog and the butterfly. The statement seemed to call up pleasing\nreminiscences, for Uncle Remus laughed in a very hearty way. And when\nhis laughing had subsided, he continued to chuckle until the little boy\nwondered what the source of his amusement could be. Finally he asked the\nold negro point blank what had caused him to laugh at such a rate.\n\n\u201cYo\u2019 pa would \u2019a\u2019 know\u2019d,\u201d Uncle Remus replied, and then he grew solemn\nagain and sighed heavily. For a little while he seemed to be listening to\nthe clatter of the mill, but, finally, he turned to the little boy. \u201cAn\u2019\nso you done made de \u2019quaintance er ol\u2019 Brer Bull-Frog? Is you take notice\nwhedder he had a tail er no?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, of course he didn\u2019t have a tail!\u201d exclaimed the child. \u201cNeither\ntoad-frogs nor bull-frogs have tails. I thought everybody knew that.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, well, ef dat de way you feel \u2019bout um, \u2019tain\u2019t no use fer ter pester\nwid um. It done got so now dat folks don\u2019t b\u2019lieve nothin\u2019 but what dey\nkin see, an\u2019 mo\u2019 dan half un um won\u2019t b\u2019lieve what dey see less \u2019n dey\nkin feel un it too. But dat ain\u2019t de way wid dem what\u2019s ol\u2019 \u2019nough fer\nter know. Ef I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 tol\u2019 you \u2019bout de fishes swimmin\u2019 ag\u2019in fallin\u2019\nwater, you wouldn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 b\u2019lieved me, would you? No, you wouldn\u2019t--an\u2019\nyit, dar \u2019twuz right \u2019fo\u2019 yo\u2019 face an\u2019 eyes. Dar dey wuz a-skeetin\u2019 fum\nde bottom er de dam right up in de mill-pon\u2019, an\u2019 you settin\u2019 dar lookin\u2019\nat um. S\u2019posin\u2019 you wuz ter say dat you won\u2019t b\u2019lieve um less\u2019n you kin\nfeel um; does you speck de fish gwineter hang dar in de fallin\u2019 water an\u2019\nwait twel you kin wade \u2019cross de slipp\u2019y rocks an\u2019 put yo\u2019 han\u2019 on um?\nDid you look right close fer ter see ef de bull-frog what you seed is got\na tail er no?\u201d\n\nThe little boy admitted that he had not. He knew as well as anybody that\nno kind of a frog has a tail, unless it is the Texas frog, which is only\na horned lizard, for he saw one once in Atlanta, and it was nothing but a\nrusty-back lizard with a horn on his head.\n\n\u201cI ain\u2019t \u2019sputin\u2019 what you say, honey,\u201d said Uncle Remus, \u201cbut de creetur\nwhat you seed mought \u2019a\u2019 been a frog an\u2019 you not know it. One thing I\ndoes know is dat in times gone by de bull-frog had a tail, kaze I hear de\nol\u2019 folks sesso, an\u2019 mo\u2019 dan dat, dey know\u2019d des how he los\u2019 it--de whar,\nan\u2019 de when, an\u2019 de which-away. Fer all I know it wuz right here at dish\nyer identual mill-pon\u2019. I ain\u2019t gwine inter court an\u2019 make no affledave\non it, but ef anybody wuz ter walk up an\u2019 p\u2019int der finger at me, an\u2019 say\ndat dis is de place whar ol\u2019 Brer Bull-Frog lose his tail, I\u2019d up an\u2019\n\u2019low, \u2018Yasser, it mus\u2019 be de place, kaze it look might\u2019ly like de place\nwhat I been hear tell \u2019bout.\u2019 An\u2019 den I\u2019d shet my eyes an\u2019 see ef I can\u2019t\ngit it straight in my dream.\u201d\n\nUncle Remus paused, and pretended to be counting a handful of red grains\nof corn that he had found somewhere in the mill. Seeing that he showed no\ndisposition to tell how Brother Bull-Frog had lost his tail, the little\nboy reminded him of it. But the old man laughed. \u201cEf Brer Bull-Frog ain\u2019t\nnever had no tail,\u201d he said, \u201chow de name er goodness he gwineter lose\num? Ef he yever is had a tail, why den dat\u2019s a gray hoss uv an\u2019er color.\nDey\u2019s a tale \u2019bout \u2019im havin\u2019 a tail an\u2019 losin\u2019 it, but how kin dey be a\ntale when dey ain\u2019t no tail?\u201d\n\nWell, the little boy didn\u2019t know at all, and he looked so disconsolate\nand so confused that the old negro relented. \u201cNow, den,\u201d he remarked,\n\u201cef ol\u2019 Brer Bull-Frog had a tail an\u2019 he ain\u2019t got none now, dey must\n\u2019a\u2019 been sump\u2019n happen. In dem times--de times what all deze tales tells\nyou \u2019bout--Brer Bull-Frog stayed in an\u2019 aroun\u2019 still water des like he\ndo now. De bad col\u2019 dat he had in dem days, he\u2019s got it yit--de same\npop-eyes, an\u2019 de same bal\u2019 head. Den, ez now, dey wa\u2019n\u2019t a bunch er ha\u2019r\non it dat you could pull out wid a pa\u2019r er tweezers. Ez he bellers now,\ndes dat a-way he bellered den, mo\u2019 speshually at night. An\u2019 talk \u2019bout\nsettin\u2019 up late--why, ol\u2019 Brer Bull-Frog could beat dem what fust got in\nde habits er settin\u2019 up late.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_De yuther creeturs can\u2019t git no sleep_\u201d ]\n\n\u201cDey\u2019s one thing dat you\u2019ll hatter gi\u2019 \u2019im credit fer, an\u2019 dat wuz\nkeepin\u2019 his face an\u2019 han\u2019s clean, an\u2019 in takin\u2019 keer er his cloze.\nNobody, not even his mammy, had ter patch his britches er tack buttons on\nhis coat. See \u2019im whar you may an\u2019 when you mought, he wuz allers lookin\u2019\nspick an\u2019 span des like he done come right out\u2019n a ban\u2019-box. You know\nwhat de riddle say \u2019bout \u2019im; when he stan\u2019 up he sets down, an\u2019 when he\nwalks he hops. He\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been mighty well thunk un, ef it hadn\u2019t but \u2019a\u2019\nbeen fer his habits. He holler so much at night dat de yuther creeturs\ncan\u2019t git no sleep. He\u2019d holler an\u2019 holler, an\u2019 \u2019bout de time you think\nhe bleeze ter be \u2019shame\u2019 er hollerin\u2019 so much, he\u2019d up an\u2019 holler ag\u2019in.\nIt got so dat de creeturs hatter go \u2019way off some\u2019rs ef dey wanter git\nany sleep, an\u2019 it seem like dey can\u2019t git so fur off but what Brer\nBull-Frog would wake um up time dey git ter dozin\u2019 good.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_He\u2019d set an\u2019 lissen, \u2026 an\u2019 den he\u2019d laugh fit ter kill_\u201d]\n\n\u201cHe\u2019d raise up an\u2019 \u2019low, \u2018_Here I is! Here I is! Wharbouts is you?\nWharbouts is you? Come along! Come along!_\u2019 It \u2019uz des dat a-way de whole\nblessed night, an\u2019 de yuther creeturs, dey say dat it sholy was a shame\ndat anybody would set right flat-footed an\u2019 ruin der good name. Look like\nhe pestered ev\u2019ybody but ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit, an\u2019 de reason dat he liked it\nwuz kaze it worried de yuther creeturs. He\u2019d set an\u2019 lissen, ol\u2019 Brer\nRabbit would, an\u2019 den he\u2019d laugh fit ter kill kaze he ain\u2019t a-keerin\u2019\nwhedder er no he git any sleep er not. Ef dey\u2019s anybody what kin set up\ntwel de las\u2019 day in de mornin\u2019 an\u2019 not git red-eyed an\u2019 heavy-headed,\nit\u2019s ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit. When he wanter sleep, he\u2019d des shet one eye an\u2019\nsleep, an\u2019 when he wanter stay \u2019wake, he\u2019d des open bofe eyes, an\u2019 dar he\nwuz wid all his foots under \u2019im, an\u2019 a-chawin\u2019 his terbacker same ez ef\ndey wa\u2019n\u2019t no Brer Bull-Frog in de whole Nunited State er Georgy.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_His way led \u2019im down todes de mill-pon\u2019_\u201d]\n\n\u201cIt went on dis way fer I dunner how long--ol\u2019 Brer Bull-Frog\na-bellerin\u2019 all night long an\u2019 keepin\u2019 de yuther creeturs \u2019wake, an\u2019 Brer\nRabbit a-laughin\u2019. But, bimeby, de time come when Brer Rabbit hatter lay\nin some mo\u2019 calamus root, ag\u2019in de time when \u2019twould be too col\u2019 fer ter\ndig it, an\u2019 when he went fer ter hunt fer it, his way led \u2019im down todes\nde mill-pon\u2019 whar Brer Bull-Frog live at. Dey wuz calamus root a-plenty\ndown dar, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit, atter lookin\u2019 de groun\u2019 over, promise hisse\u2019f\ndat he\u2019d fetch a basket de nex\u2019 time he come, an\u2019 make one trip do fer\ntwo. He ain\u2019t been down dar long \u2019fo\u2019 he had a good chance fer ter hear\nBrer Bull-Frog at close range. He hear him, he did, an\u2019 he shake his head\nan\u2019 say dat a mighty little bit er dat music would go a long ways, kaze\ndey ain\u2019t nobody what kin stan\u2019 flat-footed an\u2019 say dat Brer Bull-Frog is\na better singer dan de mockin\u2019-bird.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_He lissen ag\u2019in, an\u2019 hear Brer Bull-Frog mumblin\u2019 an\ngrumblin\u2019_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWell, whiles Brer Rabbit wuz pirootin\u2019 roun\u2019 fer ter see what mought be\nseed, he git de idee dat he kin hear thunder way off yander. He lissen\nag\u2019in, an\u2019 he hear Brer Bull-Frog mumblin\u2019 an\u2019 grumblin\u2019 ter hisse\u2019f,\nan\u2019 he must \u2019a\u2019 had a mighty bad col\u2019, kaze his talk soun\u2019 des like a\nbummil-eye bee been kotch in a sugar-barrel an\u2019 can\u2019t git out. An\u2019 dat\ncreetur must \u2019a\u2019 know\u2019d dat Brer Rabbit wuz down in dem neighborhoods,\nkaze, atter while, he \u2019gun to talk louder, an\u2019 yit mo\u2019 louder. He say,\n\u2018_Whar you gwine? Whar you gwine?_\u2019 an\u2019 den, \u2018_Don\u2019t go too fur--don\u2019t go\ntoo fur!_\u2019 an\u2019, atter so long a time, \u2018_Come back--come back! Come back\nsoon!_\u2019 Brer Rabbit, he sot dar, he did, an\u2019 work his nose an\u2019 wiggle his\nmouf, an\u2019 wait fer ter see what gwineter happen nex\u2019.\n\n\u201cWhiles Brer Rabbit settin\u2019 dar, Brer Bull-Frog fall ter mumblin\u2019 ag\u2019in\nan\u2019 it look like he \u2019bout ter drap off ter sleep, but bimeby he talk\nlouder, \u2018_Be my frien\u2019--be my frien\u2019! Oh, be my frien\u2019!_\u2019 Brer Rabbit\nwunk one eye an\u2019 smole a smile, kaze he done hear a heap er talk like\ndat. He wipe his face an\u2019 eyes wid his pocket-hankcher, an\u2019 sot so still\ndat you\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 thunk he wa\u2019n\u2019t nothin\u2019 but a chunk er wood. But Brer\nBull-Frog, he know\u2019d how ter stay still hisse\u2019f, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t so much ez\nbubble a bubble. But atter whiles, when Brer Rabbit can\u2019t stay still no\nmo\u2019, he got up fum whar he wuz settin\u2019 at an\u2019 mosied out by de mill-race\nwhar de grass is fresh an\u2019 de trees is green.\n\n\u201cBrer Bull-Frog holla, \u2018_Jug-er-rum--jug-er-rum! Wade in here--I\u2019ll gi\u2019\nyou some!_\u2019 Now dey ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 dat ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit like better dan a\nlittle bit er dram fer de stomach-ache, an\u2019 his mouf \u2019gun ter water right\nden an\u2019 dar. He went a little closer ter de mill-pon\u2019, an\u2019 Brer Bull-Frog\nkeep on a-talkin\u2019 \u2019bout de jug er rum, an\u2019 what he gwine do ef Brer\nRabbit will wade in dar. He look at de water, an\u2019 it look mighty col\u2019; he\nlook ag\u2019in an\u2019 it look mighty deep. It say, \u2018Lap-lap!\u2019 an\u2019 it look like\nit\u2019s a-creepin\u2019 higher. Brer Rabbit drawed back wid a shiver, an\u2019 he wish\nmighty much dat he\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 fotch his overcoat.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_In he went--kerchug!_\u201d]\n\n\u201cBrer Bull-Frog say, \u2018_Knee deep--knee deep! Wade in--wade in!_\u2019 an\u2019 he\nmake de water bubble des like he takin\u2019 a dram. Den an\u2019 dar, sump\u2019n n\u2019er\nhappen, an\u2019 how it come ter happen Brer Rabbit never kin tell; but he\npeeped in de pon\u2019 fer ter see ef he kin ketch a glimp er de jug, an\u2019 in\nhe went--_kerchug_! He ain\u2019t never know whedder he fall in, er slip in,\ner ef he was pushed in, but dar he wuz! He come mighty nigh not gittin\nout; but he scramble an\u2019 he scuffle twel he git back ter de bank whar he\nkin clim\u2019 out, an\u2019 he stood dar, he did, an\u2019 kinder shuck hisse\u2019f, kaze\nhe mighty glad fer ter fin\u2019 dat he\u2019s in de worl\u2019 once mo\u2019. He know\u2019d dat\na leetle mo\u2019 an\u2019 he\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been gone fer good, kaze when he drapped in, er\njumped in, er fell in, he wuz over his head an\u2019 years, an\u2019 he hatter do a\nsight er kickin\u2019 an\u2019 scufflin\u2019 an\u2019 swallerin\u2019 water \u2019fo\u2019 he kin git whar\nhe kin grab de grass on de bank.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_He wonder how in de worl\u2019 dat plain water kin be so\nwatery_\u201d]\n\n\u201cHe sneeze an\u2019 snoze, an\u2019 wheeze an\u2019 whoze, twel it look like he\u2019d drown\nright whar he wuz stan\u2019in\u2019 any way you kin fix it. He say ter hisse\u2019f dat\nhe ain\u2019t never gwineter git de tas\u2019e er river water outer his mouf an\u2019\nnose, an\u2019 he wonder how in de worl\u2019 dat plain water kin be so watery. Ol\u2019\nBrer Bull-Frog, he laugh like a bull in de pastur\u2019, an\u2019 Brer Rabbit gi\u2019 a\nsidelong look dat oughter tol\u2019 \u2019im ez much ez a map kin tell one er deze\nyer school scholars. Brer Rabbit look at \u2019im, but he ain\u2019t say narry a\nword. He des shuck hisse\u2019f once mo\u2019, an\u2019 put out fer home whar he kin set\nin front er de fire an\u2019 git dry.\n\n\u201cAtter dat day, Brer Rabbit riz mighty soon an\u2019 went ter bed late, an\u2019\nhe watch Brer Bull-Frog so close dat dey wa\u2019n\u2019t nothin\u2019 he kin do but\nwhat Brer Rabbit know \u2019bout it time it \u2019uz done; an\u2019 one thing he know\u2019d\nbetter dan all--he know\u2019d dat when de winter time come Brer Bull-Frog\nwould have ter pack up his duds an\u2019 move over in de bog whar de water\ndon\u2019t git friz up. Dat much he know\u2019d, an\u2019 when dat time come, he laid\noff fer ter make Brer Bull-Frog\u2019s journey, short ez it wuz, ez full er\nhap\u2019nin\u2019s ez de day when de ol\u2019 cow went dry. He tuck an\u2019 move his bed\nan\u2019 board ter de big holler poplar, not fur fum de mill-pon\u2019, an\u2019 dar he\nstayed an\u2019 keep one eye on Brer Bull-Frog bofe night an\u2019 day. He ain\u2019t\nlose no flesh whiles he waitin\u2019, kaze he ain\u2019t one er deze yer kin\u2019 what\nmopes an\u2019 gits sollumcolly; he wuz all de time betwixt a grin an\u2019 a\ngiggle.\n\n\u201cHe know\u2019d mighty well--none better--dat time goes by turns in deze low\ngroun\u2019s, an\u2019 he wait fer de day when Brer Bull-Frog gwineter move his\nbelongin\u2019s fum pon\u2019 ter bog. An\u2019 bimeby dat time come, an\u2019 when it come,\nBrer Bull-Frog is done fergit off\u2019n his mind all \u2019bout Brer Rabbit an\u2019\nhis splashification. He rig hisse\u2019f out in his Sunday best, an\u2019 he look\nkerscrumptious ter dem what like dat kinder doin\u2019s. He had on a little\nsojer hat wid green an\u2019 white speckles all over it, an\u2019 a long green\ncoat, an\u2019 satin britches, an\u2019 a white silk wescut, an\u2019 shoes wid silver\nbuckles. Mo\u2019 dan dat, he had a green umbrell, fer ter keep fum havin\u2019\nfreckles, an\u2019 his long spotted tail wuz done up in de umbrell kivver so\ndat it won\u2019t drag on de groun\u2019.\u201d\n\nUncle Remus paused to see what the little boy would say to this last\nstatement, but the child\u2019s training prevented the asking of many\nquestions, and so he only laughed at the idea of a frog with a tail, and\nthe tail done up in the cover of a green umbrella. The laughter of the\nyoungster was hearty enough to satisfy the old negro, and he went on with\nthe story.\n\n\u201cWhiles all dis gwine on, honey, you better b\u2019lieve dat Brer Rabbit\nwa\u2019n\u2019t so mighty fur fum dar. When Brer Bull-Frog come out an\u2019 start\nfer ter promenade ter de bog, Brer Rabbit show hisse\u2019f an\u2019 make like he\nskeered. He broke an\u2019 run, an\u2019 den he stop fer ter see what \u2019tis--an\u2019 den\nhe run a leetle ways an\u2019 stop ag\u2019in, an\u2019 he keep on dodgin\u2019 an\u2019 runnin\u2019\ntwel he fool Brer Bull-Frog inter b\u2019lievin\u2019 dat he wuz skeer\u2019d mighty\nnigh ter death.\n\n\u201cYou know how folks does when dey git de idee dat somebody\u2019s \u2019fear\u2019d un\num--ef you don\u2019t you\u2019ll fin\u2019 out long \u2019fo\u2019 yo\u2019 whiskers gits ter hangin\u2019\nto yo\u2019 knees. When folks take up dis idee, dey gits biggity, an\u2019 dey\nain\u2019t no stayin\u2019 in de same country wid um.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_He shuck his umbrell\u2019 like he mad_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWell, Brer Bull-Frog, he git de idee dat Brer Rabbit wuz \u2019fear\u2019d un \u2019im,\nan\u2019 he shuck his umbrell like he mad, an\u2019 he beller: \u2018Whar my gun?\u2019 Brer\nRabbit flung up bofe han\u2019s like he wuz skeer\u2019d er gittin\u2019 a load er shot\nin his vitals, an\u2019 den he broke an\u2019 run ez hard ez he kin. Brer Bull-Frog\nholler out, \u2018Come yer, you vilyun, an\u2019 le\u2019 me gi\u2019 you de frailin\u2019 what\nI done promise you!\u2019 but ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit, he keep on a-gwine. Brer\nBull-Frog went hoppin\u2019 atter, but he ain\u2019t make much headway, kaze all de\ntime he wuz hoppin\u2019 he wuz tryin\u2019 to strut.\n\n\u201c\u2019Twuz e\u2019en about ez much ez Brer Rabbit kin do fer ter keep fum\nlaughin\u2019, but he led Brer Bull-Frog ter de holler poplar, whar he had\nhis hatchet hid. Ez he went in, he \u2019low, \u2018You can\u2019t git me!\u2019 He went in,\nhe did, an\u2019 out he popped on t\u2019er side. By dat time Brer Bull-Frog wuz\nmighty certain an\u2019 sho dat Brer Rabbit wuz skeer\u2019d ez he kin be, an\u2019\ninter de holler he went, widout so much ez takin\u2019 de trouble ter shet up\nhis umbrell. When he got in de holler, in co\u2019se he ain\u2019t see hide ner\nha\u2019r er Brer Rabbit, an\u2019 he beller out, \u2018Whar is you? You may hide, but\nI\u2019ll fin\u2019 you, an\u2019 when I does--when I does!\u2019 He ain\u2019t say all he wanter\nsay, kaze by dat time Brer Rabbit wuz lammin\u2019 on de tree wid his hatchet.\nHe hit it some mighty heavy whacks, an\u2019 Brer Bull-Frog git de idee dat\nsomebody wuz cuttin\u2019 it down.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Brer Rabbit run roun\u2019 ter whar he wuz an\u2019 chop his tail\noff_\u201d]\n\n\u201cDis kinder skeer\u2019d \u2019im, kaze he know dat ef de tree fell while he in de\nholler, it\u2019d be all-night Isom wid him. But when he make a move fer ter\nturn roun\u2019 in dar fer ter come out, Brer Rabbit run roun\u2019 ter whar he\nwuz, an\u2019 chop his tail off right smick-smack-smoove.\u201d\n\nThe veteran story-teller paused, and looked at the clouds that were\ngathering in the sky. \u201c\u2019Twouldn\u2019t \u2019stonish me none,\u201d he remarked dryly,\n\u201cef we wuz ter have some fallin\u2019 wedder.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, Uncle Remus, what happened when Brother Rabbit cut off the\nBull-Frog\u2019s tail?\u201d inquired the little boy.\n\nThe old man sighed heavily, and looked around, as if he were hunting for\nsome way of escape. \u201cWhy, honey, when de Frog tail wuz cut off, it stayed\noff, but dey tells me dat it kep\u2019 on a wigglin\u2019 plum twel de sun went\ndown. Dis much I does know, dat sence dat day, none er de Frog fambly has\nbeen troubled wid tails. Ef you don\u2019t believe me you kin ketch um an\u2019\nsee.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nXIII\n\nWHY MR. DOG IS TAME\n\n\nThere were quite a number of dogs on the plantation--foxhounds, harriers,\na sheep dog, and two black-and-tan hounds that had been trained to tree\ncoons and \u2019possums. In these, the little boy took an abiding interest,\nand he soon came to know the name and history of each individual dog.\nThere was Jonah, son of Hodo, leader of the foxhounds, Jewel, leader of\nthe harriers, and Walter, the sheep dog, who drove up the cows and hogs\nevery evening. Indeed, it was not long before the little boy knew as much\nabout the dogs as Uncle Remus did.\n\nHe imagined he knew more, for one day he informed the old man that once\nupon a time all dogs were wild, and roamed about the woods and fields\njust as the wild animals do now.\n\n\u201cYou see me settin\u2019 here,\u201d Uncle Remus remarked; \u201cwell, suh, ol\u2019 ez I\nis, I\u2019d like mighty well ter fin\u2019 out how you come ter know \u2019bout deze\nhappenin\u2019s way back yander.\u201d\n\nThe little boy made no secret of the matter; he answered with pride that\nhis mother had been reading to him out of a great big book with pictures\nin it. Uncle Remus stretched his arms above his head, and opened wide his\neyes. Astonishment took possession of his countenance. The child laughed\nwith delight when he saw the amazement of Uncle Remus. \u201cYes,\u201d he went on,\n\u201cmother read about all the wild animals. The book said that when the dogs\nwere wild they used to go in droves, just as the wolves do now.\u201d\n\n\u201cYasser, dat\u2019s so!\u201d exclaimed Uncle Remus with admiration, \u201can\u2019 ef\nyou keep on like you gwine, \u2019twon\u2019t be long \u2019fo\u2019 you\u2019ll know lot\u2019s\nmo\u2019 \u2019bout de creeturs dan what I does--lot\u2019s mo\u2019.\u201d Then he became\nconfidential--\u201cWuz dey anything in de big book, honey, \u2019bout de time dat\nde Dog start in fer ter live wid Mr. Man?\u201d The little boy shook his head.\nIf there was anything about it in the big book from which his mother had\nbeen reading, she had kept it to herself.\n\n\u201cWell, I\u2019m mighty glad dey ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 in dar \u2019bout it, kaze ef dey had\n\u2019a\u2019 been, I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been bleeze ter gi\u2019 up my job, kaze when dey gits ter\nputtin\u2019 tales in a book, dat\u2019s a sign.\u201d\n\n\u201cA sign of what, Uncle Remus?\u201d\n\n\u201cDes a sign, honey--a plain sign. Ef you dunner what a sign is, I\u2019ll\nnever tell you.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen did the Dog begin to live with Mr. Man?\u201d the little boy inquired.\n\u201cOnce he was wild, and now he is tame. How did he become tame?\u201d\n\n\u201cAh-yi! den you got de idee dat ol\u2019 man Remus know sump\u2019n n\u2019er what ain\u2019t\ndown in de books?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, you asked me if there was anything in the big book that told about\nthe time when the Dog went to live with Mr. Man,\u201d the little boy replied.\n\n\u201cDat\u2019s what I done,\u201d exclaimed Uncle Remus with a laugh. \u201cAn\u2019 I done it\nkaze I laid off ter tel you \u2019bout it one er deze odd-come-shorts when de\nmoon ridin\u2019 high, an\u2019 de win\u2019 playin\u2019 a chune in de big pine.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy not tell it now?\u201d the little boy asked.\n\n\u201cLe\u2019 me see, is I well er is I sick? Is I full er is I hongry? Ef I done\nfergot what I had fer dinner day \u2019fo\u2019 yistiddy, den \u2019tain\u2019t no use fer\nter try ter tell a tale \u2019bout ol\u2019 times. Wuz it cake? No, \u2019twant cake.\nWuz it chicken-pie? No, \u2019twant chicken-pie. What, den? Ah-h-h! Now I\nknows: \u2019Twuz tater custard, an\u2019 it seem like I kin tas\u2019e it yit. Yasser!\nDay \u2019fo\u2019 yistiddy wuz so long ago dat it look like a dream.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t any dream,\u201d the little boy declared. \u201cMother wouldn\u2019t let me\nhave any at the house, and when grandmother sent your dinner, she put two\npieces of potato custard on a plate, and you said that one of them was\nfor me.\u201d\n\n\u201cAn\u2019 you e\u2019t it,\u201d Uncle Remus declared; \u201cyou e\u2019t it, an\u2019 you liked it so\nwell dat you sot yo\u2019 eye on my piece, an\u2019 ef I hadn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 grabbed it, I\nboun\u2019 I wouldn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 had no tater custard.\u201d\n\nThe little boy laughed and blushed. \u201cHow did you know I wanted the other\npiece?\u201d he asked.\n\n\u201cI know it by my nose an\u2019 my two big toes,\u201d Uncle Remus replied. \u201cPut a\nboy in smellin\u2019 distance uv a piece er tater custard, an\u2019 it seem like de\ncustard will fly up an\u2019 hit him in de mouf, no matter how much he try ter\ndodge.\u201d\n\nUncle Remus paused and pulled a raveling from his shirt-sleeve, looking\nat the little boy meanwhile.\n\n\u201cI know very well you haven\u2019t forgotten the story,\u201d remarked the child,\n\u201cfor grandmother says you never forgot anything, especially the old-time\ntales.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, suh, I speck she knows. She been knowin\u2019 me ev\u2019ry sence she wuz a\nbaby gal, an\u2019 mo\u2019 dan dat, she know right p\u2019int blank what I\u2019m a-thinkin\u2019\n\u2019bout when she kin git her eye on me.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd she says she never caught you tellin\u2019 a fib.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs she say dat?\u201d Uncle Remus inquired with a broad grin. \u201cEf she did,\nI\u2019m lots sharper dan I looks ter be, kaze many and many\u2019s de time when I\nbeen skeer\u2019d white, thinkin\u2019 she done cotch me. Tooby sho\u2019, tooby sho\u2019!\u201d\n\n\u201cBut what about the Dog, Uncle Remus?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat dog, honey? Oh, you\u2019ll hatter scuzen me--I\u2019m lots older dan what I\nlooks ter be. You mean de Dog what tuck up at Mr. Man\u2019s house. Well, ol\u2019\nBrer Dog wuz e\u2019en about like he is deze days, scratchin\u2019 fer fleas, an\u2019\ngrowlin\u2019 over his vittles stidder sayin\u2019 grace, an\u2019 berryin\u2019 de bones\nwhen he had one too many. He wuz des like he is now, \u2019ceppin\u2019 dat he wuz\nwil\u2019. He galloped wid Brer Fox, an\u2019 loped wid Brer Wolf, an\u2019 cantered wid\nBrer Coon. He went all de gaits, an\u2019 he had dez ez good a time ez any un\num, an\u2019 des ez bad a time.\n\n\u201cNow, one day, some\u2019rs \u2019twix\u2019 Monday mornin\u2019 an\u2019 Saddy night, he wuz\nsettin\u2019 in de shade scratchin\u2019 hisse\u2019f, an\u2019 he wuz tooken wid a spell er\nthinkin\u2019. He\u2019d des come thoo a mighty hard winter wid de yuther creeturs,\nan\u2019 he up an\u2019 say ter hisse\u2019f dat ef he had ter do like dat one mo\u2019\nseason, it\u2019d be de en\u2019 er him an\u2019 his fambly. You could count his ribs,\nan\u2019 his hip-bones stuck out like de horns on a hat-rack.\n\n\u201cWhiles he wuz settin\u2019 dar, scratchin\u2019 an\u2019 studyin\u2019, an\u2019 studyin\u2019 an\u2019\nscratchin\u2019, who should come meanderin\u2019 down de big road but ol\u2019 Brer\nWolf; an\u2019 it \u2019uz \u2018Hello, Brer Dog! you look like you ain\u2019t seed de inside\nuv a smokehouse fer quite a whet. I ain\u2019t sayin\u2019 dat I got much fer ter\nbrag on, kaze I ain\u2019t in no better fix dan what you is. De colder it\ngits, de skacer de vittles grows.\u2019 An\u2019 den he ax Brer Dog whar he gwine\nan\u2019 how soon he gwineter git dar. Brer Dog make answer dat it don\u2019t make\nno diffunce whar he go ef he don\u2019t fin\u2019 dinner ready.\n\n\u201cBrer Wolf \u2019low dat de way ter git dinner is ter make a fier, kaze\n\u2019tain\u2019t no use fer ter try ter eat ef dey don\u2019t do dat. Ef dey don\u2019t git\nnothin\u2019 fer ter cook, dey\u2019ll have a place whar dey kin keep warm. Brer\nDog say he see whar Brer Wolf is dead right, but whar dey gwine git a\nfier? Brer Wolf say de quickest way is ter borry a chunk fum Mr. Man er\nhis ol\u2019 \u2019oman. But when it come ter sayin\u2019 who gwine atter it, dey bofe\nkinder hung back, kaze dey know\u2019d dat Mr. Man had a walkin\u2019-cane what he\nkin p\u2019int at anybody an\u2019 snap a cap on it an\u2019 blow de light right out.\n\n\u201cBut bimeby, Brer Dog say\u2019ll go atter de chunk er fier, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t no\nmo\u2019 dan say dat, \u2019fo\u2019 off he put, an\u2019 he travel so peart, dat \u2019twant long\n\u2019fo\u2019 he come ter Mr. Man\u2019s house. When he got ter de gate he sot down an\u2019\ndone some mo\u2019 studyin\u2019, an\u2019 ef de gate had \u2019a\u2019 been shot, he\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 turned\nright roun\u2019 an\u2019 went back like he come; but some er de chillun had been\nplayin\u2019 out in de yard, an\u2019 dey lef\u2019 de gate open, an so dar \u2019twuz. Study\nez he mought, he can\u2019t fin\u2019 no skuce fer gwine back widout de chunk er\nfier. An\u2019 in he went.\n\n\u201cWell, talk \u2019bout folks bein\u2019 \u2019umble; you ain\u2019t seed no\n\u2019umble-come-tumble twel you see Brer Dog when he went in dat gate.\nHe ain\u2019t take time fer ter look roun\u2019, he so skeer\u2019d. He hear hogs\na-gruntin\u2019 an\u2019 pigs a-squealin\u2019, he hear hens a-cacklin\u2019 an\u2019 roosters\ncrowin\u2019, but he ain\u2019t turn his head. He had sense \u2019nuff not ter go in de\nhouse by de front way. He went roun\u2019 de back way whar de kitchen wuz, an\u2019\nwhen he got dar he \u2019fraid ter go any furder. He went ter de do\u2019, he did,\nan\u2019 he \u2019fraid ter knock. He hear chillun laughin\u2019 an\u2019 playin\u2019 in dar, an\u2019\nfer de fust time in all his born days, he \u2019gun ter feel lonesome.\n\n\u201cBimeby, some un open de do\u2019 an\u2019 den shot it right quick. But Brer Dog\nain\u2019t see nobody; he \u2019uz too \u2019umble-come-tumble fer dat. He wuz lookin\u2019\nat de groun\u2019, an\u2019 wonderin\u2019 what \u2019uz gwineter happen nex\u2019. It must \u2019a\u2019\nbeen one er de chillun what open de do\u2019, kaze \u2019twant long \u2019fo\u2019 here come\nMr. Man wid de walkin\u2019-cane what had fier in it. He come ter de do\u2019, he\ndid, an\u2019 he say, \u2018What you want here?\u2019 Brer Dog wuz too skeer\u2019d fer ter\ntalk; all he kin do is ter des wag his tail. Mr. Man, he \u2019low, \u2018You in de\nwrong house, an\u2019 you better go on whar you got some business.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Dog, he crouch down close ter de groun\u2019, an\u2019 wag his tail. Mr.\nMan, he look at \u2019im, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t know whedder fer ter turn loose his\ngun er not, but his ol\u2019 \u2019oman, she hear him talkin\u2019, an\u2019 she come ter de\ndo\u2019, an\u2019 see Brer Dog crouchin\u2019 dar, \u2019umbler dan de\u2019 \u2019umblest, an\u2019 she\nsay, \u2018Po\u2019 feller! you ain\u2019t gwine ter hurt nobody, is you?\u2019 an\u2019 Brer Dog\n\u2019low, \u2018No, ma\u2019am, I ain\u2019t; I des come fer ter borry a chunk er fier.\u2019\nAn\u2019 she say, \u2018What in de name er goodness does you want wid fier? Is you\ngwine ter burn us out\u2019n house an\u2019 home?\u2019 Brer Dog \u2019low, \u2018No, ma\u2019am! dat I\nain\u2019t; I des wanter git warm.\u2019 Den de \u2019oman say, \u2018I clean fergot \u2019bout de\ncol\u2019 wedder--come in de kitchen here an\u2019 warm yo\u2019se\u2019f much ez you wanter.\u2019\n\n\u201cDat wuz mighty good news fer Brer Dog, an\u2019 in he went. Dey wuz a nice\nbig fier on de h\u2019ath, an\u2019 de chillun wuz settin\u2019 all roun\u2019 eatin\u2019 der\ndinner. Dey make room fer Brer Dog, an\u2019 down he sot in a warm cornder,\nan\u2019 \u2019twant long \u2019fo\u2019 he wuz feelin\u2019 right splimmy-splammy. But he wuz\nmighty hongry. He sot dar, he did, an\u2019 watch de chillun\u2019 eatin\u2019 der\nashcake an\u2019 buttermilk, an\u2019 his eyeballs \u2019ud foller eve\u2019y mouffle dey\ne\u2019t. De \u2019oman, she notice dis, an\u2019 she went ter de cubberd an\u2019 got a\npiece er warm ashcake, an\u2019 put it down on de h\u2019ath.\n\n\u201cBrer Dog ain\u2019t need no secon\u2019 invite--he des gobble up de ashcake \u2019fo\u2019\nyou kin say Jack Robberson wid yo\u2019 mouf shot. He ain\u2019t had nigh nuff,\nbut he know\u2019d better dan ter show what his appetites wuz. He \u2019gun ter\nfeel good, an\u2019 den he got down on his hunkers, an\u2019 lay his head down on\nhis fo\u2019paws, an\u2019 make like he gwine ter sleep. Atter \u2019while, he smell\nBrer Wolf, an\u2019 he raise his head an\u2019 look todes de do\u2019. Mr. Man he tuck\nnotice, an\u2019 he say he b\u2019lieve dey\u2019s some un sneakin\u2019 roun\u2019. Brer Dog\nraise his head, an\u2019 snuff todes de do\u2019, an\u2019 growl ter hisse\u2019f. So Mr.\nMan tuck down his gun fum over de fireplace, an\u2019 went out. De fust thing\nhe see when he git out in de yard wuz Brer Wolf runnin\u2019 out de gate, an\u2019\nhe up wid his gun--bang!--an\u2019 he hear Brer Wolf holler. All he got wuz a\nhan\u2019ful er ha\u2019r, but he come mighty nigh gittin\u2019 de whole hide.\n\n\u201cWell, atter dat, Mr. Man fin\u2019 out dat Brer Dog could do \u2019im a heap er\ngood, fus\u2019 one way an\u2019 den an\u2019er. He could head de cows off when dey\nmake a break thoo de woods, he could take keer er de sheep, an\u2019 he could\nwarn Mr. Man when some er de yuther creeturs wuz prowlin\u2019 roun\u2019. An\u2019 den\nhe wuz some comp\u2019ny when Mr. Man went huntin\u2019. He could trail de game,\nan\u2019 he could fin\u2019 his way home fum anywheres; an\u2019 he could play wid de\nchillun des like he wuz one un um.\n\n\u201c\u2019Twant long \u2019fo\u2019 he got fat, an\u2019 one day when he wuz amblin\u2019 in de\nwoods, he meet up wid Brer Wolf. He howdied at \u2019im, he did, but Brer Wolf\nwon\u2019t skacely look at \u2019im. Atter \u2019while he say, \u2018Brer Dog, why \u2019n\u2019t you\ncome back dat day when you went atter fier?\u2019 Brer Dog p\u2019int ter de collar\non his neck. He \u2019low, \u2018You see dis? Well, it\u2019ll tell you lots better dan\nwhat I kin.\u2019 Brer Wolf say,\u2019You mighty fat. Why can\u2019t I come dar an\u2019 do\nlike you does?\u2019 Brer Dog \u2019low, \u2018Dey ain\u2019t nothin\u2019 fer ter hinder you.\u2019\n\n\u201cSo de next mornin\u2019, bright an\u2019 early, Brer Wolf knock at Mr. Man\u2019s\ndo\u2019. Mr. Man peep out an\u2019 see who \u2019tis, an\u2019 tuck down his gun an\u2019 went\nout. Brer Wolf try ter be perlite, an\u2019 he smile. But when he smile he\nshow\u2019d all his tushes, an\u2019 dis kinder skeer Mr. Man. He say, \u2018What you\ndoin\u2019 sneakin\u2019 roun\u2019 here?\u2019 Brer Wolf try ter be mo\u2019 perliter dan ever,\nan\u2019 he grin fum year ter year. Dis show all his tushes, an\u2019 Mr. Man\nlammed aloose at \u2019im. An\u2019 dat \u2019uz de las\u2019 time dat Brer Wolf ever try ter\nlive wid Mr. Man, an fum dat time on down ter dis day, it \u2019uz war \u2019twix\nBrer Wolf an\u2019 Brer Dog.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nXIV\n\nBROTHER RABBIT AND THE GIZZARD-EATER\n\n\n\u201cIt seem like ter me dat I hear somebody say, not longer dan day \u2019fo\u2019\nyistiddy, dat dey\u2019d be mighty glad ef dey could fin\u2019 some un fer ter\nbet wid um,\u201d said Uncle Remus, staring hard at the little boy, and then\nsuddenly shutting his eyes tight, so that he might keep from laughing\nat the expression he saw on the child\u2019s face. Receiving no immediate\nresponse to his remark, the old man opened his eyes again, and found the\nlittle boy regarding him with a puzzled air.\n\n\u201cMy mother says it is wrong to bet,\u201d said the child after awhile. He was\nquite serious, and it was just this aspect of seriousness that made him\na little different from another little boy that had been raised at Uncle\nRemus\u2019s knee. \u201cMother says that no Christian would want to bet.\u201d\n\nThe old man closed his eyes again, as though trying to remember\nsomething. He frowned and smacked his mouth before he spoke, \u201cIt look\nlike dat I never is ter git de tas\u2019e er dat chicken-pie what yo\u2019 gran\u2019ma\nsont me out\u2019n my mouf. I dunner when I been had any chicken-pie what\nstayed wid me like dat chicken-pie. But \u2019bout dat bettin\u2019,\u201d he remarked,\nstraightening himself in his chair, \u201cI speck I mus\u2019 \u2019a\u2019 been a-dreamin\u2019.\nI know mighty well it couldn\u2019t \u2019a\u2019 been you; so we\u2019ll des up an\u2019 say\nit wuz little Dreamus, an\u2019 let it go at dat. All I know is dat dey wuz\na little chap loungin\u2019 roun\u2019 here tryin\u2019 fer ter l\u2019arn how ter play\nmumbly-peg wid one er de case-knives what he tuck fum de white folks\u2019\ndinner-table, an\u2019 whiles he wuz in de middle er his l\u2019arnin\u2019, de ol\u2019\nspeckled hen run fum under de house here, an\u2019 sot up a mighty cacklin\u2019,\nkaze she fear\u2019d some un wuz gwineter interrupt de eggs what she been\nnussin\u2019 an\u2019 warmin\u2019 up. She cackle, an\u2019 she cackle, an\u2019 den she cackle\nsome mo\u2019 fer ter keep fum fergittin\u2019 how; an\u2019 \u2019long \u2019bout dat time, dish\nyer little boy what I been tellin\u2019 you \u2019bout--I speck we\u2019ll be bleeze\nter call him Dreamus--he up wid a rock an\u2019 flung it right at \u2019er, an\u2019 ef\nshe\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been in de way er de rock, he\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 come mighty nigh hittin\u2019\nher. Dis make de ol\u2019 hen bofe skeer\u2019d an\u2019 fear\u2019d an\u2019 likewise mad, an\u2019\nshe hitched a squall on ter her cackle, an\u2019 flop her wings. Seein\u2019 dat de\nhen wuz mad, dis little chap, which he name Dreamus, he got mad, too, an\u2019\nhe \u2019lowed, \u2018I bet you I make you hush!\u2019 an\u2019 dar dey had it, de ol\u2019 hen\nrunnin\u2019 an\u2019 squallin\u2019, an\u2019 de little chap zoonin\u2019 rocks at her. I speck\nde hen would \u2019a\u2019 bet ef she\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 know\u2019d how--an\u2019 she sho\u2019 would \u2019a\u2019 won\nde bet, kaze de las\u2019 news I hear fum \u2019er she wuz runnin\u2019 an\u2019 squallin\u2019.\u201d\n\nThe little boy squirmed uneasily in his chair. He remembered the incident\nvery well, so well that he hardly knew what to say. But after a while,\nthinking that it was both necessary and polite to say something, he\ndeclared that when he made that remark to the hen he knew she wouldn\u2019t\nunderstand him, and that what he said about betting was just a saying.\n\n\u201cDat mought be, honey,\u201d said Uncle Remus, \u201cbut don\u2019t you fool yo\u2019se\u2019f\n\u2019bout dat hen not knowin\u2019 how ter talk, kaze dey has been times an\u2019\nplaces when de creeturs kin do lots mo\u2019 talkin\u2019 dan folks. When you git\nter be ol\u2019 ez what I is, you\u2019ll know dat talkin\u2019 ain\u2019t got nothin\u2019 in de\nroun\u2019 worl\u2019 ter do wid fedders, an\u2019 needer wid fur. I hear you say you\nwant ter bet wid de ol\u2019 hen, an\u2019 ef you still wantin\u2019 you got a mighty\ngood chance dis day ef de sun is mighty nigh down. I\u2019ll bet you a thrip\nag\u2019in a ginger-cake dat when you had yo\u2019 dinner you ain\u2019t fin\u2019 no chicken\ngizzard in yo\u2019 part er de pie.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d replied the child, \u201cI didn\u2019t, and when I asked grandmother about\nit, she said she was going to raise some chickens next year with double\ngizzards.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid she say dat? Did Miss Sally say dat?\u201d inquired Uncle Remus,\nlaughing delightedly. \u201cWell, suh, dat sho\u2019 do bang my time! How come she\nter know dat some er de creeturs got double gizzards? She sho\u2019 is de\noutdoin\u2019est white \u2019oman what\u2019s yever been bornded inter de worl\u2019. She\ndone sont me de chicken gizzard des so I kin tell you \u2019bout de double\ngizzards an\u2019 de what-nots. Double gizzards! De ve\u2019y name flings me \u2019way\nback yander ter ol\u2019 folks an\u2019 ol\u2019 times. Laws-a-massy! I wonder what Miss\nSally gwine do nex\u2019; anybody what guess it oughter be president by good\nrights.\u201d Uncle Remus paused, and lowered his voice to a confidential\ntone--\u201cShe ain\u2019t tell you \u2019bout de time when de Yallergater wuz honin\u2019\nfer ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit\u2019s double gizzards, is she, honey?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, she didn\u2019t tell me that, but she laughed, and when I asked her what\nshe was laughing at, she said I\u2019d find out by the time I was seven feet\ntall.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou hear dat, don\u2019t you?\u201d Uncle Remus spoke as though there were a third\nperson in the room. \u201cWhat I been tellin\u2019 you all dis time?\u201d and then he\nlaughed as though this third person were laughing with him. \u201cYou may try,\nan\u2019 you may fly, but you never is ter see de beat er Miss Sally.\u201d\n\n\u201cWas grandmother talking about a tale, Uncle Remus? It must have been a\nvery funny one, for she laughed until she had to take off her spectacles\nand wipe them dry,\u201d said the little boy.\n\n\u201cDat\u2019s her! dat\u2019s Miss Sally up an\u2019 down, an\u2019 dey can\u2019t nobody git ahead\ner her. She know\u2019d mighty well dat time you say sump\u2019n \u2019bout double\ngizzards my min\u2019 would fly right back ter de time when de Yalligater wuz\ndribblin\u2019 at de mouf, an\u2019 ol\u2019 Brer Rabbit wuz shaking in his shoes.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf it\u2019s a long story, I\u2019m afraid you haven\u2019t time to tell it now,\u201d\nsuggested the little boy.\n\nThe child was so polite that the old negro stood somewhat in awe of him,\nand he was afraid, too, that it was ominous of some misfortune--there was\nsomething uncanny about it from Uncle Remus\u2019s point of view. \u201cBless you,\nhoney! I got des ez much time ez what dey is--it all b\u2019longs ter me an\u2019\nyou. Maybe you wanter go some\u2019rs else; maybe you\u2019ll wait twel some yuther\nday fer de platted whip dat I hear you talkin\u2019 \u2019bout.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo; I\u2019ll wait and get the story and the whip together--if you are not\ntoo tired.\u201d\n\nThe old negro looked at the little boy from the corner of his eye to\nsee if he was really in earnest. Satisfying himself on that score, he\npromptly began to plait the whip while he unraveled the story. He seemed\nto be more serious than usual, but one of the peculiarities of Uncle\nRemus, as many a child had discovered, was that he was not to be judged\nby any outward aspect. This is the way he began:\n\n\u201cEver since I been pirootin\u2019 roun\u2019 in deze low-groun\u2019s, it\u2019s been de talk\ner dem what know\u2019d dat Brer Rabbit wuz a mighty man at a frolic. I don\u2019t\nspeck he\u2019d show up much in deze days, but in de times when de creeturs\nwuz bossin\u2019 dey own jobs, Brer Rabbit wuz up fer perty nigh ev\u2019ything dat\nwuz gwine on ef dey want too much work in it. Dey couldn\u2019t be a dance er\na quiltin\u2019 nowhar\u2019s aroun\u2019 but what he\u2019d be dar; he wuz fust ter come an\u2019\nlast ter go.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_He holla\u2019d fer de man what run de ferry_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWell, dey wuz one time when he went too fur an\u2019 stayed too late, bekaze\na big rain come endurin\u2019 de time when dey wuz playin\u2019 an\u2019 dancin\u2019, an\u2019\nwhen Brer Rabbit put out fer home, he foun\u2019 dat a big freshet done come\nan\u2019 gone. De dreens had got ter be creeks, de creeks had got ter be\nrivers, an\u2019 de rivers--well, I ain\u2019t gwine ter tell you what de rivers\nwuz kaze you\u2019d think dat I done tol\u2019 de trufe good-bye. By makin\u2019 big\njumps an\u2019 gwine out er his way, Brer Rabbit manage fer ter git ez close\nter home ez de creek, but when he git dar, de creek wuz so wide dat it\nmake him feel like he been los\u2019 so long dat his fambly done fergot him.\nMany an\u2019 many a time had he cross\u2019 dat creek on a log, but de log done\ngone, an\u2019 de water wuz spread out all over creation. De water wuz wide,\nbut dat wa\u2019n\u2019t mo\u2019 dan half--it look like it wuz de wettest water dat\nBrer Rabbit ever lay eyes on.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Dar wuz ol\u2019 Brer B\u2019ar settin\u2019 at de foot er de tree_\u201d]\n\n\u201cDey wuz a ferry dar fer times like dis, but it look like it wuz a\nbigger fresh dan what dey had counted on. Brer Rabbit, he sot on de bank\nan\u2019 wipe de damp out\u2019n his face an\u2019 eyes, an\u2019 den he holla\u2019d fer de man\nwhat run de ferry. He holla\u2019d an\u2019 holla\u2019d, an\u2019 bimeby, he hear some un\nanswer him, an\u2019 he looked a little closer, an\u2019 dar wuz de man, which his\nname wuz Jerry, way up in de top lim\u2019s uv a tree; an\u2019 he looked still\ncloser, an\u2019 he seed dat Jerry had company, kaze dar wuz ol\u2019 Brer B\u2019ar\nsettin\u2019 at de foot er de tree, waitin\u2019 fer Jerry fer ter come down so he\nkin tell \u2019im howdy.\u201d Uncle Remus paused to see what effect this statement\nwould have on the little boy. The youngster said nothing, but his shrewd\nsmile showed the old man that he fully appreciated the reason why Jerry\nwas in no hurry to shake hands with Brother Bear.\n\n\u201cWell, suh, Brer Rabbit took notice dat dey wuz sump\u2019n mo\u2019 dan dampness\n\u2019twix\u2019 um, an he start in ter holla again, an\u2019 he holla\u2019d so loud, an\u2019 he\nholla\u2019d so long, dat he woke up ol\u2019 Brer Yalligater. Now, it ain\u2019t make\nol\u2019 Brer Yalligater feel good fer ter be wokened up at dat hour, kaze\nhe\u2019d des had a nice supper er pine-knots an\u2019 sweet \u2019taters, an\u2019 he wuz\nlayin\u2019 out at full lenk on his mud bed. He \u2019low ter hisse\u2019f, he did, \u2018Who\nin de nation is dis tryin\u2019 fer ter holla de bottom out er de creek?\u2019 He\nlissen, an\u2019 den he turn over an\u2019 lissen ag\u2019in. He shot one eye, an\u2019 den\nhe shot de yuther one, but dey ain\u2019t no sleepin\u2019 in dat neighberhood.\nJerry in de tree, he holla back, \u2018Can\u2019t come--got comp\u2019ny!\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Yalligater, he hear dis, an\u2019 he say ter hisse\u2019f dat ef nobody\ncan\u2019t come, he kin, an\u2019 he riz ter de top wid no mo\u2019 fuss dan a\nfedder-bed makes when you let it \u2019lone. He riz, he did, an\u2019 his two eyes\nlook des perzackly like two bullets floatin\u2019 on de water. He riz an\u2019\nwunk his eye, an\u2019 ax Brer Rabbit howdy, an\u2019 mo\u2019 speshually how is his\ndaughter. Brer Rabbit, he say dat dey ain\u2019t no tellin\u2019 how his daughter\nis, kaze when he lef\u2019 home her head wuz a-swellin\u2019. He say dat some er de\nneighbors\u2019 chillun come by an\u2019 flung rocks at her an\u2019 one un um hit her\non top er de head right whar de cow-lick is, an\u2019 he hatter run atter de\ndoctor.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_He riz an\u2019 wunk his eye, an\u2019 ax Brer Rabbit howdy_\u201d]\n\n\u201cBrer Yalligater \u2019low, \u2018You don\u2019t tell me, Brer Rabbit, dat it\u2019s come\nter dis! Yo\u2019 chillun gittin\u2019 chunked by yo\u2019 neighbors\u2019 chillun! Well,\nwell, well! I wish you\u2019d tell me wharbouts it\u2019s all a-gwine ter een\u2019 at.\nWhy, it\u2019ll git so atter while dat dey ain\u2019t no peace anywhar\u2019s \u2019ceppin at\nmy house in de bed er de creek.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit say, \u2018Ain\u2019t it de trufe? An\u2019 not only does Brer Fox chillun\nchunk my chillun on dey cow-licks, but no sooner is I gone atter de\ndoctor dan here come de creek a-risin\u2019. I may be wrong, but I ain\u2019t\nskeer\u2019d ter say dat it beats anything I yever is lay eyes on. Over yander\nin de fur woods is what my daughter is layin\u2019 wid de headache, an\u2019 here\u2019s\nher pa, an\u2019 \u2019twix\u2019 us is de b\u2019ilin\u2019 creek. Ef I wuz ter try ter wade, ten\nter one de water would be over my head, an\u2019 ef not dat bad, all de pills\nwhat de doctor gi\u2019 me would melt in my pocket. An\u2019 dey might pizen me,\nkaze de doctor ain\u2019t say dey wuz ter be tuck outside.\u2019\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_\u2018Ef you think you kin stay in one place long enough,\nI\u2019ll try ter put you \u2019cross de creek\u2019_\u201d]\n\n\u201cOl\u2019 Brer Yalligater float on de water like he ain\u2019t weigh no mo\u2019 dan\none er deze yer postitch stomps, an\u2019 he try ter drop a tear. He groan, he\ndid, an\u2019 float backerds an\u2019 forrerds like a tired canoe. He say, \u2018Brer\nRabbit, ef dey yever wuz a rover you is one. Up you come an\u2019 off you go,\nan\u2019 dey ain\u2019t no mo\u2019 keepin\u2019 up wid you dan ef you had wings. Ef you\nthink you kin stay in one place long enough, I\u2019ll try ter put you \u2019cross\nde creek. Brer Rabbit kinder rub his chin whiles he wiggle his nose. He\n\u2019low, sezee, \u2018Brer \u2019Gater, how deep is dat water what you floatin\u2019 in?\u2019\nBrer Yalligater say, sezee, \u2018Brer Rabbit, ef me an\u2019 my ol\u2019 \u2019oman wuz ter\njine heads, an\u2019 I wuz ter stan\u2019 on de tip-een\u2019 my tail, dey\u2019ll still be\nroom enough fer all er my chillun \u2019fo\u2019 we totch bottom.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit, he fell back like he gwineter faint. He \u2019low, \u2018Brer\n\u2019Gater, you don\u2019t tell me! You sholy don\u2019t mean dem last words! Why, you\nmake me feel like I\u2019m furder fum home and dem what\u2019s done lost fer good!\nHow de name er goodness you gwineter put me \u2019cross dis slippery water?\u2019\nBrer Yalligater, he blow a bubble or two out\u2019n his nose, an\u2019 den he say,\nsezee, \u2018Ef you kin stay still in one place long \u2019nough, I\u2019m gwineter take\nyou \u2019cross on my back. You nee\u2019nter say thanky, yit I want you ter know\ndat I ain\u2019t eve\u2019ybody\u2019s water-hoss.\u2019 Brer Rabbit he \u2019low, sezee, \u2018I kin\nwell b\u2019lieve dat, Brer \u2019Gater, but somehow, I kinder got a notion dat yo\u2019\ntail mighty limber. I hear ol\u2019 folks say dat you kin knock a chip fum de\nback er yo\u2019 head wid de tip-een\u2019 er yo\u2019 tail an\u2019 never haf try.\u2019 Brer\nYalligater smack his mouf, an\u2019 say, sezee, \u2018Limber my tail may be, Brer\nRabbit, an\u2019 fur-reachin\u2019, but don\u2019t blame me. It wuz dat a-way when it\nwuz \u2019gun ter me. It\u2019s all j\u2019inted up \u2019cordin\u2019 ter natur.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit, he study an\u2019 study, an\u2019 de mo\u2019 he study, de wuss he like\nit. But he bleeze ter go home--dey wa\u2019n\u2019t no two ways \u2019bout dat--an\u2019 he\n\u2019low, sezee, \u2018I speck what you say is some\u2019rs in de neighborhoods er de\ntrufe, Brer \u2019Gater, an\u2019 mo\u2019 dan dat, I b\u2019lieve I\u2019ll go \u2019long wid you.\nEf you\u2019ll ride up a leetle closer, I\u2019ll make up my mind so I won\u2019t keep\nyou waitin\u2019.\u2019 Brer Yalligater, he float by de side er de bank same ez a\ncork out\u2019n a pickle bottle. He ain\u2019t do like he in a hurry, kaze he drapt\na word er two about de wedder, an\u2019 he say dat de water wuz mighty col\u2019\ndown dar in de slushes. But Brer Rabbit tuck notice dat when he smole\none er his smiles, he show\u2019d up a double row er tushes, dat look like\ndey\u2019d do mighty good work in a saw-mill. Brer Rabbit, he \u2019gun ter shake\nlike he havin\u2019 a chill; he \u2019low, \u2018I feel dat damp, Brer \u2019Gater, dat I\nmought des ez well be in water up ter my chin!\u2019 Brer Yalligater ain\u2019t\nsay nothin\u2019, but he can\u2019t hide his tushes. Brer Rabbit look up, he look\ndown, an\u2019 he look all aroun\u2019. He ain\u2019t skacely know what ter do. He \u2019low,\n\u2018Brer \u2019Gater, yo\u2019 back mighty roughnin\u2019; how I gwine ter ride on it?\u2019\nBrer Yalligater say, sezee, \u2018De roughnin\u2019 will he\u2019p you ter hol\u2019 on, kaze\nyou\u2019ll hatter ride straddle. You kin des fit yo\u2019 foots on de bumps an\u2019\nkinder brace yo\u2019se\u2019f when you think you see a log floatin\u2019 at us. You kin\ndes set up dar same ez ef you wuz settin\u2019 at home in yo\u2019 rockin\u2019-cheer.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c\u2018_Brer \u2019Gater, ef I ain\u2019t mighty much mistooken, you\nain\u2019t headin\u2019 fer de lan\u2019in\u2019_\u2019\u201d]\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit shuck his head, but he got on, he did, an\u2019 he ain\u2019t\nno sooner git on dan he wish mighty hard he wuz off. Brer Yalligater\nsay, sezee. \u2018You kin pant ef you wanter, Brer Rabbit, but I\u2019ll do de\npaddlin\u2019,\u2019 an\u2019 den he slip thoo de water des like he greased. Brer Rabbit\nsho\u2019 wuz skeer\u2019d but he keep his eye open, an\u2019 bimeby he tuck notice dat\nBrer Yalligater wa\u2019n\u2019t makin\u2019 fer de place whar de lan\u2019in\u2019s at, an\u2019 he up\nan\u2019 sesso. He \u2019low, \u2018Brer \u2019Gater, ef I ain\u2019t mighty much mistooken, you\nain\u2019t headin\u2019 fer de lan\u2019in\u2019.\u2019 Brer Yalligater say, sezee, \u2018You sho\u2019 is\ngot mighty good eyes, Brer Rabbit. I been waitin\u2019 fer you a long time,\nan\u2019 I\u2019m de wust kinder waiter. I most know you ain\u2019t ferget dat day in\nde stubble, when you say you gwineter show me ol\u2019 man Trouble. Well, you\nain\u2019t only show \u2019im ter me, but you made me shake han\u2019s wid \u2019im. You sot\nde dry grass afire, an\u2019 burn me scandalious. Dat de reason my back so\nrough, an\u2019 dat de reason my hide so tough. Well, I been a-waitin\u2019 sence\ndat time, an\u2019 now here you is. You burn me twel I hatter squench de\nburnin\u2019 in de big quagmire.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Yalligater laugh, but he had de laugh all on his side, kaze dat wuz\none er de times when Brer Rabbit ain\u2019t feel like gigglin\u2019. He sot dar\na-shakin\u2019 an\u2019 a-shiverin\u2019. Bimeby he \u2019low, sezee, \u2018What you gwine do,\nBrer \u2019Gater?\u2019 Brer Yalligater, say, sezee, \u2018It look like ter me dat sence\nyou sot de dry grass afire, I been havin\u2019 symptoms. Dat what de doctor\nsay. He look at my tongue, an\u2019 feel er my pulsh, an\u2019 shake his head. He\nsay dat bein\u2019s he\u2019s my frien\u2019, he don\u2019t mind tellin\u2019 me dat my symptoms\nis gittin\u2019 mo\u2019 wusser dan what dey been, an\u2019 ef I don\u2019t take sump\u2019n I\u2019ll\nbe failin\u2019 inter one deze yer inclines what make folks flabby an\u2019 weak.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit, he shuck an\u2019 he shiver\u2019d. He \u2019low, sezee, \u2018What else de\ndoctor say, Brer \u2019Gater?\u2019 Brer Yalligater keep on a-slippin\u2019 along; he\nsay, sezee, \u2018De doctor ain\u2019t only look at my tongue--he medjer\u2019d my\nbreff, an\u2019 he hit me on my bosom--tip-tap-tap!--an\u2019 he say dey ain\u2019t but\none thing dat\u2019ll kyo me. I ax \u2019im what dat is, an\u2019 he say it\u2019s Rabbit\ngizzard.\u2019 Brer Yalligater slip an\u2019 slide along, an\u2019 wait fer ter see what\nBrer Rabbit gwineter say ter dat. He ain\u2019t had ter wait long, kaze Brer\nRabbit done his thinkin\u2019 like one er deze yer machines what got lightnin\u2019\nin it. He \u2019low, sezee, \u2018It\u2019s a mighty good thing you struck up wid me\ndis day, Brer \u2019Gater, kaze I got des perzackly de kinder physic what you\nlookin\u2019 fer. All de neighbors say I\u2019m mighty quare an\u2019 I speck I is, but\nquare er not quare, I\u2019m long been lookin\u2019 fer de gizzard-eater.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Yalligater ain\u2019t say nothin\u2019; he des slide thoo de water, an\u2019\nlissen ter what Brer Rabbit sayin\u2019. Brer Rabbit \u2019low, sezee, \u2018De las\u2019\ntime I wuz tooken sick, de doctor come in a hurry, an\u2019 he sot up wid me\nall night--not a wink er sleep did dat man git. He say he kin tell by de\nway I wuz gwine on, rollin\u2019 an\u2019 tossin\u2019, an\u2019 moanin\u2019 an\u2019 groanin\u2019, dat\ndey wa\u2019n\u2019t no physic gwineter do me no good. I ain\u2019t never see no doctor\nscratch his head like dat doctor did; he done like he wuz stumped, he\nsho\u2019 did. He say he ain\u2019t never see nobody wid my kind er trouble, an\u2019 he\nwent off an\u2019 call in one er his brer doctors, an\u2019 de two knock dey heads\ntergedder, an\u2019 say my trouble all come fum havin\u2019 a double gizzard. When\nmy ol\u2019 \u2019oman hear dat, she des flung her apron over her head, an\u2019 fell\nback in a dead faint, an\u2019 a little mo\u2019 an\u2019 I\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 had ter pay a doctor\nbill on her accounts. When she squalled, some er my chillun got skeer\u2019d\nan\u2019 tuck ter de woods, an\u2019 dey ain\u2019t all got back when I lef\u2019 home las\u2019\nnight.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Yalligater, he des went a-slippin\u2019 long thoo de water; he lissen,\nbut he ain\u2019t sayin\u2019 nothin\u2019. Brer Rabbit, he \u2019low, sezee, \u2018It\u2019s de fatal\ntrufe, all dis dat I\u2019m a-tellin\u2019 you. De doctor, he flew\u2019d roun\u2019 twel he\nfotch my ol\u2019 \u2019oman to, an\u2019 den he say dey ain\u2019t no needs ter be skittish\non accounts er my havin\u2019 a double gizzard, kaze all I had ter do wuz\nter be kinder keerful wid my chawin\u2019s an\u2019 gnyawin\u2019s, an\u2019 my comin\u2019s an\u2019\ngwines. He say dat I\u2019d hatter suffer wid it twel I fin\u2019 de gizzard-eater.\nI ax \u2019im whar bouts is he, an\u2019 he say dat I\u2019d know him when I seed him,\nan\u2019 ef I fail ter know \u2019im, he\u2019ll make hisse\u2019f beknown ter me. Dis kinder\nerrytate me, kaze when a man\u2019s a doctor, an\u2019 is got de idee er kyoin\u2019\nanybody, dey ain\u2019t no needs ter deal in no riddles. But he say dat tain\u2019t\nno use fer ter tell all you know, speshually fo\u2019 dinner.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Yalligater went a-slidin\u2019 long thoo de water; he lissen an\u2019 smack\nhis mouf, but he ain\u2019t sayin\u2019 nothin\u2019. Brer Rabbit, he talk on; he \u2019low,\nsezee, \u2018An dey wuz one thing he tol\u2019 me mo\u2019 plainer dan all de rest. He\nsay dat when anybody wuz \u2019flicted wid de double gizzard, dey dassent\ncross water wid it, kaze ef dey\u2019s anything dat a double gizzard won\u2019t\nstan\u2019 it\u2019s de smell er water.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Yalligater went slippin\u2019 long thoo de water, but he feel like\nde time done come when he bleeze ter say sump\u2019n. He say, sezee, \u2018How\ncome youer crossin\u2019 water now, ef de doctor tell you dat?\u2019 Dis make\nBrer Rabbit laugh; he \u2019low, \u2018Maybe I oughtn\u2019t ter tell you, but fo\u2019 I\nkin cross water dat double gizzard got ter come out. De doctor done\ntol\u2019 me dat ef she ever smell water, dey\u2019ll be sech a swellin\u2019 up dat\nmy skin won\u2019t hol\u2019 me; an\u2019 no longer dan\u2019 las\u2019 night, \u2019fo\u2019 I come ter\ndis creek--\u2019twuz a creek den, whatsomever you may call it now--I tuck\nout my double gizzard an\u2019 hid it in a hick\u2019ry holler. An\u2019 ef youer de\ngizzard-eater, now is yo\u2019 chance, kaze ef you put it off, you may rue de\nday. Ef youer in de notion I\u2019ll take you right dar an\u2019 show you de stump\nwhar I hid it at--er ef you wanter be lonesome \u2019bout it, I\u2019ll let you go\nby yo\u2019se\u2019f an\u2019 I\u2019ll stay right here.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Yalligater, he slip an\u2019 slide thoo de water. He say, sezee,\n\u2018Whar\u2019d you say you\u2019d stay?\u2019 Brer Rabbit \u2019low, sezee, \u2018I\u2019ll stay right\nhere, Brer \u2019Gater, er anywhar\u2019s else you may choosen; I don\u2019t keer much\nwhar I stays er what I does, so long ez I get rid er dat double gizzard\nwhat\u2019s been a-tarrifyin\u2019 me. You better go by yo\u2019se\u2019f, kaze bad ez dat\ndouble gizzard is done me, I got a kinder tendersome feelin\u2019 fer it, an\u2019\nI\u2019m fear\u2019d ef I wuz ter go \u2019long wid you, an\u2019 see you grab it, dey\u2019d\nbe some boo-hooin\u2019 done. Ef you go by yo\u2019se\u2019f, des rap on de stump an\u2019\nsay--_Ef youer ready, I\u2019m ready an\u2019 a little mo\u2019 so_, un\u2019 you won\u2019t have\nno trouble wid her. She\u2019s hid right in dem woods yander, an\u2019 de holler\nhick\u2019ry stump ain\u2019t so mighty fur fum whar de bank er de creek oughter\nbe.\u2019\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Brer Rabbit make a big jump an\u2019 lan\u2019 on solid ground_\u201d]\n\n\u201cBrer \u2019Gater ain\u2019t got much mo\u2019 sense dan what it \u2019ud take fer ter clim\u2019\na fence atter somebody done pulled it down, an\u2019 so he kinder slew\u2019d\nhisse\u2019f aroun\u2019, an\u2019 steered fer de woods--de same woods whar dey\u2019s so\nmany trees, an\u2019 whar ol\u2019 Sis Owl starts all de whirl-win\u2019s by fannin\u2019 her\nwings. Brer Yalligater swum an\u2019 steered, twel he come close ter lan\u2019, an\u2019\nwhen he done dat Brer Rabbit make a big jump an\u2019 lan\u2019 on solid ground. He\nmought er got his feet wet, but ef he did \u2019twuz ez much. He \u2019low, sezee--\n\n    _\u201c\u2018You po\u2019 ol\u2019 \u2019Gater, ef you know\u2019d A fum Izzard,_\n    _You\u2019d know mighty well dat I\u2019d keep my Gizzard.\u2019_\n\nAn\u2019 wid dat, he wuz done gone--done clean gone!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nXV\n\nBROTHER RABBIT AND MISS NANCY\n\n\nOne day, when Uncle Remus had told one of the stories that have already\nbeen set forth, the little boy was unusually thoughtful. He had asked his\nmother whether there was ever a time when the animals acted and talked\nlike people, and she, without reflecting, being a young and an impulsive\nwoman, had answered most emphatically in the negative. Now, this little\nboy was shrewder than he was given credit for being, and he knew that\nneither his grandmother nor Uncle Remus would set great store by what his\nmother said. How he knew this would be difficult to explain, but he knew\nit all the same. Therefore, when he interjected a doubt as to the truth\nof the tales, he kept the name of his authority to himself.\n\n\u201cUncle Remus,\u201d said the little boy, \u201chow do you know that the tales you\ntell are true? Couldn\u2019t somebody make them up?\u201d\n\nThe old man looked at the little child, and knew who had sown the seeds\nof doubt in his mind, and the knowledge made him groan and shake his\nhead. \u201cMaybe you think I done it, honey, but ef you does, de sooner you\nfergit it off\u2019n yo\u2019 min\u2019, de better fer you, kaze I\u2019d set here an\u2019 dry\nup an\u2019 blow way \u2019fo\u2019 I kin tell a tale er my own make-up; an\u2019 ef dey\u2019s\nanybody deze days what kin make um up, I\u2019d like fer ter snuggle up ter\n\u2019im, an\u2019 ax \u2019im ter l\u2019arn me how.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you really believe the animals could talk?\u201d asked the child.\n\n\u201cWhat diffunce do it make what I b\u2019lieve, honey? Ef dey kin talk in\ndem days, er ef dey can\u2019t, b\u2019lievin\u2019 er not b\u2019lievin\u2019 ain\u2019t gwineter\nhe\u2019p matters. Ol\u2019 folks what live in dem times dey say de creeturs kin\ntalk, kaze dey done talk wid um, an\u2019 dey tell it ter der chillun an\u2019 der\nchillun tell it ter der chillun right on down ter deze days. So den what\nyou gwineter do \u2019bout it--b\u2019lieve dem what had it fum de ol\u2019 folks dat\nknow\u2019d, er dem what ain\u2019t never hear nothin\u2019 \u2019tall about it twel dey git\nit second han\u2019 fum a ol\u2019 nigger man?\u201d\n\nThe child perceived that Uncle Remus was hitting pretty close to home, as\nthe saying is, and he said nothing for a while. \u201cI haven\u2019t said that I\ndon\u2019t believe them,\u201d he remarked presently.\n\n\u201cEf you said it, honey, you ain\u2019t say it whar I kin hear you, but I take\nnotice dat you hol\u2019 yo\u2019 head on one side an\u2019 kinder wrinkle yo\u2019 face up\nwhen I tell deze tales. Ef you don\u2019t b\u2019lieve um, tain\u2019t no mo\u2019 use fer me\nter tell um dan \u2019tis fer me ter fly.\u201d\n\n\u201cMy face always wrinkles when I laugh, Uncle Remus.\u201d\n\n\u201cAn\u2019 when you cry,\u201d responded the old man so promptly that the child\nlaughed, though he hardly knew what he was laughing at.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m gwineter tell you one now,\u201d remarked Uncle Remus, wiping a smile\nfrom his face with the back of his hand, \u201can\u2019 you kin take it er leave\nit, des ez you please. Ef you see anything wrong in it anywhar, you kin\np\u2019int it out ez we go \u2019long. I been tellin\u2019 you dat Brer Rabbit wuz a\nheap bigger in dem days dan what he is now. It looks like de fambly done\nrun ter seed, an\u2019 I bet you dat ninety-nine thousan\u2019 year fum dis ve\u2019y\nday, de Rabbit-tum-a-hash crowd won\u2019 be bigger dan fiel\u2019-mice--I bet you\ndat. He wa\u2019n\u2019t only bigger, but he wuz mighty handy \u2019bout a farm, when he\ntuck a notion, speshually ef Mr. Man had any greens in his truck-patch.\nWell, one time, times wuz so hard dat he hatter hire out fer his vittles\nan\u2019 cloze. He had de idee dat he wuz gittin\u2019 a mighty heap fer de work\nhe done, an Mr. Man tell his daughter dat he gittin\u2019 Brer Rabbit mighty\ncheap. Dey wuz bofe satchified, an\u2019 when dat\u2019s de case, eve\u2019ybody else\noughter be satchified. Brer Rabbit kin hoe taters, an\u2019 chop cotton, an\u2019\nfetch up breshwood, an\u2019 split de kindlin, an\u2019 do right smart.\n\n\u201cHe say ter hisse\u2019f, Brer Rabbit did, dat ef he ain\u2019t gittin\u2019 no money\nan\u2019 mighty few cloze, he boun\u2019 he\u2019d have a plenty vittles. De fust week\ner two, he ain\u2019t cut up no shines; he wuz gittin\u2019 usen ter de place. He\nstuck ter his work right straight along twel Mr. Man say he one er de\nbes\u2019 han\u2019s on de whole place, an\u2019 he tell his daughter dat she better set\n\u2019er cap fer Brer Rabbit. De gal she toss her head an\u2019 make a mouf, but\nall de samey she \u2019gun ter cas\u2019 sheep eyes at \u2019im.\n\n\u201cOne fine day, when de sun shinin\u2019 mighty hot, Brer Rabbit \u2019gun ter git\nmighty hongry. He say he want some water. Mr. Man say, \u2018Dar de bucket,\nan\u2019 yan\u2019 de spring. Eve\u2019ything fix so you kin git water monstus easy.\u2019\nBrer Rabbit git de water, but still dey wuz a gnyawin\u2019 in his stomach,\nan\u2019 bimeby he say he want some bread. Mr. Man say, \u2019Tain\u2019t been so mighty\nlong sense you had brekkus, but no matter \u2019bout dat. Yan\u2019s de house, in\nde house you\u2019ll fin\u2019 my daughter, an\u2019 she\u2019ll gi\u2019 you what bread you want.\u2019\n\n\u201cWid dat Brer Rabbit put out fer de house, an\u2019 dar he fin\u2019 de gal. She\nsay, \u2018La, Brer Rabbit, you oughter be at work, but stidder dat here you\nis at de house. I hear pap say dat youer mighty good worker, but ef dis\nde way you does yo\u2019 work, I dunner what make \u2019im sesso.\u2019 Brer Rabbit\nsay, \u2018I\u2019m here, Miss Nancy, kaze yo\u2019 daddy sont me.\u2019 Miss Nancy \u2019low,\n\u2018Ain\u2019t you \u2019shame er yo\u2019se\u2019f fer ter talk dat a-way? You know pap ain\u2019t\nsont you.\u2019 Brer Rabbit say, \u2018Yassum, he did,\u2019 an\u2019 den he smole one er\ndeze yer lopsided smiles. Miss Nancy kinder hang \u2019er head an\u2019 low, \u2018Stop\nlookin\u2019 at me so brazen.\u2019 Brer Rabbit stood dar wid his eyes shot, an\u2019 he\nain\u2019t say nothin\u2019. Miss Nancy say, \u2018Is you gone ter sleep? You oughter be\n\u2019shame fer ter drap off dat a-way whar dey\u2019s ladies.\u2019\n\n\u201cBrer Rabbit make a bow, he did, an\u2019 \u2019low, \u2018You tol\u2019 me not ter look\nat you, an\u2019 ef I ain\u2019t ter look at you, I des ez well ter keep my eyes\nshot.\u2019 De gal she giggle an\u2019 say Brer Rabbit oughtn\u2019t ter make fun er\nher right befo\u2019 her face an\u2019 eyes. She ax what her pap sont \u2019im fer, an\u2019\nhe \u2019low dat Mr. Man sont \u2019im for a dollar an\u2019 a half, an\u2019 some bread an\u2019\nbutter. Miss Nancy say she don\u2019t b\u2019lieve \u2019im, an\u2019 wid dat she run down\ntodes de fiel\u2019 whar her pa wuz workin\u2019 an\u2019 holler at \u2019im--\u2018Pap! Oh, pap!\u2019\nMr. Man make answer, \u2018Hey?\u2019 an\u2019 de gal say, \u2018Is you say what Brer Rabbit\nsay you say?\u2019 Mr. Man he holler back dat dat\u2019s des what he say, an\u2019 Miss\nNancy she run back ter der house, an\u2019 gi\u2019 Brer Rabbit a dollar an\u2019 a half\nan\u2019 some bread an\u2019 butter.\n\n\u201cTime passed, an\u2019 eve\u2019y once in a while Brer Rabbit\u2019d go ter de house\nendurin\u2019 de day, an\u2019 tell Miss Nancy dat her daddy say fer ter gi\u2019 \u2019im\nmoney an\u2019 some bread an\u2019 butter. An\u2019 de gal, she\u2019d go part er de way\nter whar Mr. Man is workin\u2019, an\u2019 holler an\u2019 ax ef he sesso, an\u2019 Mr. Man\n\u2019d holler back, \u2018Yes, honey, dat what I say.\u2019 It got so atter while dat\ndey ain\u2019t so mighty much money in de house, an\u2019 \u2019bout dat time, Miss\nNancy, she had a beau, which he useter come ter see her eve\u2019y Sunday, an\u2019\nsometimes Sat\u2019day, an\u2019 it got so, atter while, dat she won\u2019t skacely look\nat Brer Rabbit.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_De beau got ter flingin\u2019 his sass roun\u2019 Brer Rabbit_\u201d]\n\n\u201cDis make \u2019im laugh, an\u2019 he kinder studied how he gwineter git even wid\num, kaze de beau got ter flingin\u2019 his sass roun\u2019 Brer Rabbit, an\u2019 de gal,\nshe\u2019d giggle, ez gals will. But Brer Rabbit des sot dar, he did, an\u2019 chaw\nhis terbacker, an\u2019 spit in de fier. But one day Mr. Man hear \u2019im talkin\u2019\nter hisse\u2019f whiles deyer workin\u2019 in de same fiel\u2019, and he ax Brer Rabbit\nwhat he say. Brer Rabbit \u2019low dat he des try in\u2019 fer ter l\u2019arn a speech\nwhat he hear a little bird say, an\u2019 wid dat he went on diggin\u2019 in de\ngroun\u2019 des like he don\u2019t keer whedder anything happen er not. But dis\ndon\u2019t satchify Mr. Man, an\u2019 he ax Brer Rabbit what de speech is. Brer\nRabbit \u2019low dat de way de little bird say it dey ain\u2019t no sense ter it\nfur ez he kin see. But Mr. Man keep on axin\u2019 \u2019im what \u2019tis, an\u2019 bimeby\nhe up an\u2019 \u2019low, \u2018De beau kiss de gal an\u2019 call her honey; den he kiss her\nag\u2019in, an\u2019 she gi\u2019 im de money.\u2019\n\n\u201cMr. Man say, \u2018Which money?\u2019 Brer Rabbit \u2019low, \u2018Youer too much fer me.\nDey tells me dat money\u2019s money, no matter whar you git it, er how you\ngit it. Ef de little bird wa\u2019n\u2019t singin\u2019 a song, den I\u2019m mighty much\nmistooken.\u2019 But dis don\u2019 make Mr. Man feel no better dan what he been\nfeelin\u2019. He went on workin\u2019, but all de time de speech dat de little bird\nmade wuz runnin\u2019 in his min\u2019:\n\n    _\u201cDe beau kiss de gal, an\u2019 call her honey;_\n    _Den he kiss her ag\u2019in, an\u2019 she gi\u2019 \u2019im de money.\u201d_\n\n\u201cHe keep on sayin\u2019 it over in his min\u2019, an\u2019 de mo\u2019 he say it de mo\u2019 it\nworry him. Dat night when he went home, de beau wuz dar, an\u2019 he wuz mo\u2019\ngayly dan ever. He flung sass at Brer Rabbit, an Brer Rabbit des sot\ndar an\u2019 chaw his terbacker, an\u2019 spit in de fier. Den Mr. Man went ter\nde place whar he keep his money, an\u2019 he fin\u2019 it mos\u2019 all gone. He come\nback, he did, an\u2019 he say, \u2018Whar my money?\u2019 De gal, she ain\u2019t wanter have\nno words \u2019fo\u2019 her beau, an\u2019 \u2019spon\u2019, \u2018You know whar \u2019tis des ez well ez I\ndoes,\u2019 an\u2019 de man say, \u2018I speck youer right \u2019bout dat, an\u2019 sence I does,\nI want you ter pack up an\u2019 git right out ter dis house an\u2019 take yo\u2019 beau\nwid you.\u2019 An\u2019 so dar \u2019twuz.\n\n\u201cDe gal, she cry some, but de beau muched her up, an\u2019 dey went off an\u2019\ngot married, an\u2019 Mr. Man tuck all his things an\u2019 move off somers, I\ndunner whar, an\u2019 dey wa\u2019n\u2019t nobody lef\u2019 in dem neighberhoods but me an\u2019\nBrer Rabbit.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou and Brother Rabbit?\u201d cried the little boy.\n\n\u201cDat\u2019s what I said,\u201d replied Uncle Remus. \u201cMe an\u2019 Brer Rabbit. De gal,\nshe tol\u2019 her chillun \u2019bout how Brer Rabbit had done her an\u2019 her pa, an\u2019\nfum dat time on, deyer been persooin\u2019 on atter him.\u201d\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_De gal, she cry some, but dey went off an\u2019 got\nmarried_\u201d]\n\n\n\n\nXVI\n\nTHE HARD-HEADED WOMAN\n\n\nUncle Remus had observed a disposition on the part of the little boy\nto experiment somewhat with his elders. The child had come down to the\nplantation from the city such a model youngster that those who took an\ninterest in his behavior, and who were themselves living the free and\neasy life possible only in the country places, were inclined to believe\nthat he had been unduly repressed. This was particularly the case with\nthe little fellow\u2019s grandmother, who was aided and abetted by Uncle Remus\nhimself, with the result that the youngster was allowed liberties he had\nnever had before. The child, as might be supposed, was quick to take\nadvantage of such a situation, and was all the time trying to see how far\nhe could go before the limits of his privileges--new and inviting so far\nas he was concerned--would be reached. They stretched very much farther\non the plantation than they would have done in the city, as was natural\nand proper, but the child, with that adventurous spirit common to boys,\nwas inclined to push them still farther than they had ever yet gone; and\nhe soon lost the most obvious characteristics of a model lad.\n\nLittle by little he had pushed his liberties, the mother hesitating to\nbring him to task for fear of offending the grandmother, whose guest she\nwas, and the grandmother not daring to interfere, for the reason that\nit was at her suggestion, implied rather than direct, that the mother\nhad relaxed her somewhat rigid discipline. It was natural, under the\ncircumstances, that the little fellow should become somewhat wilful and\nobstinate, and he bade fair to develop that spirit of disobedience that\nwill make the brightest child ugly and discontented.\n\nUncle Remus, as has been said, observed all these symptoms, and while\nhe had been the first to deplore the system that seemed to take all the\nindividuality out of the little fellow, he soon became painfully aware\nthat something would have to be done to renew the discipline that had\nbeen so efficacious when the mother was where she felt free to exercise\nher whole influence.\n\n\u201cYou ain\u2019t sick, is you, honey?\u201d the old man inquired one day in an\ninsinuating tone. \u201cKaze ef you is, you better run back ter de house an\u2019\nlet de white folks dose you up. Yo\u2019 mammy knows des \u2019zackly de kinder\nphysic you need, an\u2019 how much, an\u2019 ef I ain\u2019t mighty much mistooken,\n\u2019twon\u2019t be so mighty long \u2019fo\u2019 she\u2019ll take you in han\u2019.\u201d The child looked\nup quickly to see whether Uncle Remus was in earnest, but he could find\nnothing in that solemn countenance that at all resembled playfulness.\n\u201cYou may be well,\u201d the old man went on, \u201cbut dey\u2019s one thing certain an\u2019\nsho\u2019--you don\u2019t look like you did when you come ter we-all\u2019s house, an\u2019\nyou don\u2019t do like you done. You may look at me ef you wanter, but I\u2019m\na-tellin\u2019 you de fatal trufe, kaze you ain\u2019t no mo\u2019 de same chil\u2019 what\nuseter \u2019ten\u2019 ter his own business all day an\u2019 night--you ain\u2019t no mo\u2019 de\nsame chil\u2019 dan I\u2019m dat ol\u2019 hen out dar. I \u2019low\u2019d I mought be mistooken,\nbut I hear yo\u2019 granny an\u2019 yo\u2019 mammy talkin\u2019 t\u2019er night atter you done\ngone ter bed, an\u2019 de talk dat dey talked sho\u2019 did open my eyes, kaze I\nnever spected fer ter hear talk like dat.\u201d\n\nFor a long time the little boy said nothing, but finally he inquired\nwhat Uncle Remus had heard. \u201cI ain\u2019t no eavesdrapper,\u201d the old man\nreplied, \u201cbut I hear \u2019nough fer ter last me whiles you stay wid us. I\ndunner how long dat\u2019ll be, but I don\u2019t speck it\u2019ll be long. Now des\nlook at you! Dar you is fumblin\u2019 wid my shoe knife, an\u2019 mos\u2019 \u2019fo\u2019 you\nknow it one een\u2019 er yo\u2019 finger will be down dar on de flo\u2019, an\u2019 you\u2019ll\nbe a-squallin\u2019 like somebody done killt you. Put it right back whar you\ngot it fum. Why n\u2019t you put it down when I ax you?--an\u2019 don\u2019t scatter\nmy pegs! Put down dat awl! You\u2019ll stob yo\u2019se\u2019f right in de vitals, an\u2019\nden Miss Sally will blame me. Laws-a-massy! take yo\u2019 han\u2019 outer dat peg\nbox! You\u2019ll git um all over de flo\u2019, an\u2019 dey\u2019ll drap thoo de cracks. I\nbe boun\u2019 ef I take my foot in my han\u2019, an\u2019 go up yan\u2019 an\u2019 tell yo\u2019 mammy\nhow good you is, she\u2019ll make you take off yo\u2019 cloze an\u2019 go ter bed--dat\u2019s\ndes \u2019zackly what she\u2019ll do. An\u2019 dar you is foolin\u2019 wid my fillin\u2019s!--an\u2019,\nbless gracious, ef you ain\u2019t settin\u2019 right flat-footed on my shoemaker\u2019s\nwax, an\u2019 it right saft! I\u2019ll hatter ax yo\u2019 mammy ter please\u2019m not let you\ncome down here no mo\u2019 twel de day you start home!\u201d\n\n\u201cI think you are very cross,\u201d complained the child. \u201cI never heard you\ntalk that way before. And grandmother is getting so she isn\u2019t as nice as\nshe used to be.\u201d\n\n\u201cAh-yi!\u201d exclaimed Uncle Remus in a triumphant tone. \u201cI know\u2019d it! you\ndone got so dat you won\u2019t do a blessed thing dat anybody ax you ter do.\nYou done got a new name, an\u2019 \u2019tain\u2019t so new but what I can put bofe han\u2019s\nbehime one, an\u2019 shet my eyes an\u2019 call it out. Eve\u2019ybody on de place know\nwhat \u2019tis, an\u2019 I hear de ol\u2019 red rooster callin\u2019 it out de yuther day\nwhen you wuz chunkin\u2019 at \u2019im.\u201d At once the little boy manifested interest\nin what the old negro was saying, and when he looked up, curiosity shone\nin his eyes. \u201cWhat did the rooster say my name is, Uncle Remus?\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy, when you wuz atter him, he flew\u2019d up on de lot fence, an\u2019 he \u2019low,\n\u2018Mr. Hardhead! Mr. Hardhead!\u2019 an\u2019 dat sho\u2019 is yo\u2019 name. You kin squirm,\nan\u2019 frown, an\u2019 twis\u2019, but dat rooster is sho\u2019 got yo\u2019 name down fine. Ef\nhe\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 des named you once, maybe folks would \u2019a\u2019 fergot it off\u2019n der\nmin\u2019, but he call de name twice des ez plain ez he kin speak, an\u2019 dar you\nsets wid Mr. Hardhead writ on you des ez plain ez ef de rooster had a\nput it on you wid a paint-brush. You can\u2019t rub it off an\u2019 you can\u2019t walk\nroun\u2019 it.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut what must I do, Uncle Remus?\u201d\n\n\u201cDes set still a minnit, an\u2019 try ter be good. It may th\u2019ow you in a high\nfever fer ter keep yo\u2019 han\u2019s outer my things, er it may gi\u2019 you a agur\nfer ter be like you useter be, but it\u2019ll pay you in de long run; it mos\u2019\nsholy will.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, if you want me to be quiet,\u201d said the child, \u201cyou\u2019ll have to tell\nme a tale.\u201d\n\n\u201cEf you sit still too long, honey, I\u2019m afeard de creeturs on de\nplantation will git de idee dat sump\u2019n done happen. Dar\u2019s de ol\u2019 sow--you\nain\u2019t run her roun\u2019 de place in de last ten minnits er sech a matter;\nan\u2019 dar\u2019s de calf, an\u2019 de chickens, an\u2019 de Guinny hens, an\u2019 de ol\u2019 gray\ngooses--dey\u2019ll git de idee dat you done broke yo\u2019 leg er yo\u2019 arm; an\u2019\ndey\u2019ll be fixin\u2019 up fer ter have a frolic if dey miss you fer longer dan\nfifteen minnits an\u2019 a half. How you gwineter have any fun ef you set an\u2019\nlissen ter a tale stidder chunkin\u2019 an\u2019 runnin\u2019 de creeturs? I mos\u2019 know\nyou er ailin\u2019 an\u2019 by good rights de doctor oughter come an\u2019 look at you.\u201d\n\nThe little boy laughed uneasily. He was not the first that had been\nsobered by the irony of Uncle Remus, which, crude though it was, was much\nmore effective than downright quarreling. \u201cYasser!\u201d Uncle Remus repeated,\n\u201cde doctor oughter come an\u2019 look at you--an\u2019 when I say doctor, I mean\ndoctor, an\u2019 not one er deze yer kin\u2019 what goes roun\u2019 wid a whole passel\ner pills what ain\u2019t bigger dan a gnat\u2019s heart. What you want is a great\nbig double-j\u2019inted doctor wid a big black beard an\u2019 specks on, what\u2019ll\nfill you full er de rankest kin\u2019 er physic. Ez you look now, you put me\nin min\u2019 er de \u2019oman an\u2019 de dinner-pot; dey ain\u2019t no two ways \u2019bout dat.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf it is a tale, please tell it, Uncle Remus,\u201d said the little boy.\n\n\u201cOh, it sho is a tale all right!\u201d exclaimed the old man, \u201cbut you ain\u2019t\nno mo\u2019 got time fer ter hear it dan de birds in de tree. You\u2019d hatter\nset still an\u2019 lissen, an\u2019 dat \u2019ud put you out a whole lot, kaze dar\u2019s de\nchickens ter be chunked, an\u2019 de pigs ter be crippled an\u2019 a whole lot er\nyuther things fer ter be did, an\u2019 dey ain\u2019t nobody else in de roun\u2019 worl\u2019\ndat kin do it ez good ez you kin. Well, you kin git up an\u2019 mosey long ef\nyou wanter, but I\u2019m gwineter tell dish yer tale ef I hatter r\u2019ar my head\nback an\u2019 shet my eyeballs an\u2019 tell it ter myse\u2019f fer ter see ef I done\nfergit it off\u2019n my min\u2019.\n\n\u201cWell, once \u2019pon a time--it mought \u2019a\u2019 been in de year One fer all I\nknow--dey wuz a \u2019oman dat live in a little cabin in de woods not so\nmighty fur fum water. Now, dis \u2019oman an\u2019 dis cabin mought \u2019a\u2019 been in de\nNunited State er Georgy, er dey mought \u2019a\u2019 been in de Nunited State er\nYallerbammer--you kin put um whar you please des like I does. But at one\nplace er de yuther, an\u2019 at one time er nuther, dis \u2019oman live dar des\nlike I\u2019m a-tellin\u2019 you. She live dar, she did, an\u2019 fus\u2019 an\u2019 las\u2019 dey wuz\na mighty heap er talk about her. Some say she wuz black, some say she wuz\nmighty nigh white, an\u2019 some say she wa\u2019n\u2019t ez black ez she mought be; but\ndem what know\u2019d, dey say she wuz nine parts Injun an\u2019 one part human, an\u2019\nI speck dat\u2019s des ez close ter trufe ez we kin git in dis kinder wedder\nef we gwineter keep cool.\n\n\u201cFum all I kin hear--an\u2019 I been keepin\u2019 bofe years wide open, she wuz a\nmonstus busy \u2019oman, kaze it wuz de talk \u2019mongst de neighbors dat she done\na heap er things what she ain\u2019t got no business ter do. She had a mighty\nbad temper, an\u2019 her tongue wuz a-runnin\u2019 fum mornin\u2019 twel night. Folks\nsay dat \u2019twuz long an\u2019 loud an\u2019 mighty well hung. Dey lissen an\u2019 shake\nder head, an\u2019 atter while word went roun\u2019 dat de \u2019oman done killt her\ndaughter. Ez ter dat, I ain\u2019t never is hear de rights un it; she mought,\nan\u2019 den ag\u2019in she moughtn\u2019t--dey ain\u2019t no tellin\u2019--but dey wuz one thing\ncertain an\u2019 sho\u2019 she done so quare, dat folks say she cut up des like a\nFriday-born fool.\n\n\u201cHer ol\u2019 man, he done de best dat he could. He went \u2019long an\u2019 ten\u2019 ter\nhis own business, an\u2019 when her tongue \u2019gun ter clack, he sot down an\u2019\nmade fish-baskets, an\u2019 ax-helves. But dat ain\u2019t make no diffunce ter de\n\u2019oman, kaze she wuz one deze yer kin\u2019 what could quoil all day whedder\ndey wuz anybody fer ter quoil at er not. She quoiled an\u2019 she quoiled. De\nman, he ain\u2019t say nothin\u2019 but dis des make her quoil de mo\u2019. He split up\nkin\u2019lin\u2019 an\u2019 chopped up wood, an\u2019 still she quoil\u2019; he fotch home meal\nan\u2019 he fotch home meat, but still she quoil\u2019. An\u2019 she \u2019fuse fer ter cook\nwhat he want her to cook; she wuz hard-headed des like you, an\u2019 she\u2019d\nhave her own way ef she died fer it.\n\n\u201cEf de man, he say, \u2018Please \u2019m cook me some grits,\u2019 she\u2019d whirl in an\u2019\nbile greens; ef he ax fer fried meat, she\u2019d bake him a hoe-cake er corn\nbread. Ef he want roas\u2019 tater she\u2019d bile him a mess er beans, an\u2019 all de\ntime, she\u2019d be givin\u2019 \u2019im de wuss kinder sass. Oh, she wuz a honey! An\u2019\nwhen it come ter low-down meanness, she wuz rank an\u2019 ripe. She\u2019d take\nde sparrer-grass what he fotch, an\u2019 kindle de fire wid it. She\u2019d burn\nde spar\u2019-ribs an\u2019 scorch de tripe, an\u2019 she\u2019d do eve\u2019y kinder way but de\nright way, an\u2019 dat she wouldn\u2019t do, not ter save yo\u2019 life.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Den he shuck a gourd-vine flower over de pot_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWell, dis went on an\u2019 went on, an\u2019 de man ain\u2019t make no complaints; he\ndes watch an\u2019 wait an\u2019 pray. But atter so long a time, he see dat dat\nain\u2019t gwine ter do no good, an\u2019 he tuck an\u2019 change his plans. He spit in\nde ashes, he did, an\u2019 he make a cross-mark, an\u2019 turn roun\u2019 twice so he\nkin face de sunrise. Den he shuck a gourd-vine flower over de pot, an\u2019\nsump\u2019n tol\u2019 \u2019im fer ter take his res\u2019 an\u2019 wait twel de moon come up. All\ndis time de \u2019oman, she wuz a quoilin\u2019, but bimeby, she went on \u2019bout her\nbusiness, an\u2019 de man had some peace; but not fer long. He ain\u2019t no more\ndan had time fer ter put some thunderwood buds an\u2019 some calamus-root in\nde pot, dan here she come, an\u2019 she come a-quoilin\u2019. She come in she did,\nan\u2019 she slam things roun\u2019 des like you slams de gate.\n\n\u201cAtter kickin\u2019 up a rippet, an\u2019 makin\u2019 de place hot ez she kin, de \u2019oman\nmade a big fire un\u2019 de pot, an\u2019 flew\u2019d roun\u2019 dar des like she tryin\u2019 fer\nter cook a sho\u2019 \u2019nough supper. She made some dumplin\u2019s an\u2019 flung um in de\npot; den she put in some peas an\u2019 big pods er red pepper, an\u2019 on top er\nall she flung a sheep\u2019s head. De man, he sot dar, an\u2019 look straight at de\ncross-mark what he done made in de ashes. Atterwhile, he \u2019gun to smell\nde calamus-root a-cookin\u2019 an\u2019 he know\u2019d by dat, dat sump\u2019n wuz gwineter\nhappen.\n\n\u201cDe pot, it biled, an\u2019 biled, an\u2019 fus\u2019 news you know, de sheep\u2019s head\n\u2019gun ter butt de dumplin\u2019s out, an\u2019 de peas, dey flew\u2019d out an\u2019 rattled\non de flo\u2019 like a bag er bullets done busted. De \u2019oman, she run fer ter\nsee what de matter is, an\u2019 when she got close ter de pot de steam fum de\nthunderwood hit her in de face an\u2019 eyes an\u2019 come mighty nigh takin\u2019 her\nbreff away. Dis kinder stumped \u2019er fer a minnit, but she had a temper big\n\u2019nough fer ter drag a bull down, an\u2019 all she had ter do when she lose her\nbreff wuz ter fling her han\u2019s in de a\u2019r an\u2019 fetch a snort, an\u2019 dar she\nwuz.\n\n\u201cShe moughter been mad befo\u2019, but dis time she wuz mighty nigh plum\u2019\ncrazy. She look at de pot, an\u2019 she look at her ol\u2019 man; she shot her\neyeballs an\u2019 clinched her han\u2019s; she yerked off her head-hankcher, an\u2019\npulled her ha\u2019r loose fum de wroppin\u2019-strings; she stomped her foot, an\u2019\nsmashed her toofies tergedder.\n\n\u201cShe railed at de pot; she \u2019low, \u2018What ail you, you black Dickunce? I\nb\u2019lieve youer de own brer ter de Ol\u2019 Boy! You been foolin\u2019 wid me fer\nde longest, an\u2019 I ain\u2019t gwine ter put up wid it! I\u2019m gwineter tame you\ndown!\u2019 Wid dat, she flung off de homespun sack what she been w\u2019arin\u2019 an\u2019\nrun outer de house an\u2019 got de ax.\n\n\u201cHer ol\u2019 man say, \u2018Whar you gwine, honey?\u2019 She \u2019low, \u2018I\u2019m a gwine whar\nI\u2019m a gwine, dat\u2019s whar I\u2019m a gwine!\u2019 De man, he ain\u2019t spon\u2019 ter dat\nkinder talk, an\u2019 de \u2019oman, she went out in back yard fer ter hunt fer de\nax. Look like she gwineter keep on gittin\u2019 in trouble, kaze de ax wuz on\ntop er de wood what de man done pile up out dar. It wuz layin\u2019 up dar,\nde ax wuz, des ez slanchendicklar ez you please, but time it see her\ncomin\u2019----\u201d\n\n\u201cBut, Uncle Remus!\u201d the child exclaimed, \u201chow could the ax see her?\u201d\n\nThe old negro looked at the little boy with an expression of amazed\npity on his face. He looked all around the room and then raised his eyes\nto the rafters, where a long cobweb was swaying slowly in a breeze so\nlight that nothing else would respond to its invitation. Then he sighed\nand closed his eyes. \u201cI wish yo\u2019 pa wuz here right now, I mos\u2019 sholy\ndoes--yo\u2019 pa, what useter set right whar youer settin\u2019! You done been\nraised in town whar dey can\u2019t tell a ax fum a wheelbarrer. Ax ain\u2019t got\nno eye! Well, whoever is hear de beat er dat! Ef anybody else is got dat\nidee, I\u2019ll be much erbleege ef you\u2019ll show um ter me. Here you is mighty\nnigh big \u2019nough fer eat raw tater widout havin\u2019 de doctor called in, an\u2019\na-settin\u2019 dar sayin\u2019 dat axes ain\u2019t got no eyes. Well, you ax yo\u2019 gran\u2019ma\nwhen you go back ter de house an\u2019 see what she say.\n\n\u201cNow, le\u2019 me see; wharbouts wuz I at? Oh, yes! De ax wuz on top er\nwoodpile, an\u2019 when it seed de \u2019oman comin\u2019, it des turned loose an\u2019 slip\ndown on de yuther side. It wa\u2019n\u2019t tryin\u2019 fer ter show off, like I\u2019ve seed\nsome folks \u2019fo\u2019 now; it des turned loose eve\u2019ything an\u2019 fell down on de\nyuther side er de woodpile. An\u2019 whiles de \u2019oman wuz gwin roun\u2019 atter it,\nde ax, it clum back on top er de woodpile an\u2019 fell off on t\u2019er side. Dem\nwhat handed de tale down ter me ain\u2019t say how long de \u2019oman an\u2019 de ax\nkeep dis up, but ef a ax is got eyes, it ain\u2019t got but one leg, an\u2019 it\nmust not \u2019a\u2019 been so mighty long \u2019fo\u2019 de \u2019oman cotch up wid it--an\u2019 when\nshe did she wuz so mad dat she could \u2019a\u2019 bit a railroad track in two, ef\ndey\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 been one anywhar\u2019s roun\u2019 dar.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_De ax, it clum back on top er de woodpile an\u2019 fell off\non der side_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWell, she got de ax, an\u2019 it look like she wuz madder dan ever. De man,\nhe say, \u2018Better let de pot \u2019lone, honey; ef you don\u2019t you\u2019ll sholy wish\nyou hadder.\u2019 De \u2019oman, she squall out, \u2018I\u2019ll let you \u2019lone ef you fool\nwid me, an\u2019 ef I do you won\u2019t never pester nobody no mo\u2019.\u2019 Man, he say,\n\u2018I\u2019m a-tellin\u2019 you de trufe, honey, an\u2019 dis may be de las\u2019 chance you\u2019ll\ngit ter hear it.\u2019\n\n\u201cDe \u2019oman raise de ax like she gwineter hit de man, an\u2019 den it look like\nshe tuck a n\u2019er notion, an\u2019 she start todes de pot. De man, he \u2019low,\n\u2018You better hear me, honey! You better drap de ax an\u2019 go out doors an\u2019\ncool yo\u2019se\u2019f off, honey!\u2019 It seem like he wuz a mighty saf\u2019-spoken man,\nwid nice feelin\u2019s fer all. De \u2019oman, she say, \u2018Don\u2019t you dast ter honey\nme--ef you does I\u2019ll brain you stidder de pot!\u2019 De man smole a long smile\nan\u2019 shuck his head; he say, \u2018All de same, honey, you better pay \u2019tention\nter deze las\u2019 words I\u2019m a-tellin\u2019 you!\u2019\n\n\u201cBut de \u2019oman, she des keep right on. She\u2019d \u2019a\u2019 gone faster dan what she\ndid, but it look like de ax got heavier eve\u2019y step she tuck--heavier an\u2019\nheavier. An\u2019 it look like de house got bigger--bigger an\u2019 bigger; an\u2019\nit seem like de do\u2019 got wider--wider an\u2019 wider! She moughter seed all\ndis, an\u2019 I speck she did, but she des keep right on, shakin\u2019 de ax, an\u2019\nmoufin\u2019 ter herse\u2019f. De man, he holler once mo\u2019 an\u2019 fer de las\u2019 time,\n\u2018Don\u2019t let ol\u2019 Nick fool you, honey, ef you does, he sho will git you!\u2019\n\n\u201cBut she keep on an\u2019 keep on, an\u2019 de house got bigger an\u2019 de do\u2019 got\nwider. De pot see her comin\u2019, an\u2019 it got fum a-straddle er de fire, whar\nit had been settin\u2019 at, an\u2019 skipped out\u2019 de do\u2019 an\u2019 out in de yard.\u201d\nUncle Remus paused to see what effect this statement would have on the\nchild, but save the shadow of a smile hovering around his mouth, the\nyoungster gave no indication of unbelief. \u201cDe \u2019oman,\u201d said Uncle Remus,\nwith a chuckle that was repressed before it developed into a laugh, \u201clook\nlike she \u2019stonish\u2019, but her temper kep\u2019 hot, an\u2019 she run out atter de pot\nwid de ax ez high ez she kin hol\u2019 it; but de pot keep on gwine, skippin\u2019\nlong on three legs faster dan de \u2019oman kin run on two; an\u2019 de ax kep\u2019 on\ngittin\u2019 heavier an\u2019 heavier, twel, bimeby, de \u2019oman hatter drap it. Den\nshe lit out atter de pot like she wuz runnin\u2019 a foot-race, but fast ez\nshe run, de pot run faster.\n\n[Illustration: \u201c_Den she lit out atter de pot like she wuz runnin\u2019 a\nfoot-race_\u201d]\n\n\u201cDe chase led right inter de woods an\u2019 down de spring branch, an\u2019 away\nover yander beyan\u2019 de creek. De pot went so fast an\u2019 it went so fur dat\natter while de \u2019oman \u2019gun ter git weak. But de temper she had helt \u2019er up\nfer de longest, an\u2019 mo\u2019 dan dat, eve\u2019y time she\u2019d sorter slack up, de pot\nwould dance an\u2019 caper roun\u2019 on its three legs, an\u2019 do like it\u2019s givin\u2019\nher a dar\u2019--an\u2019 she keep a-gwine twel she can\u2019t hardly go no furder.\n\n\u201cDe man he stayed at de house, but de \u2019oman an\u2019 de pot ain\u2019t git so fur\nbut what he kin hear um scufflin\u2019 an scramblin\u2019 roun\u2019 in de bushes, an\u2019\nhe set dar, he did, an\u2019 look like he right sorry fer anybody what\u2019s ez\nhard-headed ez de \u2019oman. But she look like she bleeze ter ketch dat pot.\nShe say ter herse\u2019f dat folks will never git done talkin\u2019 \u2019bout her ef\nshe let herse\u2019f be outdone by a ol\u2019 dinner-pot what been in de fambly\nyever sence dey been any fambly.\n\n\u201cSo she keep on, twel she tripped up on a vine er de bamboo brier, an\u2019\ndown she come! It seem like de pot seed her, an\u2019 stidder runnin\u2019 fum \u2019er,\nhere it come a-runnin\u2019 right at \u2019er wid a chunk er red fire. Oh, you kin\nlaugh, honey, an\u2019 look like you don\u2019t b\u2019lieve me, but dat ain\u2019t make no\ndiffunce, kaze de trufe ain\u2019t never been hurted yit by dem what ain\u2019t\nb\u2019lieve it. I dunner whar de chunk er fire come fum, an\u2019 I dunner how\nde dinner-pot come ter have motion, but dar \u2019tis in de tale--take it er\nleave it, des ez you bleeze.\n\n\u201cWell, suh, when de \u2019oman fell, de pot made at her wid a chunk er red\nfire. De \u2019oman see it comin\u2019, an\u2019 she set up a squall dat moughter been\nheard a mile. She jump up, she did, but it seem like she wuz so weak an\u2019\ntired dat she can\u2019t stan\u2019 on her foots, an\u2019 she start fer ter fall ag\u2019in,\nbut de dinner-pot wuz dar fer ter ketch \u2019er when she fell. An\u2019 dat wuz de\nlast dat anybody yever is see er de hard-headed \u2019oman. Leas\u2019 ways, she\nain\u2019t never come back ter de house whar de man wuz settin\u2019 at.\n\n\u201cDe pot? Well, de way dey got it in de tale is dat de pot des laugh\ntwel it hatter hol\u2019 its sides fer ter keep fum crackin\u2019 open. It come\na-hoppin\u2019 an\u2019 a-skippin\u2019 up de spring paff. It hopped along, it did, twel\nit come ter de house, an\u2019 it made a runnin\u2019 jump in de do\u2019. Den it wash\nits face, an\u2019 scrape de mud off\u2019n it foots, an\u2019 wiped off de grease what\nde \u2019oman been too lazy fer ter clean off. Den it went ter de fireplace,\nan\u2019 kinder spraddle out so it\u2019ll fit de bricks what been put dar fer it\nter set on.\n\n\u201cDe man watch all dis, but he ain\u2019t say nothin\u2019. Atter while he hear a\nmighty bilin\u2019 an\u2019 bubblin\u2019 an\u2019 when he went ter look fer ter see what de\nmatter, he see his supper cookin\u2019 an\u2019 atter so long a time, he fish it\nout an\u2019 eat it. He eat in peace, an\u2019 atter dat he allers had peace. An\u2019\nwhen you wanter be hard-headed, an\u2019 have yo\u2019 own way, you better b\u2019ar in\nmin\u2019 de \u2019oman an\u2019 de dinner-pot.\u201d\n\nTHE END","title":"Told by Uncle Remus: New Stories of the Old Plantation","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":55104}