you kin say Jack Robberson wid yo’ mouf shot. He ain’t had nigh nuff,
but he know’d better dan ter show what his appetites wuz. He ’gun ter
feel good, an’ den he got down on his hunkers, an’ lay his head down on
his fo’paws, an’ make like he gwine ter sleep. Atter ’while, he smell
Brer Wolf, an’ he raise his head an’ look todes de do’. Mr. Man he tuck
notice, an’ he say he b’lieve dey’s some un sneakin’ roun’. Brer Dog
raise his head, an’ snuff todes de do’, an’ growl ter hisse’f. So Mr.
Man tuck down his gun fum over de fireplace, an’ went out. De fust thing
he see when he git out in de yard wuz Brer Wolf runnin’ out de gate, an’
he up wid his gun--bang!--an’ he hear Brer Wolf holler. All he got wuz a
han’ful er ha’r, but he come mighty nigh gittin’ de whole hide.
“Well, atter dat, Mr. Man fin’ out dat Brer Dog could do ’im a heap er
good, fus’ one way an’ den an’er. He could head de cows off when dey
make a break thoo de woods, he could take keer er de sheep, an’ he could
warn Mr. Man when some er de yuther creeturs wuz prowlin’ roun’. An’ den
he wuz some comp’ny when Mr. Man went huntin’. He could trail de game,
an’ he could fin’ his way home fum anywheres; an’ he could play wid de
chillun des like he wuz one un um.
“’Twant long ’fo’ he got fat, an’ one day when he wuz amblin’ in de
woods, he meet up wid Brer Wolf. He howdied at ’im, he did, but Brer Wolf
won’t skacely look at ’im. Atter ’while he say, ‘Brer Dog, why ’n’t you
come back dat day when you went atter fier?’ Brer Dog p’int ter de collar
on his neck. He ’low, ‘You see dis? Well, it’ll tell you lots better dan
what I kin.’ Brer Wolf say,’You mighty fat. Why can’t I come dar an’ do
like you does?’ Brer Dog ’low, ‘Dey ain’t nothin’ fer ter hinder you.’
“So de next mornin’, bright an’ early, Brer Wolf knock at Mr. Man’s
do’. Mr. Man peep out an’ see who ’tis, an’ tuck down his gun an’ went
out. Brer Wolf try ter be perlite, an’ he smile. But when he smile he
show’d all his tushes, an’ dis kinder skeer Mr. Man. He say, ‘What you
doin’ sneakin’ roun’ here?’ Brer Wolf try ter be mo’ perliter dan ever,
an’ he grin fum year ter year. Dis show all his tushes, an’ Mr. Man
lammed aloose at ’im. An’ dat ’uz de las’ time dat Brer Wolf ever try ter
live wid Mr. Man, an fum dat time on down ter dis day, it ’uz war ’twix
Brer Wolf an’ Brer Dog.”
XIV
BROTHER RABBIT AND THE GIZZARD-EATER
“It seem like ter me dat I hear somebody say, not longer dan day ’fo’
yistiddy, dat dey’d be mighty glad ef dey could fin’ some un fer ter
bet wid um,” said Uncle Remus, staring hard at the little boy, and then
suddenly shutting his eyes tight, so that he might keep from laughing
at the expression he saw on the child’s face. Receiving no immediate
response to his remark, the old man opened his eyes again, and found the
little boy regarding him with a puzzled air.
“My mother says it is wrong to bet,” said the child after awhile. He was
quite serious, and it was just this aspect of seriousness that made him
a little different from another little boy that had been raised at Uncle
Remus’s knee. “Mother says that no Christian would want to bet.”
The old man closed his eyes again, as though trying to remember
something. He frowned and smacked his mouth before he spoke, “It look
like dat I never is ter git de tas’e er dat chicken-pie what yo’ gran’ma
sont me out’n my mouf. I dunner when I been had any chicken-pie what
stayed wid me like dat chicken-pie. But ’bout dat bettin’,” he remarked,
straightening himself in his chair, “I speck I mus’ ’a’ been a-dreamin’.
I know mighty well it couldn’t ’a’ been you; so we’ll des up an’ say
it wuz little Dreamus, an’ let it go at dat. All I know is dat dey wuz
a little chap loungin’ roun’ here tryin’ fer ter l’arn how ter play
mumbly-peg wid one er de case-knives what he tuck fum de white folks’
dinner-table, an’ whiles he wuz in de middle er his l’arnin’, de ol’
speckled hen run fum under de house here, an’ sot up a mighty cacklin’,
kaze she fear’d some un wuz gwineter interrupt de eggs what she been
nussin’ an’ warmin’ up. She cackle, an’ she cackle, an’ den she cackle
some mo’ fer ter keep fum fergittin’ how; an’ ’long ’bout dat time, dish
yer little boy what I been tellin’ you ’bout--I speck we’ll be bleeze
ter call him Dreamus--he up wid a rock an’ flung it right at ’er, an’ ef
she’d ’a’ been in de way er de rock, he’d ’a’ come mighty nigh hittin’
her. Dis make de ol’ hen bofe skeer’d an’ fear’d an’ likewise mad, an’
she hitched a squall on ter her cackle, an’ flop her wings. Seein’ dat de
hen wuz mad, dis little chap, which he name Dreamus, he got mad, too, an’
he ’lowed, ‘I bet you I make you hush!’ an’ dar dey had it, de ol’ hen
runnin’ an’ squallin’, an’ de little chap zoonin’ rocks at her. I speck
de hen would ’a’ bet ef she’d ’a’ know’d how--an’ she sho’ would ’a’ won
de bet, kaze de las’ news I hear fum ’er she wuz runnin’ an’ squallin’.”
The little boy squirmed uneasily in his chair. He remembered the incident
very well, so well that he hardly knew what to say. But after a while,
thinking that it was both necessary and polite to say something, he
declared that when he made that remark to the hen he knew she wouldn’t
understand him, and that what he said about betting was just a saying.
“Dat mought be, honey,” said Uncle Remus, “but don’t you fool yo’se’f
’bout dat hen not knowin’ how ter talk, kaze dey has been times an’
places when de creeturs kin do lots mo’ talkin’ dan folks. When you git
ter be ol’ ez what I is, you’ll know dat talkin’ ain’t got nothin’ in de
roun’ worl’ ter do wid fedders, an’ needer wid fur. I hear you say you
want ter bet wid de ol’ hen, an’ ef you still wantin’ you got a mighty
good chance dis day ef de sun is mighty nigh down. I’ll bet you a thrip
ag’in a ginger-cake dat when you had yo’ dinner you ain’t fin’ no chicken
gizzard in yo’ part er de pie.”
“No,” replied the child, “I didn’t, and when I asked grandmother about
it, she said she was going to raise some chickens next year with double
gizzards.”
“Did she say dat? Did Miss Sally say dat?” inquired Uncle Remus,
laughing delightedly. “Well, suh, dat sho’ do bang my time! How come she
ter know dat some er de creeturs got double gizzards? She sho’ is de
outdoin’est white ’oman what’s yever been bornded inter de worl’. She
done sont me de chicken gizzard des so I kin tell you ’bout de double
gizzards an’ de what-nots. Double gizzards! De ve’y name flings me ’way
back yander ter ol’ folks an’ ol’ times. Laws-a-massy! I wonder what Miss
Sally gwine do nex’; anybody what guess it oughter be president by good
rights.” Uncle Remus paused, and lowered his voice to a confidential
tone--“She ain’t tell you ’bout de time when de Yallergater wuz honin’
fer ol’ Brer Rabbit’s double gizzards, is she, honey?”
“No, she didn’t tell me that, but she laughed, and when I asked her what
she was laughing at, she said I’d find out by the time I was seven feet
tall.”
“You hear dat, don’t you?” Uncle Remus spoke as though there were a third
person in the room. “What I been tellin’ you all dis time?” and then he
laughed as though this third person were laughing with him. “You may try,
an’ you may fly, but you never is ter see de beat er Miss Sally.”
“Was grandmother talking about a tale, Uncle Remus? It must have been a
very funny one, for she laughed until she had to take off her spectacles
and wipe them dry,” said the little boy.
“Dat’s her! dat’s Miss Sally up an’ down, an’ dey can’t nobody git ahead
er her. She know’d mighty well dat time you say sump’n ’bout double
gizzards my min’ would fly right back ter de time when de Yalligater wuz
dribblin’ at de mouf, an’ ol’ Brer Rabbit wuz shaking in his shoes.”
“If it’s a long story, I’m afraid you haven’t time to tell it now,”
suggested the little boy.
The child was so polite that the old negro stood somewhat in awe of him,
and he was afraid, too, that it was ominous of some misfortune--there was
something uncanny about it from Uncle Remus’s point of view. “Bless you,
honey! I got des ez much time ez what dey is--it all b’longs ter me an’
you. Maybe you wanter go some’rs else; maybe you’ll wait twel some yuther
day fer de platted whip dat I hear you talkin’ ’bout.”
“No; I’ll wait and get the story and the whip together--if you are not
too tired.”
The old negro looked at the little boy from the corner of his eye to
see if he was really in earnest. Satisfying himself on that score, he
promptly began to plait the whip while he unraveled the story. He seemed
to be more serious than usual, but one of the peculiarities of Uncle
Remus, as many a child had discovered, was that he was not to be judged
by any outward aspect. This is the way he began:
“Ever since I been pirootin’ roun’ in deze low-groun’s, it’s been de talk
er dem what know’d dat Brer Rabbit wuz a mighty man at a frolic. I don’t
speck he’d show up much in deze days, but in de times when de creeturs
wuz bossin’ dey own jobs, Brer Rabbit wuz up fer perty nigh ev’ything dat
wuz gwine on ef dey want too much work in it. Dey couldn’t be a dance er
a quiltin’ nowhar’s aroun’ but what he’d be dar; he wuz fust ter come an’
last ter go.
[Illustration: “_He holla’d fer de man what run de ferry_”]
“Well, dey wuz one time when he went too fur an’ stayed too late, bekaze
a big rain come endurin’ de time when dey wuz playin’ an’ dancin’, an’
when Brer Rabbit put out fer home, he foun’ dat a big freshet done come
an’ gone. De dreens had got ter be creeks, de creeks had got ter be
rivers, an’ de rivers--well, I ain’t gwine ter tell you what de rivers
wuz kaze you’d think dat I done tol’ de trufe good-bye. By makin’ big
jumps an’ gwine out er his way, Brer Rabbit manage fer ter git ez close
ter home ez de creek, but when he git dar, de creek wuz so wide dat it
make him feel like he been los’ so long dat his fambly done fergot him.
Many an’ many a time had he cross’ dat creek on a log, but de log done
gone, an’ de water wuz spread out all over creation. De water wuz wide,
but dat wa’n’t mo’ dan half--it look like it wuz de wettest water dat
Brer Rabbit ever lay eyes on.
[Illustration: “_Dar wuz ol’ Brer B’ar settin’ at de foot er de tree_”]
“Dey wuz a ferry dar fer times like dis, but it look like it wuz a
bigger fresh dan what dey had counted on. Brer Rabbit, he sot on de bank
an’ wipe de damp out’n his face an’ eyes, an’ den he holla’d fer de man
what run de ferry. He holla’d an’ holla’d, an’ bimeby, he hear some un
answer him, an’ he looked a little closer, an’ dar wuz de man, which his
name wuz Jerry, way up in de top lim’s uv a tree; an’ he looked still
closer, an’ he seed dat Jerry had company, kaze dar wuz ol’ Brer B’ar
settin’ at de foot er de tree, waitin’ fer Jerry fer ter come down so he
kin tell ’im howdy.” Uncle Remus paused to see what effect this statement
would have on the little boy. The youngster said nothing, but his shrewd
smile showed the old man that he fully appreciated the reason why Jerry
was in no hurry to shake hands with Brother Bear.
“Well, suh, Brer Rabbit took notice dat dey wuz sump’n mo’ dan dampness
’twix’ um, an he start in ter holla again, an’ he holla’d so loud, an’ he
holla’d so long, dat he woke up ol’ Brer Yalligater. Now, it ain’t make
ol’ Brer Yalligater feel good fer ter be wokened up at dat hour, kaze
he’d des had a nice supper er pine-knots an’ sweet ’taters, an’ he wuz
layin’ out at full lenk on his mud bed. He ’low ter hisse’f, he did, ‘Who
in de nation is dis tryin’ fer ter holla de bottom out er de creek?’ He
lissen, an’ den he turn over an’ lissen ag’in. He shot one eye, an’ den
he shot de yuther one, but dey ain’t no sleepin’ in dat neighberhood.
Jerry in de tree, he holla back, ‘Can’t come--got comp’ny!’
“Brer Yalligater, he hear dis, an’ he say ter hisse’f dat ef nobody
can’t come, he kin, an’ he riz ter de top wid no mo’ fuss dan a
fedder-bed makes when you let it ’lone. He riz, he did, an’ his two eyes
look des perzackly like two bullets floatin’ on de water. He riz an’
wunk his eye, an’ ax Brer Rabbit howdy, an’ mo’ speshually how is his
daughter. Brer Rabbit, he say dat dey ain’t no tellin’ how his daughter
is, kaze when he lef’ home her head wuz a-swellin’. He say dat some er de
neighbors’ chillun come by an’ flung rocks at her an’ one un um hit her
on top er de head right whar de cow-lick is, an’ he hatter run atter de
doctor.
[Illustration: “_He riz an’ wunk his eye, an’ ax Brer Rabbit howdy_”]
“Brer Yalligater ’low, ‘You don’t tell me, Brer Rabbit, dat it’s come
ter dis! Yo’ chillun gittin’ chunked by yo’ neighbors’ chillun! Well,
well, well! I wish you’d tell me wharbouts it’s all a-gwine ter een’ at.
Why, it’ll git so atter while dat dey ain’t no peace anywhar’s ’ceppin at
my house in de bed er de creek.’
“Brer Rabbit say, ‘Ain’t it de trufe? An’ not only does Brer Fox chillun
chunk my chillun on dey cow-licks, but no sooner is I gone atter de
doctor dan here come de creek a-risin’. I may be wrong, but I ain’t
skeer’d ter say dat it beats anything I yever is lay eyes on. Over yander
in de fur woods is what my daughter is layin’ wid de headache, an’ here’s
her pa, an’ ’twix’ us is de b’ilin’ creek. Ef I wuz ter try ter wade, ten
ter one de water would be over my head, an’ ef not dat bad, all de pills
what de doctor gi’ me would melt in my pocket. An’ dey might pizen me,
kaze de doctor ain’t say dey wuz ter be tuck outside.’
[Illustration: “_‘Ef you think you kin stay in one place long enough,
I’ll try ter put you ’cross de creek’_”]
“Ol’ Brer Yalligater float on de water like he ain’t weigh no mo’ dan
one er deze yer postitch stomps, an’ he try ter drop a tear. He groan, he
did, an’ float backerds an’ forrerds like a tired canoe. He say, ‘Brer
Rabbit, ef dey yever wuz a rover you is one. Up you come an’ off you go,
an’ dey ain’t no mo’ keepin’ up wid you dan ef you had wings. Ef you
think you kin stay in one place long enough, I’ll try ter put you ’cross
de creek. Brer Rabbit kinder rub his chin whiles he wiggle his nose. He
’low, sezee, ‘Brer ’Gater, how deep is dat water what you floatin’ in?’
Brer Yalligater say, sezee, ‘Brer Rabbit, ef me an’ my ol’ ’oman wuz ter
jine heads, an’ I wuz ter stan’ on de tip-een’ my tail, dey’ll still be
room enough fer all er my chillun ’fo’ we totch bottom.’
“Brer Rabbit, he fell back like he gwineter faint. He ’low, ‘Brer
’Gater, you don’t tell me! You sholy don’t mean dem last words! Why, you
make me feel like I’m furder fum home and dem what’s done lost fer good!
How de name er goodness you gwineter put me ’cross dis slippery water?’
Brer Yalligater, he blow a bubble or two out’n his nose, an’ den he say,
sezee, ‘Ef you kin stay still in one place long ’nough, I’m gwineter take
you ’cross on my back. You nee’nter say thanky, yit I want you ter know
dat I ain’t eve’ybody’s water-hoss.’ Brer Rabbit he ’low, sezee, ‘I kin
well b’lieve dat, Brer ’Gater, but somehow, I kinder got a notion dat yo’
tail mighty limber. I hear ol’ folks say dat you kin knock a chip fum de
back er yo’ head wid de tip-een’ er yo’ tail an’ never haf try.’ Brer
Yalligater smack his mouf, an’ say, sezee, ‘Limber my tail may be, Brer
Rabbit, an’ fur-reachin’, but don’t blame me. It wuz dat a-way when it
wuz ’gun ter me. It’s all j’inted up ’cordin’ ter natur.’
“Brer Rabbit, he study an’ study, an’ de mo’ he study, de wuss he like
it. But he bleeze ter go home--dey wa’n’t no two ways ’bout dat--an’ he
’low, sezee, ‘I speck what you say is some’rs in de neighborhoods er de
trufe, Brer ’Gater, an’ mo’ dan dat, I b’lieve I’ll go ’long wid you.
Ef you’ll ride up a leetle closer, I’ll make up my mind so I won’t keep
you waitin’.’ Brer Yalligater, he float by de side er de bank same ez a
cork out’n a pickle bottle. He ain’t do like he in a hurry, kaze he drapt
a word er two about de wedder, an’ he say dat de water wuz mighty col’
down dar in de slushes. But Brer Rabbit tuck notice dat when he smole
one er his smiles, he show’d up a double row er tushes, dat look like
dey’d do mighty good work in a saw-mill. Brer Rabbit, he ’gun ter shake
like he havin’ a chill; he ’low, ‘I feel dat damp, Brer ’Gater, dat I
mought des ez well be in water up ter my chin!’ Brer Yalligater ain’t
say nothin’, but he can’t hide his tushes. Brer Rabbit look up, he look
down, an’ he look all aroun’. He ain’t skacely know what ter do. He ’low,
‘Brer ’Gater, yo’ back mighty roughnin’; how I gwine ter ride on it?’
Brer Yalligater say, sezee, ‘De roughnin’ will he’p you ter hol’ on, kaze
you’ll hatter ride straddle. You kin des fit yo’ foots on de bumps an’
kinder brace yo’se’f when you think you see a log floatin’ at us. You kin
des set up dar same ez ef you wuz settin’ at home in yo’ rockin’-cheer.
[Illustration: “‘_Brer ’Gater, ef I ain’t mighty much mistooken, you
ain’t headin’ fer de lan’in’_’”]
“Brer Rabbit shuck his head, but he got on, he did, an’ he ain’t
no sooner git on dan he wish mighty hard he wuz off. Brer Yalligater
say, sezee. ‘You kin pant ef you wanter, Brer Rabbit, but I’ll do de
paddlin’,’ an’ den he slip thoo de water des like he greased. Brer Rabbit
sho’ wuz skeer’d but he keep his eye open, an’ bimeby he tuck notice dat
Brer Yalligater wa’n’t makin’ fer de place whar de lan’in’s at, an’ he up
an’ sesso. He ’low, ‘Brer ’Gater, ef I ain’t mighty much mistooken, you
ain’t headin’ fer de lan’in’.’ Brer Yalligater say, sezee, ‘You sho’ is
got mighty good eyes, Brer Rabbit. I been waitin’ fer you a long time,
an’ I’m de wust kinder waiter. I most know you ain’t ferget dat day in
de stubble, when you say you gwineter show me ol’ man Trouble. Well, you
ain’t only show ’im ter me, but you made me shake han’s wid ’im. You sot
de dry grass afire, an’ burn me scandalious. Dat de reason my back so
rough, an’ dat de reason my hide so tough. Well, I been a-waitin’ sence
dat time, an’ now here you is. You burn me twel I hatter squench de
burnin’ in de big quagmire.’
“Brer Yalligater laugh, but he had de laugh all on his side, kaze dat wuz
one er de times when Brer Rabbit ain’t feel like gigglin’. He sot dar
a-shakin’ an’ a-shiverin’. Bimeby he ’low, sezee, ‘What you gwine do,
Brer ’Gater?’ Brer Yalligater, say, sezee, ‘It look like ter me dat sence
you sot de dry grass afire, I been havin’ symptoms. Dat what de doctor
say. He look at my tongue, an’ feel er my pulsh, an’ shake his head. He
say dat bein’s he’s my frien’, he don’t mind tellin’ me dat my symptoms
is gittin’ mo’ wusser dan what dey been, an’ ef I don’t take sump’n I’ll
be failin’ inter one deze yer inclines what make folks flabby an’ weak.’
“Brer Rabbit, he shuck an’ he shiver’d. He ’low, sezee, ‘What else de
doctor say, Brer ’Gater?’ Brer Yalligater keep on a-slippin’ along; he
say, sezee, ‘De doctor ain’t only look at my tongue--he medjer’d my
breff, an’ he hit me on my bosom--tip-tap-tap!--an’ he say dey ain’t but
one thing dat’ll kyo me. I ax ’im what dat is, an’ he say it’s Rabbit
gizzard.’ Brer Yalligater slip an’ slide along, an’ wait fer ter see what
Brer Rabbit gwineter say ter dat. He ain’t had ter wait long, kaze Brer
Rabbit done his thinkin’ like one er deze yer machines what got lightnin’
in it. He ’low, sezee, ‘It’s a mighty good thing you struck up wid me
dis day, Brer ’Gater, kaze I got des perzackly de kinder physic what you
lookin’ fer. All de neighbors say I’m mighty quare an’ I speck I is, but
quare er not quare, I’m long been lookin’ fer de gizzard-eater.’
“Brer Yalligater ain’t say nothin’; he des slide thoo de water, an’
lissen ter what Brer Rabbit sayin’. Brer Rabbit ’low, sezee, ‘De las’
time I wuz tooken sick, de doctor come in a hurry, an’ he sot up wid me
all night--not a wink er sleep did dat man git. He say he kin tell by de
way I wuz gwine on, rollin’ an’ tossin’, an’ moanin’ an’ groanin’, dat
dey wa’n’t no physic gwineter do me no good. I ain’t never see no doctor
scratch his head like dat doctor did; he done like he wuz stumped, he
sho’ did. He say he ain’t never see nobody wid my kind er trouble, an’ he
went off an’ call in one er his brer doctors, an’ de two knock dey heads
tergedder, an’ say my trouble all come fum havin’ a double gizzard. When
my ol’ ’oman hear dat, she des flung her apron over her head, an’ fell
back in a dead faint, an’ a little mo’ an’ I’d ’a’ had ter pay a doctor
bill on her accounts. When she squalled, some er my chillun got skeer’d
an’ tuck ter de woods, an’ dey ain’t all got back when I lef’ home las’
night.’
“Brer Yalligater, he des went a-slippin’ long thoo de water; he lissen,
but he ain’t sayin’ nothin’. Brer Rabbit, he ’low, sezee, ‘It’s de fatal
trufe, all dis dat I’m a-tellin’ you. De doctor, he flew’d roun’ twel he
fotch my ol’ ’oman to, an’ den he say dey ain’t no needs ter be skittish
on accounts er my havin’ a double gizzard, kaze all I had ter do wuz
ter be kinder keerful wid my chawin’s an’ gnyawin’s, an’ my comin’s an’
gwines. He say dat I’d hatter suffer wid it twel I fin’ de gizzard-eater.
I ax ’im whar bouts is he, an’ he say dat I’d know him when I seed him,
an’ ef I fail ter know ’im, he’ll make hisse’f beknown ter me. Dis kinder
errytate me, kaze when a man’s a doctor, an’ is got de idee er kyoin’
anybody, dey ain’t no needs ter deal in no riddles. But he say dat tain’t
no use fer ter tell all you know, speshually fo’ dinner.’
“Brer Yalligater went a-slidin’ long thoo de water; he lissen an’ smack
his mouf, but he ain’t sayin’ nothin’. Brer Rabbit, he talk on; he ’low,
sezee, ‘An dey wuz one thing he tol’ me mo’ plainer dan all de rest. He
say dat when anybody wuz ’flicted wid de double gizzard, dey dassent
cross water wid it, kaze ef dey’s anything dat a double gizzard won’t
stan’ it’s de smell er water.’
“Brer Yalligater went slippin’ long thoo de water, but he feel like
de time done come when he bleeze ter say sump’n. He say, sezee, ‘How
come youer crossin’ water now, ef de doctor tell you dat?’ Dis make
Brer Rabbit laugh; he ’low, ‘Maybe I oughtn’t ter tell you, but fo’ I
kin cross water dat double gizzard got ter come out. De doctor done
tol’ me dat ef she ever smell water, dey’ll be sech a swellin’ up dat
my skin won’t hol’ me; an’ no longer dan’ las’ night, ’fo’ I come ter
dis creek--’twuz a creek den, whatsomever you may call it now--I tuck
out my double gizzard an’ hid it in a hick’ry holler. An’ ef youer de
gizzard-eater, now is yo’ chance, kaze ef you put it off, you may rue de
day. Ef youer in de notion I’ll take you right dar an’ show you de stump
whar I hid it at--er ef you wanter be lonesome ’bout it, I’ll let you go
by yo’se’f an’ I’ll stay right here.’
“Brer Yalligater, he slip an’ slide thoo de water. He say, sezee,
‘Whar’d you say you’d stay?’ Brer Rabbit ’low, sezee, ‘I’ll stay right
here, Brer ’Gater, er anywhar’s else you may choosen; I don’t keer much
whar I stays er what I does, so long ez I get rid er dat double gizzard
what’s been a-tarrifyin’ me. You better go by yo’se’f, kaze bad ez dat
double gizzard is done me, I got a kinder tendersome feelin’ fer it, an’
I’m fear’d ef I wuz ter go ’long wid you, an’ see you grab it, dey’d
be some boo-hooin’ done. Ef you go by yo’se’f, des rap on de stump an’
say--_Ef youer ready, I’m ready an’ a little mo’ so_, un’ you won’t have
no trouble wid her. She’s hid right in dem woods yander, an’ de holler
hick’ry stump ain’t so mighty fur fum whar de bank er de creek oughter
be.’
[Illustration: “_Brer Rabbit make a big jump an’ lan’ on solid ground_”]
“Brer ’Gater ain’t got much mo’ sense dan what it ’ud take fer ter clim’
a fence atter somebody done pulled it down, an’ so he kinder slew’d
hisse’f aroun’, an’ steered fer de woods--de same woods whar dey’s so
many trees, an’ whar ol’ Sis Owl starts all de whirl-win’s by fannin’ her
wings. Brer Yalligater swum an’ steered, twel he come close ter lan’, an’
when he done dat Brer Rabbit make a big jump an’ lan’ on solid ground. He
mought er got his feet wet, but ef he did ’twuz ez much. He ’low, sezee--
_“‘You po’ ol’ ’Gater, ef you know’d A fum Izzard,_
_You’d know mighty well dat I’d keep my Gizzard.’_
An’ wid dat, he wuz done gone--done clean gone!”
XV
BROTHER RABBIT AND MISS NANCY
One day, when Uncle Remus had told one of the stories that have already
been set forth, the little boy was unusually thoughtful. He had asked his
mother whether there was ever a time when the animals acted and talked
like people, and she, without reflecting, being a young and an impulsive
woman, had answered most emphatically in the negative. Now, this little
boy was shrewder than he was given credit for being, and he knew that
neither his grandmother nor Uncle Remus would set great store by what his
mother said. How he knew this would be difficult to explain, but he knew
it all the same. Therefore, when he interjected a doubt as to the truth
of the tales, he kept the name of his authority to himself.
“Uncle Remus,” said the little boy, “how do you know that the tales you
tell are true? Couldn’t somebody make them up?”
The old man looked at the little child, and knew who had sown the seeds
of doubt in his mind, and the knowledge made him groan and shake his
head. “Maybe you think I done it, honey, but ef you does, de sooner you
fergit it off’n yo’ min’, de better fer you, kaze I’d set here an’ dry
up an’ blow way ’fo’ I kin tell a tale er my own make-up; an’ ef dey’s
anybody deze days what kin make um up, I’d like fer ter snuggle up ter
’im, an’ ax ’im ter l’arn me how.”
“Do you really believe the animals could talk?” asked the child.