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"Once 'pon a time," said Uncle Remus to the little boy--"But when was
once upon a time?" the child interrupted to ask. The old man smiled. "I
speck 'twuz one time er two times, er maybe a time an' a half. You know
when Johnny Ashcake 'gun ter bake? Well, 'twuz 'long in dem days. Once
'pon a time," he resumed, "Mr. Man had a gyarden so fine dat all de
neighbors come ter see it. Some 'ud look at it over de fence, some 'ud
peep thoo de cracks, an' some 'ud come an' look at it by de light er de
stars. An' one un um wuz ol' Brer Rabbit; starlight, moonlight,
cloudlight, de nightlight wuz de light fer him. When de turn er de
mornin' come, he 'uz allers up an' about, an' a-feelin' purty well I
thank you, suh!
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"Now, den, you done hear what I say. Dar wuz Mr. Man, yander wuz de
gyarden, an' here wuz ol' Brer Rabbit." Uncle Remus made a map of this
part of the story by marking in the sand with his walking-cane. "Well,
dis bein' de case, what you speck gwineter happen? Nothin' in de roun'
worl' but what been happenin' sence greens an' sparrer-grass wuz planted
in de groun'. Dey look fine an' dey tas'e fine, an' long to'rds de shank
er de mornin', Brer Rabbit 'ud creep thoo de crack er de fence an'
nibble at um. He'd take de greens, but leave his tracks, mo' speshually
right atter a rain. Takin' an' leavin'--it's de way er de worl'.
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"Well, one mornin', Mr. Man went out in his truck patch, an' he fin'
sump'n missin'--a cabbage here, a turnip dar, an' a mess er beans
yander, an' he ax how come dis? He look 'roun', he did, an' he seed Brer
Rabbit's tracks what he couldn't take wid 'im. Brer Rabbit had lef' his
shoes at home, an' come bar'footed.
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"So Mr. Man, he call his dogs 'Here, Buck! Here, Brinjer! Here, Blue!'
an' he sicc'd um on de track, an' here dey went!
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"You'd 'a' thunk dey wuz runnin' atter forty-lev'm rhinossyhosses fum de
fuss dey made. Brer Rabbit he hear um comin' an' he put out fer home,
kinder doublin' 'roun' des like he do deze days.
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"When he got ter de p'int whar he kin set down fer ter rest his face an'
han's, he tuck a poplar leaf an' 'gun ter fan hisse'f. Den Brer Fox come
a-trottin' up. He say, 'Brer Rabbit, what's all dis fuss I hear in de
woods? What de name er goodness do it mean?' Brer Rabbit kinder scratch
his head an' 'low, 'Why, deyer tryin' fer drive me ter de big bobbycue
on de creek. Dey all ax me, an' when I 'fuse dey say deyer gwine ter
make me go any how. Dey aint no fun in bein' ez populous ez what I is,
Brer Fox. Ef you wanter go, des git in ahead er de houn's an' go
lickity-split down de big road!'
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"Brer Fox roll his little eyes, an' lick his chops whar he dribble at de
mouf, an put out ter de bobbycue, an' he aint mo' dan made his
disappearance, 'fo' here come Brer Wolf, an' when he got de news, off he
put.
"An' he aint mo'n got out'n sight, 'fo' here come ol' Brer B'ar, an'
when he hear talk er de bakin' meat an' de big pan er gravy, he sot up
on his behime legs an' snored. Den off he put, an' he aint got out'n
hearin', 'fo' Brer Coon come rackin' up, an' when he got de news, he put
out.
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"So dar dey wuz an' what you gwine do 'bout it? It seem like dey all got
in front er de dogs, er de dogs got behime um, an' Brer Rabbit sot by de
creek-side laughin' an' hittin' at de snake doctors. An' dem po'
creeturs had ter go clean past de bobbycue--ef dey wuz any bobbycue,
which I don't skacely speck dey wuz. Dat what make me say what I
does--when you git a invite ter a bobbycue, you better fin' out when an'
whar it's at, an' who runnin' it."