"Didn't the fox never catch the rabbit, Uncle Remus?" asked the
little boy the next evening.
"He come mighty nigh it, honey, sho's you born--Brer Fox did. One
day atter Brer Rabbit fool 'im wid dat calamus root, Brer Fox
went ter wuk en got 'im some tar, en mix it wid some turkentime,
en fix up a contrapshun w'at he call a Tar-Baby, en he tuck dish
yer Tar-Baby en he sot 'er in de big road, en den he lay off in
de bushes fer to see what de news wuz gwine ter be. En he didn't
hatter wait long, nudder, kaze bimeby here come Brer Rabbit
pacin' down de road--lippity-clippity, clippity-lippity--dez ez
sassy ez a jay-bird. Brer Fox, he lay low. Brer Rabbit come
prancin' 'long twel he spy de Tar-Baby, en den he fotch up on his
behime legs like he wuz 'stonished. De Tar Baby, she sot dar, she
did, en Brer Fox, he lay low.
"'Mawnin'!' sez Brer Rabbit, sezee--'nice wedder dis mawnin','
sezee.
"Tar-Baby ain't sayin' nuthin', en Brer Fox he lay low.
"'How duz yo' sym'tums seem ter segashuate?' sez Brer Rabbit,
sezee.
"Brer Fox, he wink his eye slow, en lay low, en de Tar-Baby, she
ain't sayin' nuthin'.
"'How you come on, den? Is you deaf?' sez Brer Rabbit, sezee.
'Kaze if you is, I kin holler louder,' sezee.
"Tar-Baby stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.
"'You er stuck up, dat's w'at you is,' says Brer Rabbit, sezee,
'en I'm gwine ter kyore you, dat's w'at I'm a gwine ter do,'
sezee.
"Brer Fox, he sorter chuckle in his stummick, he did, but Tar-
Baby ain't sayin' nothin'.
"'I'm gwine ter larn you how ter talk ter 'spectubble folks ef
hit's de las' ack,' sez Brer Rabbit, sezee. 'Ef you don't take
off dat hat en tell me howdy, I'm gwine ter bus' you wide open,'
sezee.
"Tar-Baby stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.
"Brer Rabbit keep on axin' 'im, en de Tar-Baby, she keep on
sayin' nothin', twel present'y Brer Rabbit draw back wid his
fis', he did, en blip he tuck 'er side er de head. Right dar's
whar he broke his merlasses jug. His fis' stuck, en he can't pull
loose. De tar hilt 'im. But Tar-Baby, she stay still, en Brer
Fox, he lay low.
"'Ef you don't lemme loose, I'll knock you agin,' sez Brer
Rabbit, sezee, en wid dat he fotch 'er a wipe wid de udder han',
en dat stuck. Tar-Baby, she ain't sayin' nuthin', en Brer Fox, he
lay low.
"'Tu'n me loose, fo' I kick de natchul stuffin' outen you,' sez
Brer Rabbit, sezee, but de Tar-Baby, she ain't sayin' nuthin'.
She des hilt on, en de Brer Rabbit lose de use er his feet in de
same way. Brer Fox, he lay low. Den Brer Rabbit squall out dat ef
de Tar-Baby don't tu'n 'im loose he butt 'er cranksided. En den
he butted, en his head got stuck. Den Brer Fox, he sa'ntered
fort', lookin' dez ez innercent ez wunner yo' mammy's mockin'-
birds.
"Howdy, Brer Rabbit,' sez Brer Fox, sezee. 'You look sorter stuck
up dis mawnin',' sezee, en den he rolled on de groun', en laft en
laft twel he couldn't laff no mo'. 'I speck you'll take dinner
wid me dis time, Brer Rabbit. I done laid in some calamus root,
en I ain't gwineter take no skuse,' sez Brer Fox, sezee."
Here Uncle Remus paused, and drew a two-pound yam out of the
ashes.
"Did the fox eat the rabbit?" asked the little boy to whom the
story had been told.
"Dat's all de fur de tale goes," replied the old man. "He mout,
an den agin he moutent. Some say Judge B'ar come 'long en loosed
'im--some say he didn't. I hear Miss Sally callin'. You better
run 'long."