"HIT turn out one time," said Uncle Remus, grinding some crumbs
of tobacco between the palms of his hands, preparatory to
enjoying his usual smoke after supper--"hit turn out one time dat
Brer Rabbit make so free wid de man's collard-patch dat de man he
tuck'n sot a trap fer ole Brer Rabbit."
"Which man was that, Uncle Remus?" asked the little boy.
"Des a man, honey. Dat's all. Dat's all I knows--des wunner dese
yer mans w'at you see trollopin 'roun' eve'y day. Nobody ain't
never year w'at his name is, en ef dey did dey kep' de news
mighty close fum me. Ef dish yer man is bleedzd fer ter have a
name, den I'm done, kaze you'll hatter go fudder dan me. Ef you
bleedzd ter know mo' dan w'at I duz, den you'll hatter hunt up
some er deze yer niggers w'at's sprung up sence I commence fer
ter shed my ha'r."
"Well, I just thought, Uncle Remus," said the little boy, in a
tone remarkable for self-depreciation, "that the man had a name."
"Tooby sho," replied the old man, with unction, puffing away at
his pipe. "Co'se. Dat w'at make I say w'at I duz. Dish yer man
mout a had a name, en den ag'in he moutn't. He mont er bin name
Slip-shot Sam, en he mouter bin name ole One-eye Riley, w'ich ef
'twuz hit ain't bin handed roun' ter me. But dish yer man, he in
de tale, en w'at we gwine do wid 'im? Dat's de p'int, kase w'en I
git ter huntin' 'roun' 'mong my 'membunce atter dish yer Mister
W'atyoumaycollum's name, she ain't dar. Now den, le's des call
'im Mr. Man en let 'im go at dat."
The silence of the little boy gave consent.
"One time," said Uncle Remus, carefully taking up the thread of
the story where it had been dropped, "hit turn out dat Brer
Rabbit bin makin' so free wid Mr. Man's greens en truck dat Mr.
Man, he tuck'n sot a trap for Brer Rabbit, en Brer Rabbit he so
greedy dat he tuck'n walk right spang in it, 'fo' he know
hisse'f. Well, 'twa'n't long 'fo' yer come Mr. Man, broozin'
'roun', en he ain't no sooner see ole Brer Rabbit dan he smack
his han's tergedder en holler out:
"'You er nice feller, you is! Yer you bin gobblin' up my green
truck, en now you tryin' ter tote off my trap. You er mighty nice
chap--dat's w'at you is! But now dat I got you, I'll des 'bout
settle wid you fer de ole en de new.'
"En wid dat, Mr. Man, he go off, he did, down in de bushes atter
han'ful er switches. Ole Brer Rabbit, he ain't sayin' nuthin',
but he feelin' mighty lonesome, en he sot dar lookin' like eve'y
minnit wuz gwineter be de nex'. En w'iles Mr. Man wuz off
prepa'r'n his bresh-broom, who should come p'radin' long but Brer
Fox. Brer Fox make a great 'miration, he did, 'bout de fix w'at
he fin' Brer Rabbit in, but Brer Rabbit he make like he fit ter
kill hisse'f laffin', en he up'n tell Brer Fox, he did, dat Miss
Meadows's fokes want 'im ter go down ter der house in 'tennunce
on a weddin', en he 'low w'ich he couldn't, en dey 'low how he
could, en den bimeby dey take'n tie 'im dar w'iles dey go atter
de preacher, so he be dar' w'en dey come back. En mo'n dat, Brer
Rabbit up'n tell Brer Fox dat his chillun's mighty low wid de
fever, en he bleedzd ter go atter some pills fer'm, en he ax Brer
Fox fer ter take his place en go down ter Miss Meadows's en have
nice time wid de gals. Brer Fox, he in fer dem kinder pranks, en
'twa'n't no time 'fo' Brer Rabbit had ole Brer Fox harness up dar
in his place, en den he make like he got ter make 'as'e en git de
pills fer dem sick chilluns. Brer Rabbit wa'n't mo'n out er sight
'fo' yer come Mr. Man wid a han'ful er hick'ries, but w'en he see
Brer Fox tied up dar, he look like he 'stonished.
"'Heyo!' sez Mr. Man, sezee, 'you done change color, en you done
got bigger, en yo' tail done grow out. W'at kin' er w'atzyname is
you, ennyhow?' sezee.
"Brer Fox, he stay still, en Mr. Man, he talk on:
"'Hit's mighty big luck,' sezee, 'ef w'en I ketch de chap w'at
nibble my greens, likewise I ketch de feller w'at gnyaw my
goose,' sezee, en wid dat he let inter Brer Fox wid de hick'ries,
en de way he play rap-jacket wuz a caution ter de naberhood. Brer
Fox, he juk en he jump, en he squeal en he squall, but Mr. Man,
he shower down on 'im, he did, like fightin' a red was'nes'."
The little boy laughed, and Uncle Remus supplemented this
indorsement of his descriptive powers with a most infectious
chuckle.
"'Bimeby," continued the old man, "de switches, dey got frazzle
out, en Mr. Man, he put out atter mo', en w'en he done got fa'rly
outer yearin', Brer Rabbit, he show'd up, he did, kaze he des bin
hidin' out in de bushes lis'nin' at de racket, en he 'low hit
mighty funny dat Miss Meadows ain't come 'long, kaze he done bin
down ter de doctor house, en dat's fudder dan de preacher, yit.
Brer Rabbit make like he hurr'in' on home, but Brer Fox, he open
up, he did, en he say:
"'I thank you fer ter tu'n me loose, Brer Rabbit, en I'll be
'blije,' sezee, ''caze you done tie me up so tight dat it make my
head swim, en I don't speck I'd las' fer ter git ter Miss
Meadows's,' sezee.
"Brer Rabbit, he sot down sorter keerless like, en begin fer ter
scratch one year like a man studyin' 'bout sump'n.
"'Dat's so, Brer Fox,' sezee, 'you duz look sorter stove up. Look
like sump'n bin onkoamin' yo' ha'rs,' sezee.
"Brer Fox ain't sayin' nothin', but Brer Rabbit, he keep on
talkin':
"'Dey ain't no bad feelin's 'twix' us, is dey, Brer Fox? Kaze ef
dey is, I ain't got no time fer ter be tarryin' 'roun' yer.'
"Brer Fox say w'ich he don't have no onfrennelness, en wid dat
Brer Rabbit cut Brer Fox loose des in time fer ter hear Mr. Man
w'isserlin up his dogs, en one went one way en de udder went
nudder."