Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit | Page 5

off ter some yuther day."
An' den dey had it up an' down, suh, 'Sputin' 'bout what dey oughter do, Some wanter gi' 'im a flower crown, suh, Ef he rid Brer Rabbit up dar in de blue, An' drap 'im when he got half-way.
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Dey sont a runner atter ol' Brer Rabbit Ter ax 'im ter call an' 'ten' de convention; But ol' frien' Wobble-nose had a quare habit Er knowin' a thing befo' it wuz mention', An he come 'fo' he got de word.
He wiggle his nose, an' wunk his eye-- "Here sho is de man I wants ter see, suh! Brer Buzzard I'm tryin' ter l'arn how ter fly!" An' c'ose Brer Buzzard gi' his agree, suh, An' all un um say he's a 'commydatin' bird!
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An' den Brer Buzzard half spread his wing, suh He try ter look young, but he wuz ol' suh-- He try ter strut an' walk wid a swing, suh; He wuz dreamin' 'bout dat pot er gol', suh, An' what he wuz gwine fer ter buy.
Brer Buzzard ain't skacely got thoo wid his pride, suh, 'Fo' Brer Rabbit lit right 'tween his floppers, Wid, "Now, hump yo'se'f, an' gi' me a ride, suh, Ef you don't I'll hit--I'll hit you some whoppers When I git you up dar in de sky!"
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Well, de creeturs grinned when Brer Buzzard riz, suh. An' made a big fuss accordin' ter der natur'; Ez fer ol' Brer Rabbit, de pleasure wuz all his, suh De ridin' wuz easy ez eatin' tater When it's b'iled an' made inter pie!
Kaze under bofe wings he had a paw, suh, An', when Brer Buzzard try fer ter drap 'im. He'd scratch an' tickle 'im wid his claw, suh; An' when Brer Buzzard try fer ter flap 'im, He'd scratch an' wink his eye!
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An' wid his claws he tuck an' steered 'im Fum post ter pillar in de deep blue, suh; He'd holla an' laugh--all de creeturs heer'd 'im-- You know how you'd feel ef it hab been you, suh, A-waitin' fer some un ter fall!
When ol' Brer Rabbit got tired er ridin', He steered Brer Buzzard right straight ter de groun', suh, An' den an' dar went right inter hidin'. When de creeturs come up he couldn't be foun', suh, An' I speck an' I reckon dat's all!

BRER RABBIT AND THE GOLD MINE
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There had been silence in the cabin for a long ten minutes, and Uncle Remus, looking up, saw a threat of sleep in the little boy's eyes. Whereupon he plunged headlong into a story without a word of explanation.
"Well, suh, one year it fell out dat de craps wuz burnt up. A dry drouth had done de work, an' ef you'd 'a' struck a match anywhar in dat settlement, de whole county would 'a' blazed up. Ol' man Hongriness des natchally tuck of his cloze an' went paradin' 'bout eve'ywhar, an' de creeturs got bony an' skinny. Ol' Brer B'ar done better dan any un um, kaze all he hatter do wuz go ter sleep an' live off'n his own fat; an' Brer Rabbit an' his ol' 'oman had put some calamus root by, an' saved up some sugar-cane dat dey fin' lyin' 'roun' loose, an' dey got 'long purty well. But de balance er de creeturs wuz dat ga'nt dat dey ain't got over it down ter dis day.
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"De creeturs had der meetin'-place, whar dey could all set 'roun' an' talk de kind er politics dey had, des like folks does at de cross-roads grocery. One day, whiles dey wuz all settin' an' squottin' 'roun', jowerin' an' confabbin', Brer Rabbit, he up 'n' say, sezee, dat ol' Mammy-Bammy-Big-Money tol' his great gran'daddy dat dar wuz a mighty big an' fat gol' mine in deze parts, an' he say dat he wouldn't be 'tall 'stonished ef 'twant some'rs close ter Brer B'ar's house. Brer B'ar, he growled, he did, an' say dat de gol' mine better not let him fin' it, kaze atter he got done wid it, dey won't be no gol' mine dar.
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"Some laughed, some grinned an' some gapped, an', atter jowerin' some mo', dey all put out ter whar der famblies wuz livin' at; but I boun' you dey ain't fergit 'bout dat gol' mine, kaze, fum dat time on, go whar you mought, you'd ketch some er de creeturs diggin' an' grabblin' in de groun', some in de fields, some in de woods, an' some in de big road; an' dey wuz so weak an' hongry dat dey kin skacely grabble fer fallin' down.
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"Well, dis went on fer de longest, but bimeby, one day, dey all 'gree dat sump'n bleeze ter be done, an' dey say dey'll all take one big hunt fer de gol' mine, an' den quit. Dey hunted in gangs, wid de gangs not