Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit | Page 5

pot er gol', suh, Ter de man what kin tol
Brer Rabbit off, suh; Brer Buzzard say, "I'm a-gittin' ol', suh, But I'll try
my han," an' den he cough, suh. An' de rest un um bowed dere thanks.

Now, ol' Brer B'ar wuz a-settin' in de cheer, suh, So he stand up an'
move a motion; He up an' 'low, "Le's erso'v right here, suh, Fer ter
thank Brer Buzzard whiles we're in de notion, An' not put it 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.
[Illustration]
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!
[Illustration]
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!"
[Illustration]
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!
[Illustration]
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
[Illustration]
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.
[Illustration]
"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.
[Illustration]
"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