Uncle Remus and Brer Rabbit | Page 7

Des make 'im stay
right spang on de groun'!"
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De hoss, he riz wid a snort an' a whicker, An' showed dat he wuz
sump'n uv a kicker! An' den an' dar, Brer Rabbit 'gun ter snicker, Wid,
"Hol' 'im, Brer Fox! 'twon't do ter flicker! Ef you make 'im stan' still,
you kin ride 'im de quicker!" De hoss, he r'ar'd an' raise a mighty dust
up, An' fust thing you know, Brer Rabbit hear a bust-up! "I hope, Brer
Fox, dat you ain't much hurt-- But yo' wife'll be mad, kaze you done
tored yo' shirt!"

BRER RABBIT FINDS THE MOON IN THE MILL POND
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Oh, one bright day in de middle er May, Brer Rabbit wuz feelin' fine;
He tuck ter de road, an' never know'd De place whar he wuz gwine!
"Oh, fur an' free," sezee, "siree, No gal kin change my min'!" Brer
Tarrypin, sly, he wunk one eye, Un'neat' his green-gourd vine!
He holla an' say, "Whar you gwine dis day, Wid yo' pipe an'
walkin'-cane?" Brer Rabbit wave his han' like a gal do her fan-- "My
heart's 'bout ter bust wid pain;
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"I'm a heap too nice, I ain't laugh'd but twice Sence de big Jinawary
rain; My day'll be done ef I don't have some fun-- Dey'll call me
Sunday-Jane!
"I'll git sollumcholic ef I don't have a frolic, My head'll git flabby an'
swink; I chaw de pine-bud, kaze I'm 'bout ter lose my cud An' some
nights I don't sleep a wink!
"Ef I has ter set still, oh, I'll w'ar de green willow, An' go in mo'nin' wid
de Mink! But I bet you a hat dat 'fo' I does dat, I'll show um all a new
kink!"
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So, off he put, on his nimbles' foot, Wid a grin, a laugh, an' a cough;
Ter Miss Motts an' Miss Meadows, an' all de udders, He tell what 'uz
gwineter come off!
'Twuz a mill-pon' fishin', an' he lef um a-wishin' Dat de win' don't blow
fum de norf! An' de creeturs all, bofe long an' tall-- An' dem no bigger
dan a dwarf--
Brer Wolf an' Brer B'ar,--all say dey'd be dar, An' dey promise fer ter
fetch a seine; Dey 'gree ter de day, an' Brer Rabbit say Dat dey don't
hatter come ef it rain;
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So said, so done, an' when de time come, De big road ez well ez de lane
Wuz filled wid a crowd, all talkin' out loud, An' a-prankin' wid might
an' main!
Brer Rabbit wuz dar, wid Miss Molly Har', A-waitin' fer de fun ter
begin; He shuck his shank, an' went ter de bank, An' make like he
gwineter jump in!
But de sight dat he saw made 'im drap his jaw, An' break up a great big
grin! He sez ter Brer Coon, "Run here an' see de Moon! A-floatin'
widout a fin!"
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He look ag'in--"She sho fell in, An' we got ter git her out; Ef she stays
in de pon', it's 'good-bye, John!' An' uv dat dey ain't no doubt;
"We got ter have light when we play at night, Fer ter see how ter git
about; We'll drag wid de seine--ef we don't drag in vain, We'll have
good reason ter shout!"
But when it come ter seinin', dar wuz some complainin 'Bout who wuz
ter do it all, Dey all make out dat dey wanter wade out, But it fell on
dem dat wuz tall:
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Brer B'ar, he laugh, ez he tuck a staff, Brer Wolf say he fear'd he'd fall,
But he tuck his place wid a mighty wry face, An' when dey 'gun ter
haul.
"Oh, you better bet dis water's wet! I feel des like a sponge!" An' den
dey all, wid a kick an' a squall, Wid a squeal an' den a lunge,
Grabbed at de water--which dey hadn't oughter Went over der heads
wid a splunge; Brer Rabbit bent double, "Oh, all er yo' trouble Fills me
full er fun-unj-unj!"

HOW MR. LION LOST HIS WOOL
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"Twuz des sech a day ez dis dat Mr Lion lost his wool," remarked
Uncle Remus to the little boy, "Mr. Man tuck a notion dat de time done
come fer him fer ter have a hog-killin' an' he got 'im a big barrel, an' fill
it half full er water fum de big springs. Den he piled up 'bout a cord er
wood, an' ez he piled, he put rocks 'twix' de logs, an' den he sot de
wood after at bofe een's an' in de middle. 'Twan't long 'fo' dey had de
hogs killt, an' eve'ything ready fer ter scrape de ha'r off. Den he tuck de
red-hot rocks what he put in de fire, an'