Brother Fox Catches Mr. Horse

There was a pause after the story of old Miss Goose. The culmination was

hardly sensational enough to win the hearty applause of the little boy,

and this fact appeared to have a depressing influence upon Uncle Remus.

As he leaned slightly forward, gazing into the depths of the great

fireplace, his attitude was one of pensiveness.

"I 'speck I done wo' out my welcome up at de big house," he said, after

a while. "I mos' knows I is," he continued, setting himself resignedly

in his deep-bottomed chair. "Kase de las' time I uz up dar, I had my eye

on Miss Sally mighty nigh de whole blessid time, en w'en you see Miss

Sally rustlin' 'roun' makin' lak she fixin' things up dar on de

mantle-shelf, en bouncin' de cheers 'roun', en breshin' dus' whar dey

aint no dus', en flyin' 'roun' singin' sorter louder dan common, den I

des knows sump'n' done gone en rile 'er."

"Why, Uncle Remus!" exclaimed the little boy; "Mamma was just glad

because I was feeling so good."

"Mought er bin," the old man remarked, in a tone that was far from

implying conviction. "Ef 't wa'n't dat, den she wuz gittin' tired er

seem' me lounjun' 'roun' up dar night atter night, en ef 't wa'n't dat,

den she wuz watchin' a chance fer ter preach ter yo' pa. Oh, I done bin

know Miss Sally long fo' yo' pa is!" exclaimed Uncle Remus, in response

to the astonishment depicted upon the child's face. "I bin knowin' 'er

sence she wuz so high, en endurin' er all dat time I aint seed no mo'

up'n spoken' w'ite 'oman dan w'at Miss Sally is.

"But dat aint needer yer ner dar. You done got so youk'n rush down yer

des like you useter, en we kin set yer en smoke, en tell tales, en

study up 'musements same like we wuz gwine on 'fo' you got dat splinter

in yo' foot.

"I mines me er one time"--with an infectious laugh--"w'en ole Brer

Rabbit got Brer Fox in de wuss trubble w'at a man wuz mos' ever got in

yit, en dat 'uz w'en he fool 'im 'bout de hoss. Aint I never tell you

'bout dat? But no marter ef I is. Hoe-cake aint cook done good twel

hit 's turnt over a couple er times.

"Well, atter Brer Fox done git rested fum keepin' out er de way er Mr.

Dog, en sorter ketch up wid his rations, he say ter hisse'f dat he be

dog his cats ef he don't slorate ole Brer Rabbit ef it take 'im a mont';

en dat, too, on top er all de 'spe'unce w'at he done bin had wid um.

Brer Rabbit he sorter git win' er dis, en one day, w'iles he gwine 'long

de road studyin' how he gwineter hol' he hand wid Brer Fox, he see a

great big Hoss layin' stretch out flat on he side in de pastur'; en he

tuck'n crope up, he did, fer ter see ef dish yer Hoss done gone en die.

He crope up en he crope 'roun', en bimeby he see de Hoss switch he tail,

en den Brer Rabbit know he aint dead. Wid dat, Brer Rabbit lope back

ter de big road, en mos' de fus' man w'at he see gwine on by wuz Brer

Fox, en Brer Rabbit he tuck atter 'im, en holler:

"'Brer Fox! O Brer Fox! Come back! I got some good news fer you. Come

back, Brer Fox,' sezee.

"Brer Fox, he tu'n 'roun', he did, en w'en he see who callin' 'im, he

come gallopin' back, kaze it seem like dat des ez gooder time ez any fer

ter nab Brer Rabbit; but 'fo' he git in nabbin' distance, Brer Rabbit he

up'n say, sezee:

"'Come on, Brer Fox! I done fine de place whar you kin lay in fresh meat

'nuff fer ter las' you plum twel de middle er nex' year,' sezee.

"Brer Fox, he ax wharbouts, en Brer Rabbit, he say, right over dar in de

pastur', en Brer Fox ax w'at is it, en Brer Rabbit, he say w'ich 'twuz a

whole Hoss layin' down on de groun' whar dey kin ketch 'im en tie 'im.

Wid dat, Brer Fox, he say come on, en off dey put.

"W'en dey got dar, sho' nuff, dar lay de Hoss all stretch out in de sun,

fas' 'sleep, en den Brer Fox en Brer Rabbit, dey had a 'spute 'bout how

dey gwine ter fix de Hoss so he can't git loose. One say one way en de

yuther say n'er way, en dar dey had it, twel atter w'ile Brer Rabbit, he

say, sezee:

"'De onliest plan w'at I knows un, Brer Fox,' sezee, 'is fer you ter git

down dar en lemme tie you ter de Hoss tail, en den, w'en he try ter git

up, you kin hol' 'im down,' sezee. 'Ef I wuz big man like w'at you is,'

sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, 'you mought tie me ter dat Hoss' tail, en ef I

aint hol' 'im down, den Joe's dead en Sal's a widder. I des knows you

kin hol' 'im down,' sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, 'but yit, ef you 'feared, we

des better drap dat idee en study out some yuther plan,' sezee.

"Brer Fox sorter jubus 'bout dis, but he bleedzd ter play biggity 'fo'

Brer Rabbit, en he tuck'n 'gree ter de progrance, en den Brer Rabbit, he

tuck'n tie Brer Fox ter de Hoss' tail, en atter he git 'im tie dar hard

en fas', he sorter step back, he did, en put he han's 'kimbo, en grin,

en den he say, sezee:

"Ef ever dey wuz a Hoss kotch, den we done kotch dis un. Look sorter lak

we done put de bridle on de wrong een',' sezee, 'but I lay Brer Fox is

got de strenk fer ter hol' 'im,' sezee.

"Wid dat, Brer Rabbit cut 'im a long switch en trim it up, en w'en he

get it fix, up he step en hit de Hoss a rap--_pow!_ De Hoss 'uz dat

s'prise at dat kinder doin's dat he make one jump, en lan' on he foots.

W'en he do dat, dar wuz Brer Fox danglin' in de a'r, en Brer Rabbit, he

dart out de way en holler:

"'Hol' 'im down, Brer Fox! Hol' 'im down! I'll stan' out yer en see fa'r

play. Hol' 'im down, Brer Fox! Hol' 'im down!'

"Co'se, w'en de Hoss feel Brer Fox hangin' dar onter he tail, he thunk

sump'n' kuse wuz de marter, en dis make 'im jump en r'ar wusser en

wusser, en he shake up Brer Fox same like he wuz a rag in de win', en

Brer Rabbit, he jump en holler:

"'Hol' 'im down, Brer Fox! Hol' 'im down! You got 'im now, sho'! Hol'

yo' grip, en hol' 'im down,' sezee.

"De Hoss, he jump en he hump, en he rip en he r'ar, en he snort en he

t'ar. But yit Brer Fox hang on, en still Brer Rabbit skip 'roun' en

holler:

"'Hol' 'im down, Brer Fox! You got 'im whar he can't needer back ner

squall. Hol' 'im down, Brer Fox!' sezee.

"Bimeby, w'en Brer Fox git chance, he holler back, he did:

"'How in de name er goodness I gwine ter hol' de Hoss down 'less I git

my claw in de groun'?'

"Den Brer Rabbit, he stan' back little furder en holler little louder:

"'Hol' 'im down, Brer Fox! Hol' 'im down! You got 'im now, sho'! Hol'

'im down!'

"Bimeby de Hoss 'gun ter kick wid he behime legs, en de fus' news you

know, he fetch Brer Fox a lick in de stomach dat fa'rly make 'im squall,

en den he kick 'im ag'in, en dis time he break Brer Fox loose, en sont

'im a-whirlin'; en Brer Rabbit, he keep on a-jumpin' 'roun' en

hollerin':

"'Hol' 'im down, Brer Fox!'"

"Did the fox get killed, Uncle Remus?" asked the little boy.

"He wa'n't 'zackly kilt, honey," replied the old man, "but he wuz de

nex' do' ter't. He 'uz all broke up, en w'iles he 'uz gittin' well, hit

sorter come 'cross he min' dat Brer Rabbit done play n'er game on 'im."