Brother Rabbit Breaks Up a Party

As long as Uncle Remus allowed 'Tildy to remain in the cabin, the little

boy was not particularly interested in preventing the perfunctory abuse

which the old man might feel disposed to bestow upon the complacent

girl. The truth is, the child's mind was occupied with the episode in

the story of Mr. Benjamin Ram which treats of the style in which this

romantic old wag put Mr. and Mrs. Wolf to flight by playing a tune upon

his fiddle. The little boy was particularly struck with this remarkable

feat, as many a youngster before him had been, and he made bold to recur

to it again by asking Uncle Remus for all the details. It was plain to

the latter that the child regarded Mr. Ram as the typical hero of all

the animals, and this was by no means gratifying to the old man. He

answered the little boy's questions as well as he could, and, when

nothing more remained to be said about Mr. Ram, he settled himself back

in his chair and resumed the curious history of Brother Rabbit:

"Co'se Mr. Ram mighty smart man. I aint 'spute dat; but needer Mr. Ram

ner yet Mr. Lam is soon creeturs lak Brer Rabbit. Mr. Benjermun Ram, he

tuck'n skeer off Brer Wolf en his ole 'oman wid his fiddle, but, bless

yo' soul, ole Brer Rabbit he gone en done wuss'n dat."

"What did Brother Rabbit do?" asked the little boy.

"One time," said Uncle Remus, "Brer Fox, he tuck'n ax some er de yuther

creeturs ter he house. He ax Brer B'ar, en Brer Wolf, en Brer 'Coon, but

he aint ax Brer Rabbit. All de same, Brer Rabbit got win' un it, en he

'low dat ef he don't go, he 'speck he have much fun ez de nex' man.

"De creeturs w'at git de invite, dey tuck'n 'semble at Brer Fox house,

en Brer Fox, he ax um in en got um cheers, en dey sot dar en laugh en

talk, twel, bimeby, Brer Fox, he fotch out a bottle er dram en lay 'er

out on de side-bode, en den he sorter step back en say, sezee:

"'Des step up, gentermens, en he'p yo'se'f,' en you better b'lieve dey

he'p derse'f.

"W'iles dey wuz drinkin' en drammin' en gwine on, w'at you 'speck Brer

Rabbit doin'? You des well make up yo' min' dat Brer Rabbit monst'us

busy, kaze he 'uz sailin' 'roun' fixin' up his tricks. Long time 'fo'

dat, Brer Rabbit had been at a bobbycue whar dey was a muster, en w'iles

all de folks 'uz down at de spring eatin' dinner, Brer Rabbit he crope

up en run off wid one er de drums. Dey wuz a big drum en a little drum,

en Brer Rabbit he snatch up de littles' one en run home.

"Now, den, w'en he year 'bout de yuther creeturs gwine ter Brer Fox

house, w'at do Brer Rabbit do but git out dis rattlin' drum en make de

way down de road todes whar dey is. He tuk dat drum," continued Uncle

Remus, with great elation of voice and manner, "en he went down de road

todes Brer Fox house, en he make 'er talk like thunner mix up wid hail.

Hit talk lak dis:

"'_Diddybum, diddybum, diddybum-bum-bum--diddybum!_'

"De creeturs, dey 'uz a-drinkin', en a-drammin', en a-gwine on at a

terrible rate, en dey aint year de racket, but all de same, yer come

Brer Rabbit:

"'_Diddybum, diddybum, diddybum-bum-bum--diddybum!_'

"Bimeby Brer 'Coon, w'ich he allers got one year hung out fer de news,

he up'n ax Brer Fox w'at dat, en by dat time all de creeturs stop en

lissen; but all de same, yer come Brer Rabbit:

"'_Diddybum, diddybum, diddybum-bum-bum--diddybum!_'

"De creeturs dey keep on lis'nin', en Brer Rabbit keep on gittin'

nigher, twel bimeby Brer 'Coon retch und' de cheer fer he hat, en say,

sezee:

"'Well, gents, I 'speck I better be gwine. I tole my ole 'oman dat I

won't be gone a minnit, en yer 't is 'way 'long in de day.'

"Wid dat Brer 'Coon, he skip out, but he aint git much furder dan de

back gate, 'fo' yer come all de yuther creeturs like dey 'uz runnin' a

foot-race, en ole Brer Fox wuz wukkin' in de lead."

"Dar, now!" exclaimed 'Tildy, with great fervor.

"Yasser! dar dey wuz, en dar dey went," continued Uncle Remus. "Dey tuck

nigh cuts, en dey scramble over one er 'n'er, en dey aint res' twel dey

git in de bushes.

"Ole Brer Rabbit, he came on down de road--_diddybum, diddybum,

diddybum-bum-bum_--en bless gracious! w'en he git ter Brer Fox house dey

aint nobody dar. Brer Rabbit is dat ow-dacious, dat he hunt all 'roun'

twel he fine de a'r-hole en de drum, en he put his mouf ter dat en sing

out, sezee:

"'Is dey anybody home?' en den he answer hisse'f, sezee, 'Law, no,

honey--folks all gone.'

"Wid dat, ole Brer Rabbit break loose en laugh, he did, fit ter kill

hisse'f, en den he slam Brer Fox front gate wide open, en march up ter

de house. W'en he git dar, he kick de do' open en hail Brer Fox, but

nobody aint dar, en Brer Rabbit he walk in en take a cheer, en make

hisse'f at home wid puttin' his foots on de sofy en spittin' on de flo'.

"Brer Rabbit aint sot dar long 'fo' he ketch a whiff er de dram--"

"You year dat?" exclaimed 'Tildy, with convulsive admiration.

"--'Fo' he ketch a whiff er de dram, en den he see it on de side-bode,

en he step up en drap 'bout a tumbeler full some'rs down in de

neighborhoods er de goozle. Brer Rabbit mighty lak some folks I knows.

He tuck one tumbeler full, en 't wa'n't long 'fo' he tuck 'n'er'n, en

w'en a man do dis a-way," continued Uncle Remus, somewhat

apologetically, "he bleedz ter git drammy."

"Truth, too!" said 'Tildy, by way of hearty confirmation.

"All des time de yuther creeturs wuz down hi de bushes lissenin' fer de

_diddybum_, en makin' ready fer ter light out fum dar at de drop uv a

hat. But dey aint year no mo' fuss, en bimeby Brer Fox, he say he gwine

back en look atter he plunder, en de yuther creeturs say dey b'leeve

dey'll go 'long wid 'im. Dey start out, dey did, en dey crope todes Brer

Fox house, but dey crope mighty keerful, en I boun' ef somebody'd 'a'

shuck a bush, dem ar creeturs 'ud 'a' nat'ally to' up de ye'th gittin'

'way fum dar. Yit dey still aint year no fuss, en dey keep on creepin'

twel dey git in de house.

"W'en dey git in dar, de fus' sight dey see wuz ole Brer Rabbit stannin'

up by de dram-bottle mixin' up a toddy, en he wa'n't so stiff-kneed

n'er, kase he sorter swage fum side ter side, en he look lak he mighty

limbersome, w'ich, goodness knows, a man bleedz ter be limbersome w'en

he drink dat kinder licker w'at Brer Fox perwide fer dem creeturs.

"W'en Brer Fox see Brer Rabbit makin' free wid he doin's dat a-way, w'at

you 'speck he do?" inquired Uncle Remus, with the air of one seeking

general information.

"I 'speck he cusst," said 'Tildy, who was apt to take a vividly

practical view of matters.

"He was glad," said the little boy, "because he had a good chance to

catch Brother Rabbit."

"Tooby sho' he wuz," continued Uncle Remus, heartily assenting to the

child's interpretation of the situation: "tooby sho' he wuz. He stan'

dar, Brer Fox did, en he watch Brer Rabbit motions. Bimeby he holler

out, sezee:

"'Ah yi![13] Brer Rabbit!' sezee. 'Many a time is you made yo' 'scape,

but now I got you!' En wid dat, Brer Fox en de yuther creeturs cloze in

on Brer Rabbit.

"Seem like I done tole you dat Brer Rabbit done gone en tuck mo' dram

dan w'at 'uz good fer he wholesome. Yit he head aint swim so bad dat he

dunner w'at he doin', en time he lay eyes on Brer Fox, he know he done

got in close quarters. Soon ez he see dis, Brer Rabbit make like he bin

down in de cup mo' deeper dan w'at he is, en he stagger 'roun' like town

gal stannin' in a batteau, en he seem lak he des ez limber ez a wet rag.

He stagger up ter Brer Fox, he did, en he roll he eyeballs 'roun', en

slap 'im on he back en ax 'im how he ma. Den w'en he see de yuther

creeturs," continued Uncle Remus, "he holler out, he did:

"'Vents yo' uppance, gentermens! Vents yo' uppance![14] Ef you'll des

gimme han'-roomance en come one at a time, de tussle 'll las' longer.

How you all come on, nohow?' sezee.

"Ole Brer Rabbit talk so kuse dat de yuther creeturs have mo' fun dan

w'at you k'n shake a stick at, but bimeby Brer Fox say dey better git

down ter business, en den dey all cloze in on Brer Rabbit, en dar he

wuz.

"In dem days, ole man B'ar wuz a jedge 'mongs' de creeturs, en dey all

ax 'im w'at dey gwine do 'long wid Brer Rabbit, en Jedge B'ar, he put on

his specks, en cle'r up his th'oat, en say dat de bes' way ter do wid a

man w'at kick up sech a racket, en run de neighbors outer der own house,

en go in dar en level[15] on de pantry, is ter take 'im out en drown 'im;

en ole Brer Fox, w'ich he settin' on de jury, he up'n smack he hands

togedder, en cry, en say, sezee, dat atter dis he bleedz ter b'leeve dat

Jedge B'ar done got all-under holt on de lawyer-books, kaze dat 'zackly

w'at dey say w'en a man level on he neighbor pantry.

"Den Brer Rabbit, he make out he skeerd, en he holler en cry, en beg um,

in de name er goodness, don't fling 'im in de spring branch, kaze dey

all know he dunner how ter swim: but ef dey bleedz fer ter pitch 'im in,

den for mussy sake gin' 'im a walkin'-cane, so he kin have sumpin' ter

hol' ter w'iles he drownin'.

"Ole Brer B'ar scratch his head en say, sezee, dat, fur ez his

'membunce go back, he aint come 'cross nothin' in de lawyer-book ter

de contraries er dat, en den dey all 'gree dat Brer Rabbit kin have a

walkin'-cane.

"Wid dat, dey ketch up Brer Rabbit en put 'im in a wheelborrow en kyar

'im down ter de branch, en fling 'im in."

"Eh-eh!" exclaimed 'Tildy, with well-feigned astonishment.

"Dey fling 'im in," continued Uncle Remus, "en Brer Rabbit light on he

foots, same ez a tomcat, en pick his way out by de helps er de

walkin'-cane. De water wuz dat shaller dat it don't mo'n come over Brer

Rabbit slipper, en w'en he git out on t'er side, he holler back,

sezee:

"'So long, Brer Fox!'"

[13] A corruption of "aye, aye." It is used as an expression of triumph and its employment in this connection is both droll and picturesque.

[14] Southern readers will recognize this and "han'-roomance" as terms used by negroes in playing marbles,--a favorite game on the plantations Sunday afternoons. These terms were curt and expressive enough to gain currency among the whites.

[15] Levy.