Brother Fox Figures As an Incendiary

The next night the little boy had been thoughtful enough to save some of

his supper for Uncle Remus, and to this "Miss Sally" had added, on her

own account, a large piece of fruit-cake. The old man appeared to be

highly pleased.

"Ef ders enny kinder cake w'at I likes de mos', hit 's dish yer kine

w'at's got reezins strowed 'mongs' it. Wid sick folks, now," he

continued, holding up the cake and subjecting it to a critical

examination, "dish yer hunk 'ud mighty nigh las' a mont', but wid a well

man lak I is, hit won't las' a minnit."

And it did n't. It disappeared so suddenly that the little boy laughed

aloud, and wanted Uncle Remus to have some more cake; but the latter

protested that he did n't come there "fer ter git founder'd," but merely

to see "ef somebody's strenk uz strong 'nuff fer ter stan' 'n'er tale."

The little boy said if Uncle Remus meant him, he was sure his health was

good enough to listen to any number of stories. Whereupon, the old man,

without any tantalizing preliminaries, began:

"Brer Fox done bin fool so much by Brer Rabbit dat he sorter look 'roun'

fer ter see ef he can't ketch up wid some er de yuther creeturs, en so,

one day, w'iles he gwine long down de big road, who should he strak up

wid but old Brer Tarrypin. Brer Fox sorter lick his chops, en 'low dat

ef he kin fling ennybody en gin um all-under holt, Brer Tarrypin de man,

en he march up, mighty biggity, like he gwine ter make spote un 'im.

W'en he git up nigh 'nuff, Brer Fox hail 'im:

"'How you 'speck you fine yo'se'f dis mawnin', Brer Tarrypin?' sezee.

"'Slow, Brer Fox--mighty slow,' sez Brer Tarrypin, sezee. 'Day in en day

out I'm mighty slow, en it look lak I'm a-gittin' slower; I'm slow en

po'ly, Brer Fox--how you come on?' sezee.

"'Oh, I'm slanchindickler, same ez I allers is,' sez Brer Fox, sezee.

'W'at make yo' eye so red, Brer Tarrypin?' sezee.

"'Hit 's all 'longer de trouble I see, Brer Fox,' sez Brer Tarrypin,

sezee. 'I see trouble en you see none; trouble come en pile up on

trouble,' sezee.

"'Law, Brer Tarrypin!' sez Brer Fox, sezee, 'you aint see no trouble

yit. Ef you wanter see sho' 'nuff trouble, you des oughter go 'longer

me; I'm de man w'at kin show you trouble,' sezee.

"'Well, den,' sez ole Brer Tarrypin, sezee, 'ef youer de man w'at kin

show me trouble, den I'm de man w'at want a glimpse un it,' sezee.

"Den Brer Fox, he ax Brer Tarrypin is he seed de Ole Boy, en den Brer

Tarrypin, he make answer dat he aint seed 'im yit, but he year tell un

'im. Wid dat, Brer Fox 'low de Ole Boy de kinder trouble he bin talkin'

'bout, en den Brer Tarrypin, he up'n ax how he gwine see 'im. Brer Fox,

he tak'n lay out de pogrance, en he up'n tell Brer Tarrypin dat ef he'll

step up dar in de middle er dat ole broom-sage fiel', en squot dar a

spell, 't won't be no time 'fo' he'll ketch a glimpse er de Ole Boy.

"Brer Tarrypin know'd ders sump'n' wrong some'rs, yit he mos' too

flat-flooted fer ter have enny scuffle wid Brer Fox, en he say ter

hisse'f dat he'll go 'long en des trus' ter luck; en den he 'low dat ef

Brer Fox he'p 'im 'cross de fence, he b'lieve he'll go up en resk one

eye on de Ole Boy. Co'se Brer Fox hope 'im 'cross, en no sooner is he

good en gone, dan Brer Fox, he fix up fer ter make 'im see trouble. He

lipt out ter Miss Meadows house, Brer Fox did, en make like he wanter

borry a chunk er fier fer ter light he pipe, en he tuck dat chunk, en he

run 'roun' de fiel', en he sot de grass a fier, en't wa'n't long 'fo' it

look lak de whole face er de yeth waz a-blazin' up."

"Did it burn the Terrapin up?" interrupted the little boy.

"Don't push me, honey; don't make me git de kyart 'fo' de hoss. W'en ole

Brer Tarrypin 'gun ter wade thoo de straw, de ve'y fus' man w'at he

strak up wid wuz ole man Rabbit layin' dar sleepin' on de shady side uv

a tussock. Brer Rabbit, he one er deze yer kinder mens w'at sleep wid

der eye wide open, en he wuz 'wake d'reckly he year Brer Tarrypin

scufflin' en scramblin' 'long thoo de grass. Atter dey shuck han's en ax

'bout one er n'er fambly, hit aint take long fer Brer Tarrypin fer ter

tell Brer Rabbit w'at fotch 'im dar, en Brer Rabbit, he up'n say,

sezee:

"'Hit 's des na'tally a born blessin' dat you struck up wid me w'en you

did,' sezee, 'kaze little mo' en bofe un us would 'a' bin bobbycu'd,'

sezee.

"Dis kinder tarrify Brer Tarrypin, en he say he wanter git out fum dar;

but Brer Rabbit he 'low he'd take keer un 'im, en he tuck'n tuck Brer

Tarrypin in de middle er de fiel' whar dey wuz a big holler stump. Onter

dis stump Brer Rabbit lif' Brer Tarrypin, en den he lip up hisse'f en

crope in de holler, en, bless yo' soul, honey, w'en de fier come

a-snippin' en a-snappin', dar dey sot des ez safe en ez snug ez you iz

in yo' bed dis minnit.

"W'en de blaze blow over, Brer Tarrypin look 'roun', en he see Brer Fox

runnin' up'n down de fence lak he huntin' sump'n'. Den Brer Rabbit, he

stick he head up outen de hole, en likewise he seed 'im, and den he

holler like Brer Tarrypin" (Here Uncle Remus puckered his voice, so to

say, in a most amusing squeak):

"'Brer Fox! Brer Fox! O Brer Fox! Run yer--we done kotch Brer Rabbit!'

"En den Brer Fox, he jump up on de top rail er de fence en fetch a

spring dat lan' 'im 'way out in de bu'nin' grass, en it hurted 'im en

sting 'im in de footses dat bad, dat he squeal en he roll, en de mo' he

roll de wuss it bu'n him, en Brer Rabbit en Brer Tarrypin dey des holler

en laff. Bimeby Brer Fox git out, en off he put down de road, limpin'

fus' on one foot en den on de yuther."

The little boy laughed, and then there was a long silence--so long,

indeed, that Uncle Remus's "Miss Sally," sewing in the next room,

concluded to investigate it. An exceedingly interesting tableau met her

sight. The little child had wandered into the land of dreams with a

smile on his face. He lay with one of his little hands buried in both of

Uncle Remus's, while the old man himself was fast asleep, with his head

thrown back and his mouth wide open. "Miss Sally" shook him by the

shoulder and held up her finger to prevent him from speaking. He was

quiet until she held the lamp for him to get down the back steps, and

then she heard him say, in an indignantly mortified tone:

"Now den, Miss Sally'll be a-riggin' me 'bout noddin', but stidder dat

she better be glad dat I aint bus loose en sno' en 'larm de house--let

'lone dat sick baby. Dat 's w'at!"