Brother Fox, Brother Rabbit, and King Deer's Daughter
Notwithstanding Brother Rabbit's success with the drum, the little boy
was still inclined to refer to Mr. Benjamin Ram and his fiddle; but
Uncle Remus was not, by any means, willing that such an ancient vagabond
as Mr. Ram should figure as a hero, and he said that, while it was
possible that Brother Rabbit was no great hand with the fiddle, he was a
drummer, and a capital singer to boot. Furthermore, Uncle Remus declared
that Brother Rabbit could perform upon the quills,[16] an accomplishment
to which none of the other animals could lay claim. There was a time,
too, the old man pointedly suggested, when the romantic rascal used his
musical abilities to win the smiles of a nice young lady of quality--no
less a personage, indeed, than King Deer's daughter. As a matter of
course, the little boy was anxious to hear the particulars, and Uncle
Remus was in nowise loath to give them.
"W'en you come ter ax me 'bout de year en day er de mont'," said the
old man, cunningly arranging a defence against criticism, "den I'm done,
kaze de almanick w'at dey got in dem times won't pass muster deze days,
but, let 'lone dat, I 'speck dey aint had none yit; en if dey is, dey
aint none bin handed down ter Remus.
"Well, den, some time 'long in dar, ole Brer Fox en Brer Rabbit got ter
flyin' 'roun' King Deer daughter. Dey tells me she 'uz a monst'us likely
gal, en I 'speck may be she wuz; leas'ways, Brer Fox, he hanker atter
'er, en likewise Brer Rabbit, he hanker atter 'er. Ole King Deer look
lak he sorter lean todes Brer Fox, kaze ter a settle man like him, hit
seem lak dat Brer Fox kin stir 'roun' en keep de pot a-b'ilin', mo'
speshually bein's he de bigges'. Hit go on dis a-way twel hardly a day
pass dat one er de yuther er dem creeturs don't go sparklin' 'roun' King
Deer daughter, en it got so atter w'ile dat all day long Brer Rabbit en
Brer Fox keep de front gate a-skreakin', en King Deer daughter aint
ska'cely had time fer ter eat a meal vittels in no peace er min'.
"In dem days," pursued Uncle Remus, in a tone of unmistakable historical
fervor, "w'en a creetur go a-courtin' dey wa'n't none er dish yer bokay
doin's mix' up 'longer der co'tship, en dey aint cut up no capers like
folks does now. Stidder scollopin' 'roun' en bowin' en scrapin', dey des
go right straight atter de gal. Ole Brer Rabbit, he mouter had some
bubby-blossoms[17] wrop up in his hankcher, but mostly him en Brer Fox
'ud des drap in on King Deer daughter en 'gin ter cas' sheep-eyes at 'er
time dey sot down en cross der legs."
"En I bet," said 'Tildy, by way of comment, and looking as though she
wanted to blush, "dat dey wa'n't 'shame', nuther."
"Dey went 'long dis a-way," continued Uncle Remus, "twel it 'gun ter
look sorter skittish wid Brer Rabbit, kaze ole King Deer done good ez
say, sezee, dat he gwine ter take Brer Fox inter de fambly. Brer
Rabbit, he 'low, he did, dat dis aint gwine ter do, en he study en
study how he gwine ter cut Brer Fox out.
"Las', one day, w'iles he gwine thoo King Deer pastur' lot, he up wid a
rock en kilt two er King Deer goats. W'en he git ter de house, he ax King
Deer daughter whar'bouts her pa, en she up'n say she go call 'im, en
w'en Brer Rabbit see 'im, he ax w'en de weddin' tuck place, en King Deer
ax w'ich weddin', en Brer Rabbit say de weddin' 'twix' Brer Fox en King
Deer daughter. Wid dat, ole King Deer ax Brer Rabbit w'at make he go on
so, en Brer Rabbit, he up'n 'spon' dat he see Brer Fox makin' monst'us
free wid de fambly, gwine 'roun' chunkin' de chickens en killin' up de
goats.
"Ole King Deer strak he walkin'-cane down 'pon de flo', en 'low dat he
don't put no 'pennunce in no sech tale lak dat, en den Brer Rabbit tell
'im dat ef he'll des take a walk down in de pastur' lot, he kin see de
kyarkiss er de goats. Ole King Deer, he put out, en bimeby he come back,
en he 'low he gwine ter settle marters wid Brer Fox ef it take 'im a
mont'.
"Brer Rabbit say he a good frien' ter Brer Fox, en he aint got no room
ter talk 'bout 'im, but yit w'en he see 'im 'stroyin' King Deer goats en
chunkin' at his chickens, en rattlin' on de palin's fer ter make de dog
bark, he bleedz ter come lay de case 'fo' de fambly.
"'En mo'n dat,' sez ole Brer Rabbit, sezee, 'I'm de man w'at kin make
Brer Fox come en stan' right at de front gate en tell you dat he is kill
dem goat; en ef you des wait twel ter-night, I won't ax you ter take my
wud,' sezee.
"King Deer say ef Brer Rabbit man 'nuff ter do dat, den he kin git de
gal en thanky, too. Wid dat, Brer Rabbit jump up en crack he heels
tergedder, en put out fer ter fine Brer Fox. He aint git fur 'fo' he
see Brer Fox comin' down de road all primp up. Brer Rabbit, he sing out,
he did:
"'Brer Foxy, whar you gwine?' "En Brer Fox, he holler back:
"'Go 'way, Rab; don't bodder wid me. I'm gwine fer ter see my gal.'
"Brer Rabbit, he laugh 'way down in his stomach, but he don't let on, en
atter some mo' chat, he up'n say dat ole King Deer done tell 'im 'bout
how Brer Fox gwine ter marry he daughter, en den he tell Brer Fox dat he
done promise King Deer dat dey'd drap 'roun' ter-night en gin 'im some
music.
"'En I up'n tole 'im,' sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, 'dat de music w'at we
can't make aint wuth makin',--me wid my quills, en you wid yo'
tr'angle.[18] De nex' motion we makes,' sezee, we'll hatter go off
some'rs en practise up on de song we'll sing, en I got one yer dat'll
tickle um dat bad,' sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, 'twel I lay dey'll fetch out
a hunk er dat big chicken-pie w'at I see um puttin' in de pot des now,'
sezee.
"In a 'casion lak dis, Brer Fox say he de ve'y man w'at Brer Rabbit
huntin', en he 'low dat he'll des 'bout put off payin' he call ter King
Deer house en go wid Brer Rabbit fer ter practise on dat song.
"Den Brer Rabbit, he git he quills en Brer Fox he git he tr'angle, en
dey went down on de spring branch, en dar dey sing en play, twel dey git
it all by heart. Ole Brer Rabbit, he make up de song he own se'f, en he
fix it so dat he sing de call, lak de captain er de co'n-pile, en ole
Brer Fox, he hatter sing de answer."[19]
At this point Uncle Remus paused to indulge in one of his suggestive
chuckles, and then proceeded:
"Don't talk 'bout no songs ter me. Gentermens! dat 'uz a funny song fum
de wud go. Bimeby, w'en dey practise long time, dey gits up en goes
'roun' in de neighborhoods er King Deer house, en w'en night come dey
tuck der stan' at de front gate, en atter all got still, Brer Rabbit, he
gun de wink, en dey broke loose wid der music. Dey played a chune er two
on de quills en tr'angle, en den dey got ter de song. Ole Brer Rabbit,
he got de call, en he open up lak dis:
"'_Some folks pile up mo'n dey kin tote,
En dot w'at de marter wid King Deer goat,_'
en den Brer Fox, he make answer:
"'_Dat 's so, dat 's so, en I'm glad dat it's so!_'
Den de quills en de tr'angle, dey come in, en den Brer Rabbit pursue on
wid de call:
"'_Some kill sheep en some kill shote,
But Brer Fox kill King Deer goat,_'
en den Brer Fox, he jine in wid de answer:
"'_I did, dat I did, en I'm glad dat I did!_'
En des 'bout dat time King Deer, he walk outer de gate en hit Brer Fox a
clip wid his walkin'-cane, en he foller it up wid 'n'er'n, dat make Brer
Fox fa'rly squall, en you des better b'lieve he make tracks 'way fum
dar, en de gal she come out, en dey ax Brer Rabbit in."
"Did Brother Rabbit marry King Deer's daughter, Uncle Remus?" asked the
little boy.
"Now, den, honey, you're crowdin' me," responded the old man. "Dey ax
'im in, en dey gun 'im a great big hunk er chicken-pie, but I won't make
sho' dat he tuck'n marry de gal. De p'int wid me is de way Brer Rabbit
run Brer Fox off fum dar."
16] The veritable Pan's pipes. A simple but very effective musical instrument made of reeds, and in great favor on the plantations.
[17] A species of sweet-shrub growing wild in the South.
[18] Triangle.
[19] That is to say, Brother Rabbit sang the air and Brother Fox the refrain.