How Brother Rabbit Got the Meat

When the little boy next visited Uncle Remus the cabin was dark and

empty and the door shut. The old man was gone. He was absent for several

nights, but at last one night the little boy saw a welcome light in the

cabin, and he made haste to pay Uncle Remus a visit. He was full of

questions:

"Goodness, Uncle Remus! Where in the world have you been? I thought you

were gone for good. Mamma said she reckoned the treatment here did n't

suit you, and you had gone off to get some of your town friends to hire

you."

"Is Miss Sally tell you dat, honey? Well, ef she aint de beatenes'

w'ite 'oman dis side er kingdom come, you kin des shoot me. Miss Sally

tuck'n writ me a pass wid her own han's fer ter go see some er my kin

down dar in de Ashbank settlement. Yo' mammy quare 'oman, honey, sho'!

"En yit, w'at de good er my stayin' yer? T'er night, I aint mo'n git

good en started 'fo' you er up en gone, en I aint seed ha'r ner hide un

you sence. W'en I see you do dat, I 'low ter myse'f dat hit 's des 'bout

time fer ole man Remus fer ter pack up he duds en go hunt comp'ny

some'r's else."

"Well, Uncle Remus," exclaimed the little boy, in a tone of

expostulation, "did n't Brother Fox get the meat, and was n't that the

end of the story?"

Uncle Remus started to laugh, but he changed his mind so suddenly that

the little boy was convulsed. The old man groaned and looked at the

rafters with a curious air of disinterestedness. After a while he went

on with great seriousness:

"I dunner w'at kinder idee folks got 'bout Brer Rabbit nohow, dat I

don't. S'pozen you lays de plans so some yuther chap kin git a big hunk

er goody, is you gwine ter set off some'r's en see 'im make way wid it?"

"What kind of goody, Uncle Remus?"

"Dish yer kinder goody w'at town folks keeps. Mint draps and reezins, en

sweet doin's lak Miss Sally keep und' lock en key. Well, den, if you

gits some er dat, er may be some yuther kinder goody, w'ich I wish 't

wuz yer right dis blessid minnit, is you gwine ter set quile up in dat

cheer en let n'er chap run off wid it? Dat you aint--dat you aint!"

"Oh, I know!" exclaimed the little boy. "Brother Rabbit went back and

made Brother Fox give him his part of the meat."

"Des lak I tell you, honey; dey wa'n't no man 'mungs de creeturs w'at

kin stan' right flat-footed en wuk he min' quick lak Brer Rabbit. He

tuck'n tie de rock on de string, stidder de meat, en he pursue long

atter it, he did, twel Mr. Man tu'n a ben' in de road, en den Brer

Rabbit, he des lit out fum dar--_terbuckity-buckity, buck-buck-buckity!_

en 't wa'n't long 'fo' he tuck'n kotch up wid Brer Fox. Dey tuck de

meat, dey did, en kyar'd it way off in de woods, en laid it down on a

clean place on de groun'.

"Dey laid it down, dey did," continued Uncle Remus, drawing his chair up

closer to the little boy, "en den Brer Fox 'low dey better sample it, en

Brer Rabbit he 'gree. Wid dat, Brer Fox he tuck'n gnyaw off a hunk, en

he shut bofe eyes, he did, en he chaw en chaw, en tas'e en tas'e, en

chaw en tas'e. Brer Rabbit, he watch 'im, but Brer Fox, he keep bofe

eyes shot, en he chaw en tas'e, en tas'e en chaw."

Uncle Remus not only furnished a pantomime accompaniment to this recital

by shutting his eyes and pretending to taste, but he lowered his voice

to a pitch of tragical significance in reporting the dialogue that

ensued:

"Den Brer Fox smack he mouf en look at de meat mo' closeter, en up'n

'low:

"'Brer Rabbit, _hit 's lam'!_'

"'_No_, Brer Fox! _sho'ly not!_'

"'Brer Rabbit, _hit 's lam'!_'

"'Brer Fox, _tooby sho'ly not!_'

"Den Brer Rabbit, he tuck'n gnyaw off a hunk, en he shot bofe eyes, en

chaw en tas'e, en tas'e en chaw. Den he smack he mouf, en up'n 'low:

"'Brer Fox, _hit 's shote!_'

"'Brer Rabbit, you foolin' me!'

"'Brer Fox, _I vow hit 's shote!_'

"'Brer Rabbit, hit des _can't be!_'

"'Brer Fox, _hit sho'ly is!_'

"Dey tas'e en dey 'spute, en dey 'spute en dey tas'e. Atter w'ile, Brer

Rabbit make lak he want some water, en he rush off in de bushes, en

d'reckly yer he come back wipin' he mouf en cle'rin' up he th'oat. Den

Brer Fox he want some water sho' nuff:

"'Brer Rabbit, whar you fin' de spring?'

"'Cross de road, en down de hill en up de big gully.'

"Brer Fox, he lope off, he did, en atter he gone Brer Rabbit totch he

year wid he behime foot lak he flippin' 'im good-bye. Brer Fox, he cross

de road en rush down de hill, he did, yit he aint fin' no big gully. He

keep on gwine twel he fin' de big gully, yit he aint fin' no spring.

"W'iles all dish yer gwine on, Brer Rabbit he tuck'n grabble a hole in

de groun', he did, en in dat hole he hid de meat. Atter he git it good

en hid, he tuck'n cut 'im a long keen hick'ry, en atter so long a time,

w'en he year Brer Fox comin' back, he got in a clump er bushes, en tuck

dat hick'ry en let in on a saplin', en ev'y time he hit de saplin', he

'ud squall out, Brer Rabbit would, des lak de patter-rollers had 'im:

"_Pow, pow!_ 'Oh, pray, Mr. Man!'--_Pow, pow!_ 'Oh, pray, Mr.

Man!'--_Chippy-row, pow!_ 'Oh, Lordy, Mr. Man! Brer Fox tuck yo'

meat!'--_Pow!_ 'Oh, pray, Mr. Man! Brer Fox tuck yo' meat!'"

Every time Uncle Remus said "_Pow!_" he struck himself in the palm of

his hand with a shoe-sole by way of illustration.

"Co'se," he went on, "w'en Brer Fox year dis kinder doin's, he fotch up,

he did, en lissen, en ev'y time he year de hick'ry come down _pow!_ he

tuck'n grin en 'low ter hisse'f, 'Ah-yi! you fool me 'bout de water!

Ah-yi! you fool me 'bout de water!'

"Atter so long a time, de racket sorter die out, en seem lak Mr. Man wuz

draggin' Brer Rabbit off. Dis make Brer Fox feel mighty skittish. Bimeby

Brer Rabbit come a-cally-hootin' back des a-hollerin':

"'Run, Brer Fox, run! Mr. Man say he gwine to kyar dat meat up de road

ter whar he son is, en den he's a-comin' back atter you. Run, Brer Fox,

run!'

"En I let you know," said Uncle Remus, leaning back and laughing to see

the little boy laugh, "I let you know Brer Fox got mighty skace in dat

neighborhood!"