BRER RABBIT’S RIDDLE 
Miss Meadows en Miss Motts en de gals did, but ’twix’ you en me 
en de bedpos’, honey, dey’d er had der frolic wh’er de ole chap 
’uz dar er not, kaze de gals done make ’rangerments wid Brer 
Rabbit fer ter pat fer um, en in dem days Brer Rabbit wuz a 
patter, mon. He mos’ sholy wuz.” 
s' 
X 
BRER RABBIT’S RIDDLE 
“Could Brother Rabbit pat a tune, sure enough, Uncle 
Remus?” asked the little boy, his thoughts apparently dwelling 
upon the new accomplishment of Brother Rabbit at which the old 
man had hinted in his story of Mr. Benjamin Ram. Uncle Remus 
pretended to be greatly surprised that any one could be so un¬ 
familiar with the accomplishments of Brother Rabbit as to ven¬ 
ture to ask such a question. His response was in the nature of a 
comment: — 
“Name er goodness! w’at kinder pass dish yer we cornin’ ter 
w’en a great big grow’d up young un axin’ ’bout Brer Rabbit? 
Bless yo’ soul, honey! dey wa’n’t no chune gwine dat Brer Rab¬ 
bit can’t pat. Let ’lone dat, w’en dey wuz some un else fer ter do 
de pattin’, Brer Rabbit kin jump out inter de middle er de flo’ 
en des nat’ally shake de eyel’ds off’en dem yuther creeturs. En 
’t wa’n’t none er dish yer bowin’ en scrapin’, en slippin’ en slidin’, 
en han’s all ’roun’, w’at folks does deze days. Hit uz dish yer up 
en down kinder dancin’, whar dey des lips up in de a’r fer ter cut 
de pidjin-wing, en lights on de flo’ right in de middle er de double¬ 
shuffle. Shoo! Dey ain’t no dancin’ deze days; folks’ shoes too 
tight, en dey ain’t got dat limbersomeness in de hips w’at dey 
uster is. Dat dey ain’t. 
“En yit,” Uncle Remus continued, in a tone which seemed to 
imply that he deemed it necessary to apologize for the apparent 
41 
