HOW MR. ROOSTER LOST HIS DINNER 
flops derwings en wakes up all de neighbors. Law,bless my soul!’’ 
he exclaimed suddenly, “w’at make I done gone en fergit ’bout 
Mr. Rooster?” 
“What about him?” inquired the little boy. 
“One time, ’way back yander,” said Uncle Remus, knocking 
the ashes off his hands and knees, “dey wuz two plan’ations right 
’longside one er ’ne’r, en on bofe er deze plan’ations wuz a whole 
passel of fowls. Dey wuz mighty sociable in dem days, en it tu’n 
out dat de fowls on one plan’ation gun a party, w’ich dey sont 
out der invites ter de fowls on de ’t’er plan’ation. 
“ W’en de day come, Mr. Rooster, he blow his hawn, he did, en 
’semble um all tergedder, en atter dey ’semble dey got in line. 
Mr. Rooster, he tuck de head, en atter ’im come ole lady Hen en 
Miss Pullet, en den dar wuz Mr. Peafowl, en Mr. Tukkey Gob¬ 
bler, en Miss Guinny Hen, en Miss Puddle Duck, en all de bal¬ 
ance un um. Dey start off sorter raggedy, but’t wa’n’t long ’fo’ 
dey all kotch de step, en den dey march down by de spring, up 
thoo de hx>ss-lot en ’cross by de gin-house, en’t wa’n’t long ’fo’ 
dey git ter whar de frolic wuz. 
“‘Dey dance, en dey play, en dey sing. Mo’ ’speshually did 
dey play en sing dat ar song w’ich it run on lak dis: — 
“ * Come under, come under , 
My honey, my love, my own true love; 
My heart bin a-weepin* 
Way down in Galilee * 
“Dey wuz gwine on dis a-way, havin’ der ’musements, w’en, 
bimeby, ole Mr. Peafowl, he got on de comb er de barn en blow de 
dinner-hawn. Dey all wash der face en han’s in de back po’ch, en 
den dey went in ter dinner. W’en dey git in dar, dey don’t see 
nothin’ on de table but a great big pile er co’n-bread. De pones 
was pile up on pones, en on de top wuz a great big ash-cake. Mr. 
Rooster, he look at dis en he tu’n up he nose, en bimeby, atter 
aw’ile, out he strut. Ole Miss Guinny Hen, she watchin’ Mr. 
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