BRER RABBIT BREAKS UP A PARTY 
“ Wid dat Brer ’Coon, he skip out, but he ain’t git much furder 
dan de back gate, ’fo’ yer come all de yuther creeturs like dey ’uz 
runnin’ a foot-race, en ole Brer Fox wuz wukkin’ in de lead.” 
“Dar, now!” exclaimed ’Tildy, with great fervor. 
“Yasser! dar dey wuz, en dar dey went,” continued Uncle 
Remus. “Dey tuck nigh cuts, en dey scramble over one er ’n’er, 
en dey ain’t res’ twel dey git in de bushes. 
“Ole Brer Rabbit, he came on down de road — diddybum , 
diddybum , diddybum-bum-bum — en bless gracious! w’en he git 
ter Brer Fox house dey ain’t nobody dar. Brer Rabbit is dat ow- 
dacious, dat he hunt all ’roun’ twel he fine de a’r-hole er de drum, 
en he put his mouf ter dat en sing out, sezee: — 
“ ‘ Is dey anybody home? ’ en den he answer hisse’f, sezee, ‘Law, 
no, honey — folks all gone.’ 
“Wid dat, ole Brer Rabbit break loose en laugh, he did, fit ter 
kill hisse’f, en den he slam Brer Fox front gate wide open, en 
march up ter de house. W’en he git dar, he kick de do’ open en 
hail Brer Fox, but nobody ain’t dar, en Brer Rabbit he walk in 
en take a cheer, en make hisse’f at home wid puttin’ his foots on 
de sofy en spittin’ on de flo\ 1 1 
“Brer Rabbit ain’t sot dar long ’fo’ he ketch a whiff er de 
dram —” 
“You year dat?” exclaimed ’Tildy, with convulsive admira¬ 
tion. 
“ — ’Fo’ he ketch a whiff er de dram, en den he see it on de side- 
bode, en he step up en drap ’bout a tumbeler full some’rs down 
in de neighborhoods er de goozle. Brer Rabbit mighty lak some 
folks I knows. He tuck one tumbeler full, en’t wa’n’t long ’fo’ 
he tuck ’n’er’n, en w’en a man do dis a-way,” continued Uncle 
Remus, somewhat apologetically, “he bleedz ter git drammy.” 
“Truth, too!” said ’Tildy, by way of hearty confirmation. 
“All des time de yuther creeturs wuz down in de bushes 
lissenin’ fer de diddybum , en makin’ ready fer ter light out fum dar 
55 
