NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS 
“She sendin’ all deze doin’s en fixin’s down yer, en I ’speck deyer 
monst’us nice, but no longer’n las’ Chuseday she had all de niggers 
on de place, big en little, gwine squallin’ ’roun’ fer Remus. Hit 
’uz Remus yer en Remus dar, en, lo en beholes, w’en I come ter 
fine out, Miss Sally want Remus fer ter whirl in en cook ’er one 
er deze yer ole-time ash-cakes. She bleedzd ter have it den en dar; 
en w’en I git it done, Miss Sally, she got a glass er buttermilk, en 
tuck’n sot right flat down on de flo’, des like she useter w’en she 
wuz little gal.” The old man paused, straightened up, looked at 
the child over his spectacles, and continued, with emphasis: “En 
I be bless ef she ain’t eat a hunk er dat ash-cake mighty nigh ez 
big ez yo’ head, en den she tuck’n make out’t wa’n’t cook 
right. 
“Now, den, honey, all deze done fix. You set over dar, and 
I ’ll set over yer, en ’twix’ en ’tween us we ’ll sample dish yer truck 
en see w’at is it Miss Sally done gone en sont us; en w’iles we er 
makin’ ’way wid it, I ’ll sorter rustle ’roun’ wid my ’membunce, 
en see ef I kin call ter min’ de tale ’bout how ole Brer Rabbit got 
’im a two-story house widout layin’ out much cash.” 
Uncle Remus stopped talking a little while and pretended to 
be trying to remember something, — an effort that was accom¬ 
panied by a curious humming sound in his throat. Finally, he 
brightened up and began: — 
“Hit tu’n out one time dat a whole lot er de creeturs tuck a 
notion dat dey’d go in coboots wid buil’n’ un um a house. Ole 
Brer B’ar, he was ’mongs’ um, en Brer Fox, en Brer Wolf, en 
Brer ’Coon, en Brer ’Possum. I won’t make sho’, but it seem 
like ter me dat plum down ter ole Brer Mink ’uz ’mongs’ um. 
Leas’ways, dey wuz a whole passel un um, en dey whirl in, dey did, 
en dey buil’ de house in less’n no time. Brer Rabbit, he make lak 
it make he head swim fer ter climb up on de scaffle, en likewise 
he say it make ’im ketch de palsy fer ter wuk in de sun, but he got 
’im a squar’, en he stuck a pencil behime he year, en he went 
24 
