NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS 
at de drop uv a hat. But dey ain’t year no mo’ fuss, en bimeby 
Brer Fox, he say he gwine back en look atter he plunder, en de 
yuther creeturs say dey b’leeve dey’ll go ’long wid ’im. Dey start 
out, dey did, en dey crope todes Brer Fox house, but dey crope 
mighty keerful, en I boun’ ef somebody’d ’a’ shuck a bush, dem 
ar creeturs ’ud ’a’ nat’ally to’ up de ye’th gittin’ ’way fum dar. 
Yit dey still ain’t year no fuss, en dey keep on creepin’ twel dey 
git in de house. 
“W’en dey git in dar, de fus’ sight dey see wuz ole Brer Rab¬ 
bit stannin’ up by de dram-bottle mixin’ up a toddy, en he wa’n’t 
so stiff-kneed n’er, kase he sorter swage fum side ter side, en he 
look lak he mighty limbersome, w’ich, goodness knows, a man 
bleedz ter be limbersome w’en he drink dat kinder licker w’at 
Brer Fox perwide fer dem creeturs. 
‘‘W’en Brer Fox see Brer Rabbit makin’ free wid he doin’s 
dat a-way, w’at you ’speck he do?” inquired Uncle Remus, with 
the air of one seeking general information. 
“I ’speck he cusst,” said ’Tildy, who was apt to take a vividly 
practical view of matters. 
“He was glad,” said the little boy, “because he had a good 
chance to catch Brother Rabbit.” 
“Tooby sho’ he wuz,” continued Uncle Remus, heartily assent¬ 
ing to the child’s interpretation of the situation: “tooby sho’ he 
wuz. He stan’ dar, Brer Fox did, en he watch Brer Rabbit mo¬ 
tions. Bimeby he holler out, sezee: — 
“‘Ah yi ! 1 Brer Rabbit!’ sezee. ‘Many a time is you made 
yo’ ’scape, but now I got you! ’ En wid dat, Brer Fox en de yuther 
creeturs cloze in on Brer Rabbit. 
“Seem like I done tole you dat Brer Rabbit done gone en tuck 
mo’ dram dan w’at ’uz good fer he wholesome. Yit he head ain’t 
swim so bad dat he dunner w’at he doin’, en time he lay eyes on 
1 A corruption of “aye, aye.” It is used as an expression of triumph and its employ¬ 
ment in this connection is both droll and picturesque. 
56 
