BRER FOX COVETS THE QUILLS 
“But Brer Fox, he ain’t got no peace er min’ on account er dem 
quills, en one day he meet Brer Tarrypin en he ax ’im how he seem 
ter segashuate 1 en he fambly en all he chilluns; en den Brer Fox 
ax Brer Tarrypin ef he can’t des look at de quills, kaze he got 
some goose-fedders at he house, en if he kin des get a glimpse er 
Brer Tarrypin quills, he ’speck he kin make some mighty like um. 
“Brer Tarrypin, he study ’bout dis, but he hate ter ’ny small 
favors like dat, en bimeby he hoi’ out dem quills whar Brer Fox 
kin see um. Wid dat, Brer Fox, he tuck’n juk de quills outen Brer 
Tarrypin han’, he did, and dash off des ez hard ez he kin go. Brer 
Tarrypin, he holler en holler at ’im des loud ez he kin holler, but 
he know he can’t ketch ’im, en he des sot dar, Brer Tarrypin did, 
en look lak he done los’ all de kin-folks w’at he got in de roun’ 
worrul’. 
“Atter dis, Brer Fox he strut ’roun’ en play mighty biggity, 
en eve’y time he meet Brer Tarrypin in de road he walk all ’roun’ 
’im en play on de quills like dis: — 
“*/ foolee, I foolee po ’ Buzzud; 
I foolee ole Tarrypin, too* 
“Brer Tarrypin, he feel mighty bad, but he ain’t sayin’ nothin’. 
Las’, one day w’iles ole Brer Tarrypin was settin’ on a log sunnin’ 
hisse’f, yer come Brer Fox playin’ dat same old chune on de quills, 
but Brer Tarrypin, he stay still. Brer Fox, he come up little 
nigher en play, but Brer Tarrypin, he keep he eyes shot en he 
stay still. Brer Fox, he come nigher en git on de log; Brer Tarry¬ 
pin ain’t sayin’ nothin’. Brer Fox still git up nigher en play on 
de quills; still Brer Tarrypin ain’t sayin’ nothin’. 
“‘Brer Tarrypin mighty sleepy dis mawnin’,’ sez Brer Fox, 
sezee. 
“Still Brer Tarrypin keep he eyes shot en stay still. Brer Fox 
keep on gittin’ nigher en nigher, twel bimeby Brer Tarrypin open 
1 An inquiry after his health. Another form is: “How does yo’ corporosity seem ter 
segashuate? ** 
67 
