NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS 
pin, en den he lip up hisse’f en crope in de holler, en, bless yo* 
soul, honey, w’en de fier come a-snippin’ en a-snappin’, dar dey 
sot des ez safe en ez snug ez you iz in yo’ bed dis minnit. 
“ W’en de blaze blow over, Brer Tarrypin look ’roun’, en he see 
Brer Fox runnin’ up’n down de fence lak he huntin’ sump’n’. Den 
Brer Rabbit, he stick he head up outen de hole, en likewise he 
seed ’im, and den he holler like Brer Tarrypin” (Here Uncle 
Remus puckered his voice, so to say, in a most amusing squeak): 
“‘Brer Fox! Brer Fox! 0 Brer Fox! Run yer — we done kotch 
Brer Rabbit!’ 
“En den Brer Fox, he jump up on de top rail er de fence en 
fetch a spring dat lan’ ’im ’way out in de bu’nin’ grass, en it 
hurted ’im en sting ’im in de footses dat bad, dat he squeal en he 
roll, en de mo’ he roll de wuss it bu’n him, en Brer Rabbit en Brer 
Tarrypin dey des holler en laff. Bimeby Brer Fox git out, en off 
he put down de road, limpin’ fus’ on one foot en den on de 
yuther.” 
The little boy laughed, and then there was a long silence — 
so long, indeed, that Uncle Remus’s “Miss Sally,” sewing in the 
next room, concluded to investigate it. An exceedingly interesting 
tableau met her sight. The little child had wandered into the land 
of dreams with a smile on his face. He lay with one of his little 
hands buried in both of Uncle Remus’s, while the old man himself 
was fast asleep, with his head thrown back and his mouth wide 
open. “Miss Sally” shook him by the shoulder and held up her 
finger to prevent him from speaking. He was quiet until she held 
the lamp for him to get down the back steps, and then she heard 
him say, in an indignantly mortified tone: — 
“Now den, Miss Sally’ll be a-riggin’ me ’bout noddin’, but 
stidder dat she better be glad dat I ain’t bus loose en sno’ en ’larm 
de house — let ’lone dat sick baby. Dat’s w’at!” 
78 
