AFRICAN JACK 
Remus, with the air of one carefully and deliberately laying the 
basis of a judicial opinion, “en den w’en you sail in en talk 
bizness, den she up en gun you de flat un ’er foot en de back 
un ’er han’, en den, atter dat, she tuck’n laff en make spote un 
you.” 
“Enty!” assented Daddy Jack, admiringly. 
“Well, den, Brer Jack, youer mighty ole, en yit hit seem lak 
youer mighty young; kaze a man w’at ain’t got no mo’ speunce 
wid wimmen folks dan w’at you is neenter creep ’roun’ yer callin’ 
deyse’f ole. Dem kinder folks ain’t ole nuff, let ’lone bein’ too ole. 
W’en de gal tuck’n laff, Brer Jack, w’at ’uz yo’ nex’ move?” de¬ 
manded Uncle Remus, looking down upon the shrivelled old man 
with an air of superiority. 
Daddy Jack shut his shrewd little eyes tightly and held them 
so, as if by that means to recall all the details of the flirtation. 
Then he said: — 
“Da’ lilly gal is bin tek dem t’ing. ’E is bin say, ‘T’anky, 
t’anky.’ Him eaty da’ ’possum, him eaty da’ pop-co’n, him roas’n 
da’ taty. ’E do say, ‘T’anky, t’anky!’ Wun I talk marry, ’e is 
bin ris ’e v’ice un squeal lak lilly pig stuck in ’e Croat. ’E do 
holler: ‘Hi, Daddy Jack! wut is noung gal gwan do wit’ so ole man 
lak dis?’ Un I is bin say: ‘Wut noung gal gwan do wit’ ole 
Chris’mus’ cep’ ’e do ’joy ’ese’f?’ Un da’ lil gal ’e do lahff un flut 
’ese’f way fum dey-dey.” 
“I know’d a nigger one time,” said Uncle Remus, after ponder¬ 
ing a moment, “w’at tuck a notion dat he want a bait er ’simmons, 
en de mo’ w’at de notion tuck ’im de mo’ w’at he want um, en 
bimeby, hit look lak he des nat’ally erbleedz ter have um. He 
want de ’simmons, en dar dey is in de tree. He mouf water, en 
dar hang de ’simmons. Now, den, w’at do dat nigger do? W’en 
you en me en dish yer chile yer wants ’simmons, we goes out en 
shakes de tree, en ef deyer good en ripe, down dey comes, en ef 
deyer good en green, dar dey stays. But dish yer yuther nigger, 
115 
