BRER RABBIT AND HIS FAMOUS FOOT 
W’at de wimmen ain’t up’n tell bidout anybody axin’ un um, 
folks mighty ap’ fer ter fine out fer deyse’f. De wimmen, dey 
does de talkin’ en de flyin’, en de mens, dey does de walkin’ en de 
pryin’, en betwixt en betweenst um, dey ain’t much dat don’t 
come out. Ef it don’t come out one day it do de nex’, en so she 
goes — Ant’ny over, Ant’ny under — up one row en down de 
udder, en clean acrosst de bolly-patch! ” 
It may be that the child did n’t understand all this, but he had 
no doubt of its wisdom, and so he waited patiently for develop¬ 
ments. 
“Dey’s a tale ’bout de rabbit foot,” continued Uncle Remus, 
“but yo’ eye look watery, like ole man Nod ’bout ter slip up be- 
hime you; en let ’lone dat, I ’speck Miss Sally clock clickin’ fer 
you right now.” 
“Oh, no, it isn’t, Uncle Remus,” said the child, laughing. 
“Mamma said she’d make ’Tildy call me.” 
“Dar, now!” exclaimed the old man, indignantly, “’Tildy dis 
en ’Tildy dat. I dunner w’at yo’ mammy dreamin’ ’bout fer ter 
let dat nigger gal be a-holl’in’ en a-bawlin’ atter you all ’roun’ dish 
yer plan’ation. She de mos’ uppity nigger on de hill, en de fus’ 
news you know dey ull all hatter make der bows en call ’er Mistiss. 
Ef ole Miss wuz ’live, dey would n’t be no sech gwines on ’roun’ 
yer. But nummine. 1 You des let ’er come a-cuttin’ up front er 
my do’, en I lay you’ll year squallin’. Now, den,” continued 
the old man, settling himself back in his chair, “wharbouts 
wuz I?” 
“You said there was a tale about the rabbit foot,” the little boy 
replied. 
“So dey is, honey! so dey is!” Uncle Remus exclaimed, “but 
she got so many crooks en tu’ns in ’er dat I dunner but w’at I ain’t 
done gone en fergotted some un um off’n my min’; ’kaze ole folks 
lak me knows lots mo’ dan w’at dey kin ’member. 
1 Never mind. 
143 
