NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS 
“‘You oughter be monst’us glad, honey, dat you got sech a 
good daddy lak dat.’ 
“Wid dat, Mr. Billy Malone wunk he off eye, en jump in de 
box” 
“W’at I done tell you!” exclaimed Aunt Tempy. 
“He jump in de box,” continued Uncle Remus, “en dar he wuz, 
en ef de little gal hadder bin a minnit bigger, I lay she’d ’a’ tuck’n 
done some mighty tall winkin’. 
“Man ain’t gone fur, en’t wa’n’t long ’fo’ yer he come back. 
W’en Brer Rabbit year ’im cornin’ he bounce ’roun’ in dar same 
ez a flea in a piller-case, but ’t ain’t do no good. Trap done fall, 
en Brer Rabbit in dar. Man look thoo de slats, en ’low: — 
“‘Dar you is — same old hoppum-skippum run en jumpum. 
Youer de ve’y chap I’m atter. I want yo’ foot fer ter kyar in my 
pocket, I want yo’ meat fer ter put in de pot, en I want yo’ hide 
fer ter w’ar on my head.’ 
“Dis make cole chill rush up en down Brer Rabbit backbone, 
en he git more ’umble dan a town nigger w’at been kotch out 
atter nine erclock . 1 He holler en cry, en cry en holler: — 
“‘Do pray, Mr. Man, tu’n me go! I done ’ceive you dis time, 
but I ain’t gwine ter ’ceive you no mo’. Do pray, Mr. Man, tu’n 
me go, des dis little bit er time.’ 
“Man he ain’t say in’ nothin’. He look lak he study in’ ’bout 
somep’n’ ne’r way off yan’, en den he take de little gal by de han’ 
en go off todes de house.” 
“Sho’ly Brer Rabbit time done come now!” exclaimed Aunt 
Tempy, in a tone of mingled awe and expectation. 
Uncle Remus paid no attention to the interruption, but went 
right on: — 
“Hit seem lak dat Brer Rabbit got mo’ luck dan w’at you kin 
shake a stick at, ’kaze de man en de little gal ain’t good en gone 
1 During slavery, the ringing of the nine-o’clock bell in the towns and villages at 
night was the signal for all negroes to retire to their quarters. 
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