NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS 
XXXV 
BRER RABBIT SUBMITS TO A TEST 
“Uncle Remus,” said the child, “do you reckon Brother Rab¬ 
bit really married the young lady?” 
“Bless yo’ soul, honey,” responded the old man, with a sigh, 
“hit b’long ter Brer Jack fer ter tell you dat. ’T ain’t none er my 
tale.” 
“Was n’t that the tale you started to tell?” 
“Who? Me? Shoo! I ain’t’sputin’but w’at Brer Jack tale des 
ez purty ez dey er any needs fer, yit’t ain’t none er my tale.” 
At this, the little boy laid his head upon Uncle Remus’s knee 
and waited. 
“Now, den,” said the old man, with an air of considerable im¬ 
portance, “we er got ter go ’way back behime dish yer yaller- 
gater doin’s w’at Brer Jack bin mixin’ us up wid. Ef I makes no 
mistakes wid my ’membunce, de place wharbouts I lef’ off wuz 
whar Brer Rabbit had so many ’p’intments fer ter keep out de 
way er de t’er creeturs dat he ’gun ter feel monst’us humblyfied. 
Let um be who dey will, you git folks in a close place ef you wan ter 
see um shed der proudness. Dey beg mo’ samer dan a nigger w’en 
de patter-rollers ketch ’im. Brer Rabbit ain’t ko no beggin’, ’kaze 
dey ain’t kotch; yit dey come so nigh it, he ’gun ter feel he weak¬ 
ness. 
“W’en Brer Rabbit feel dis a-way, do he set down flat er de 
groun’ en let de t’er creeturs rush up en grab ’im? He mought do 
it deze days, ’kaze times done change; but in dem days he des 
tuck’n sot up wid hisse’f en study ’bout w’at he gwine do. He 
study en study, en las’ he up’n tell he ole ’oman, he did, dat he 
gwine on a journey. Wid dat, ole Miss Rabbit, she tuck’n fry ’im 
up a rasher er bacon, en bake ’im a pone er bread. Brer Rabbit 
tied dis up in a bag en tuck down he walkin’ cane en put out.” 
170 
