NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS 
room, ’kaze ef I can’t git ’way fum dar somebody gwine ter git 
hurted, en deyer gwine ter git hurted bad. I tell you dat right 
pine-blank . 1 
“Ole Brer Tarrypin!” continued Uncle Remus in a tone of 
exultation. “Ole Brer Tarrypin! Now, who bin year tell er de 
beat er dat? Dar you sets studyin’ ’bout ole Brer Tarrypin, en 
yer I sets studyin’ ’bout ole Brer Tarrypin. Hit make me feel so 
kuse dat little mo’ en I’d ’a’ draw’d my Rabbit-foot en shuck it 
at you.” 
The little boy was delighted when Uncle Remus went off into 
these rhapsodies. However nonsensical they might seem to 
others, to the child they were positively thrilling, and he listened 
with rapt attention, scarcely daring to stir. 
“Ole Brer Tarrypin? Well, well, well! — 
“ ‘ Wen in he prime 
He tuck he time / * 
“Dat w’at make he hoi’ he age so good. Dey tells me dat some¬ 
body ’cross dar in Jasper county tuck’n kotch a Tarrypin w’ich 
he got marks cut in he back dat ’uz put dar ’fo’ our folks went fer 
ter git revengeance in de Moccasin war. Dar whar yo’ Unk’ 
Jeems bin,” Uncle Remus explained, noticing the little boy’s look 
of astonishment. 
“Oh!” exclaimed the child, “that was the Mexican war.” 
“Well,” responded Uncle Remus, closing his eyes with a sigh, 
“I ain’t one er deze yer kinder folks w’at choke deyse’f wid 
names. One name ain’t got none de ’vantage er no yuther name. 
En ef de Tarrypin got de marks on ’im, hit don’t make no diffunce 
whe’er yo’ Unk’ Jeems Abercrombie git his revengeance out’n de 
Moccasin folks, er whe’er he got it out’n de Mackersons.” 
“Mexicans, Uncle Remus.” 
“Tooby sho’, honey; let it go at dat. But don’t less pester ole 
Brer Tarrypin wid it, ’kaze he done b’long ter a tribe all by he 
1 Point-blank. 
186 
