NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS 
all er my cousins en all er my kinfolks, en’t ain’t bin so mighty 
long sence you set Cousin Fox on me, en little mo’ en I’d a-to’ 
’im in two. O Brer Rabbit! I des nat’ally loves you,’ sezee. 
“Den he laugh, en he toofs strak terge’er right close ter Brer 
Rabbit year. Brer Rabbit, he ’low, he did: — 
“‘Law, Mr. Wildcat, I thunk maybe you mought lak ter have 
Brer Fox fer supper, en dat de reason I sent ’im up ter whar you 
is. Hit done come ter mighty purty pass w’en folks can’t be fr’en’s 
’ceppin’ sump’n’ ’n’er step in ’twix’ en ’tween um, en ef dat de 
case I ain’t gwine ter be fr’en’s no mo’ — dat I ain’t.’ 
“ Mr. Wildcat wipe he nose on Brer Rabbit year, en he do sorter 
lak he studyin’. Brer Rabbit he keep on talkin’. He ’low: — 
“‘Endurin’ er all dis time, is I ever pester ’long wid you, Mr. 
Wildcat?’ 
“‘No, Brer Rabbit, I can’t say ez you is.’ 
“‘No, Mr. Wildcat, dat I ain’t. Let ’lone dat, I done my level 
bes’ fer ter he’p you out. En dough you done jump on me en 
skeer me scan’lous, yit I’m willin’ ter do you ’n’er good tu’n. I 
year some wild turkeys yelpin’ out yan’, en ef you ’ll des lem me 
off dis time, I ’ll go out dar en call um up, en you kin make lak you 
dead, en dey’ll come up en stretch dey neck over you, en you kin 
jump up en kill a whole passel un um ’fo’ dey kin git out de way.’ 
“Mr. Wildcat stop en study, ’kaze ef dey er one kinder meat 
w’at he lak dat meat is turkey meat. Den he tuck’n ax Brer Rab¬ 
bit is he jokin’. Brer Rabbit say ef he ’uz settin’ off some’rs by 
he own-’lone se’f he mought be jokin’, but how de name er good¬ 
ness is he kin joke w’en Mr. Wildcat got ’im hug up so tight? Dis 
look so pleezy-plozzy 1 dat’t wa’n’t long ’fo’ Mr. Wildcat ’low 
dat he ’uz mighty willin’ ef Brer Rabbit mean w’at he say, en 
atter w’ile, bless yo’ soul, ef you’d ’a’ come ’long dar, you’d er 
seed ole Mr. Wildcat layin’ stretch out on de groun’ lookin’ fer all 
de wul’ des lak he done bin dead a mont’, en you’d er yeard ole 
1 No doubt this means that Brother Rabbit’s proposition was pleasant and plausible. 
240 
