MR. BENJAMIN RAM DEFENDS HIMSELF 
Eh-eh, Brer Fox! I druther go by my own — ’lone se’f,’ sezee. 
“‘Well, den,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee, ‘you better make ’as’e,’ 
sezee, ‘ ’kaze ’t ain’t gwine ter take me so mighty long fer ter go 
up dar en make hash out’n ole Mr. Benjermun Ram,’ sezee. 
“Brer Wolf know mighty well,” said Uncle Remus, snapping 
his huge tongs in order to silence a persistent cricket in the chim¬ 
ney / 4 dat ef he dast ter back out fum a banter lak dat he never 
is ter year de las’ un it fum Miss Meadows en Miss Motts en de 
gals, en he march off todes Mr. Benjermun Ram house. 
“Little puff er win’ come en blow’d up some leafs, en Brer 
Wolf jump lak somebody shootin’ at ’im, en he fly mighty mad 
w’en he year Brer Fox laugh. He men’ he gait, he did, en’t wa’n’t 
’long ’fo’ he ’uz knockin’ at Mr. Benjermun Ram do’. 
“He knock at de do’, he did, en co’se he ’speck somebody fer ter 
come open de do’; but stidder dat, lo’ en beholes yer come Mr. 
Benjermun Ram ’roun’ de house. Dar he wuz — red eye, wrinkly 
hawn en shaggy head. Now, den, in case lak dat, w’at a slim¬ 
legged man lak Brer Wolf gwine do? Dey ain’t no two ways, he 
gwine ter git ’way fum dar, en he went back ter whar Brer Fox 
is mo’ samer dan ef de patter-rollers wuz atter ’im. 
“Brer Fox, he laugh en he laugh, en ole Brer Wolf, he look 
mighty glum. Brer Fox ax ’im is he done kilt en e’t Mr. Ben¬ 
jermun Ram, en ef so be, is he lef’ any fer him. Brer Wolf say he 
ain’t feelin’ well, en he don’t lak mutton nohow. Brer Fox ’low: — 
“ ‘ You may be puny in de min’, Brer Wolf, but you ain’t feelin’ 
bad in de leg, ’kaze I done seed you wuk um.’ 
“Brer Wolf ’low he des a-runnin’ fer ter see ef’t won’t mak 
’im feel better. Brer Fox, he say, sezee, dat w’en he feelin’ puny, 
he ain’t ax no mo’ dan fer somebody fer ter git out de way en let 
’im lay down. 
“Dey went on in dis a-way, dey did, twel bimeby Brer Fox ax 
Brer Wolf ef he’ll go wid ’im fer ter ketch Mr. Benjermun Ram. 
Brer Wolf, he ’low, he did: — 
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