NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS 
“ Wid dat ole Brer Tarrypin went shufflin’ off, en atter he git 
outer sight he draw’d back in he house en shot de do’ en laugh 
en laugh twel dey wa’n’t no fun in laughin’.” 
LXVIII 
BRER FOX MAKES A NARROW ESCAPE 
The next time the little boy had an opportunity to visit Uncle 
Remus the old man was alone, but he appeared to be in good 
spirits. He was cobbling away upon what the youngster recog¬ 
nized as ’Tildy’s Sunday shoes, and singing snatches of a song 
something like this: — 
“0 Mr. Rabbit l yo* eye mighty big — 
Yes, my Lord 1 dey er made fer ter see; 
0 Mr. Rabbit! yo* tail mighty short — 
Yes, my Lord! hit des fits me 1 ” 
The child waited to hear more, but the song was the same thing 
over and over again — always about Brother Rabbit’s big eyes 
and his short tail. After a while Uncle Remus acknowledged the 
presence of his little partner by remarking: — 
“Well, sir, we er all yer. Brer Jack and Sis Tempy en dat ar 
’Tildy nigger may be a-pacin’ ’roun’ lookin’ in de fence-cornders 
fer Chris’mus, but me en you en ole Brer Rabbit, we er all yer, 
en ef we ain’t right on de spot, we er mighty close erroun’. Yas¬ 
ser, we is dat; mo’ speshually ole Brer Rabbit, wid he big eye 
and he short tail. Don’t tell me ’bout Brer Rabbit!” exclaimed 
Uncle Remus, with a great apparent enthusiasm, “’kaze dey 
ain’t no use er talkin’ ’bout dat creetur.” 
The little boy was very anxious to know why. 
“Well, I tell you,” said the old man. “One time dey wuz a 
monst’us dry season in de settlement whar all de creeturs live at, 
en drinkin’-water got mighty skace. De creeks got low, en de 
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