NIGHTS WITH UNCLE REMUS 
’Tildy evidently expected Uncle Remus to make some char¬ 
acteristic comment, for she sat and watched him with her lips 
firmly pressed together and her eyelids half-closed, — an attitude 
of defiance significant enough when seen, but difficult to describe. 
But the old man made no response to the challenge. He seemed 
to be very busy. Presently ’Tildy went on: — 
“Somebody bleedz to take keer er dat ole nigger, en I dunner 
who gwine ter do it ef I don’t. Somebody bleedz ter look atter 
’im. Good win’ come ’long hit ’ud in about blow ’im ’way ef dey 
wa’n’t somebody close ’roun’ fer ter take keer un ’im. Let ’lone 
dat, I ain’t gwineter have dat ole nigger man f’ever ’n ’ternally 
trottin’ atter me. I tell you de Lord’s trufe, Unk Remus,” con¬ 
tinued ’Tildy, growing confidential, “I ain’t had no peace er min’ 
sence dat ole nigger man come on dis place. He des bin a-pacin’ 
at my heels de whole blessed time, en I bleedz ter marry ’im 
fer git rid un ’im.” 
“Well,” said Uncle Remus, “hit don’t s’prize me. You marry 
en den youer des lak Brer Fox wid he bag. You know w’at you 
put in it, but you dunner w’at you got in it.” 
’Tildy flounced out without waiting for an explanation, but the 
mention of Brother Fox attracted the attention of the little boy, 
and he wanted to know what was in the bag, how it came to be 
there, and all about it. 
“Now, den,” said Uncle Remus, “hit’s a tale, en a mighty 
long tale at dat, but I ’ll des hatter cut it short, ’kaze termorrer 
night you’ll wanter be a-settin’ up lis’nen at de kyar’n’s on er 
dem ar niggers, w’ich I b’leeve in my soul dey done los’ all de 
sense dey ever bin bornded wid. 
“One time Brer Fox wuz gwine on down de big road, en he look 
ahead en he see ole Brer Tarrypin makin’ he way on todes home. 
Brer Fox ’low dis a mighty good time fer ter nab ole Brer Tarry- 
pin, en no sooner is he thunk it dan he put out back home, w’ich 
’t wa’n’t but a little ways, en he git ’im a bag. He come back, he 
328 
