ne's fiercest scream
Don't mean nothin' but lettin' off steam,
But wid so much wrackage behin' 'er back,
Seem like she say: "Git out o' my track!"
An' she ain't by 'erself, old Mis, in dat--
No, she ain't by 'erself in dat.

[Illustration]

THE GOAT

No matter how much she strive to 'spire,
Sis' Nannie Goat's measured 'g'inst some'h'n' higher;
"First cousin to a sheep" an' "de po' man's cow,"
Is hol'-down luck, come when, come how.
An' she ain't by 'erself helt down like dat--
No, she ain't by 'erself in dat.

[Illustration]

THE FIG

De fig dat's "sweet enough to eat"
Is _sweet enough_, but _not too sweet_;
But de honey-lip fig in de blazin' light
Is a battle-ground whar de varmints fight.
An' it ain't by itself in dat, in dat--
An' it ain't by itself in dat.

[Illustration]

THE FRIZZLED CHICKEN

Dat frizzledy chicken, he steps so spry,
An' he totes 'is head so pompious high,
Like as ef he tries, wharever he goes,
To rise above dem rough-dried clo'es.
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat, in dat--
An' he ain't by 'isself in dat.

[Illustration]

THE ENDLESS SONG

Oh, I used to sing a song,
An' dey said it was too long,
So I cut it off de en'
To accommodate a frien'
Nex' do', nex' do'--
To accommodate a frien' nex' do'.

But it made de matter wuss
Dan it had been at de fus,
'Ca'ze de en' was gone, an' den
Co'se it didn't have no en'
Any mo', any mo'--
Oh, it didn't have no en' any mo'!

So, to save my frien' from sinnin',
I cut off de song's beginnin';
Still he cusses right along
Whilst I sings _about_ my song
Jes so, jes so--
Whilst I sings _about_ my song _jes so_.

How to please 'im is my riddle,
So I'll fall back on my fiddle;
For I'd stan' myself on en'
To accommodate a frien'
Nex' do', nex' do'--
To accommodate a frien' nex' do'.

[Illustration]

THE EEL

Br'er Eel got a mighty jewbious name,
But maybe he ain't so much to blame;
He couldn't squirm out ef he nuver ventured in,
An' he resks his all when he resks his skin.
But he ain't by 'isself in dat, in dat--
But he ain't by 'isself in dat.

[Illustration]

THE RAIN-CROW

Br'er Rain-crow sho kin prophesy,
Caze he reads his wisdom f'om de page on hig