s on, and no sooner did Mr. Dog put his nose down among my
ribs than I got to laughing, and I laugh till I hadn't no more use of my
limbs," says he; "and it's a mercy for Mr. Dog that I _was_ ticklish,
'cause a little more and I'd have ate him up," says he. "I don't mind
fighting, Br'er Coon, any more than you does, but I'm blessed if I can
stand tickling. Get me in a row where there ain't no tickling allowed,
and I'm your man," says he.

And to this day Br'er Possum's bound to surrender when you touch him in
the short ribs, and he'll laugh even if he knows he's going to be
smashed for it.

BR'ER FOX TACKLES OLD BR'ER TARRYPIN[Q]

One day Br'er Fox struck up with Br'er Tarrypin right in the middle of
the big road. Br'er Tarrypin he heard Br'er Fox coming, and he say to
hisself that he'd sort of better keep one eye open; but Br'er Fox was
monstrous polite, and he begin, he did, and say he hadn't seen Br'er
Tarrypin this ever so long.

"Hallo, Br'er Tarrypin, where you been this long-come-short?" says Br'er
Fox, says he.

"Lounging round," says Br'er Tarrypin.

"You don't look sprucy, like you did, Br'er Tarrypin," says Br'er Fox.

"Lounging round and suffering," says Br'er Tarrypin, says he.

Then the talk sort of run on like this:

"What ails you, Br'er Tarrypin? Your eye look mighty red," says Br'er
Fox.

"Lor, Br'er Fox, you dunno what trouble is. _You_ ain't been lounging
round and suffering," says Br'er Tarrypin, says he.

"_Both_ eyes red, and you look like you is mighty weak, Br'er Tarrypin,"
says Br'er Fox, says he.

"Lor, Br'er Fox, you dunno what trouble is," says Br'er Tarrypin, says
he.

"What ails you now?" says Br'er Fox.

"Took a walk the other day, and Mr. Man come along and set the field on
fire. Lor, Br'er Fox, you dunno what trouble is," says Br'er Tarrypin,
says he.

"How you get out of the fire, Br'er Tarrypin?" says Br'er Fox.

"Sat and took it, Br'er Fox," says Br'er Tarrypin, says he, "sat and
took it; and the smoke got in my eye, and the fire scorched my back,"
says Br'er Tarrypin, says he.

"Likewise it burn your tail off," says Br'er Fox, says he.

"Oh, no, there's my tail, Br'er Fox," says Br'er Tarrypin, and with that
he uncurl his tail from under his shell, and no sooner did he do that
than Br'er Fox grab at it and holler out:

"Oh, yes, Br'er Terrapin! Oh, yes! And so you's the one what lam me on
the head the other day, is you? You's in with Br'er Rabbit, is