you wanter take'n rake me over de coals fer?"

"Well, Uncle Remus, you know what you said. You said that was the end of
Brother Wolf."

"I bleedz ter 'spute dat," exclaimed Uncle Remus, with the air of one
performing a painful duty; "I bleedz ter 'spute it. Dat w'at de tale
say. Ole Remus is one nigger en de tale, hit 's a n'er nigger. Yit I
aint got no time fer ter set back yer en fetch out de oggyments."

Here the old man paused, closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and
sighed. After a while he said, in a gentle tone:

"So den, Brer Wolf done dead, en yer I wuz runnin' on des same lak he
wuz done 'live. Well! well! well!"

Uncle Remus stole a glance at the little boy, and immediately relented.

"Yit," he went on, "ef I'm aint de tale en de tale aint me, hit aint
skacely make no diffunce whe'er Brer Wolf dead er whe'er he's a
high-primin' 'roun' bodder'n 'longer de yuther creeturs. Dead er no
dead, dey wuz one time w'en Brer Wolf live in de swamp down dar in dat
ar country whar Brer Jack come fum, en, mo'n dat, he had a mighty likely
gal. Look lak all de yuther creeturs wuz atter 'er. Dey 'ud go down dar
ter Brer Wolf house, dey would, en dey 'ud set up en court de gal, en
'joy deyse'f.

"Hit went on dis a-way twel atter w'ile de skeeters 'gun ter git
monst'us bad. Brer Fox, he went flyin' 'roun' Miss Wolf, en he sot dar,
he did, en run on wid 'er en fight skeeters des es big ez life en
twice-t ez natchul. Las' Brer Wolf, he tuck'n kotch Brer Fox slappin' en
fightin' at he skeeters. Wid dat he tuck'n tuck Brer Fox by de off year
en led 'im out ter de front gate, en w'en he git dar, he 'low, he did,
dat no man w'at can't put up wid skeeters aint gwine ter come
a-courtin' his gal.

[Illustration: BROTHER RABBIT AND THE MOSQUITOES]

"Den Brer Coon, he come flyin' 'roun' de gal, but he aint bin dar no
time skacely 'fo' he 'gun ter knock at de skeeters; en no sooner is he
done dis dan Brer Wolf show 'im de do'. Brer Mink, he come en try he
han', yit he bleedz ter fight de skeeters, en Brer Wolf ax 'im out.

"Hit went on dis a-way twel bimeby all de creeturs bin flyin' 'roun'
Brer Wolf's gal 'ceppin' it's ole Brer Rabbit, en w'en he year w'at
kinder treatments de yuther creeturs bin ketchin' he 'low ter hisse'f
dat he b'leeve in he soul he mus' go down ter Brer Wolf house en set de
gal out one whet ef it's de las' ack.

"No sooner say, no sooner do. Off he put, en 't wa'n't long 'fo' he fine
hisse'f k