r my ole 'oman
cryin' fer 'im? She aint had no wolf meat now in gwine on mighty nigh a
mont'. Fetch 'im in, Brer Fox! fetch 'im in!'

"Fus' Brer Wolf try ter ontie hisse'f, den he tuck'n broke en run'd, en
he drag ole Brer Fox atter 'im des lak he aint weigh mo'n a poun', en I
let you know hit 'uz many a long day 'fo' Brer Fox git well er de
thumpin' he got."

"Uncle Remus," said the little boy after a while, "I thought wolves
always caught sheep when they had the chance."

"Dey ketches lam's, honey, but bless yo' soul! dey aint ketch deze yer
ole-time Rams wid red eye en wrinkly hawn."

"Where was Brother Rabbit all this time?"

"Now, den, honey, don't less pester wid ole Brer Rabbit right now. Des
less gin 'im one night rest, mo' speshually w'en I year de seven stares
say yo' bed-time done come. Des take yo' foot in yo' han' en put right
out 'fo' Miss Sally come a-callin' you, 'kaze den she'll say I'm
a-settin' yer a-noddin' en not takin' keer un you."

The child laughed and ran up the path to the big-house, stopping a
moment on the way to mimic a bull-frog that was bellowing at a
tremendous rate near the spring.

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FOOTNOTE:

[65] Wild; fierce; dangerous; courageous. The accent is on the
second syllable, ser-_vi_-gous; or, ser-_vi_-gus, and the
g is hard. Aunt Tempy would have said "vigrous."
----------------------------------------------------------------------

L

BROTHER RABBIT PRETENDS TO BE POISONED

Not many nights after the story of how Mr. Benjamin Ram frightened
Brother Wolf and Brother Fox, the little boy found himself in Uncle
Remus's cabin. It had occurred to him that Mr. Ram should have played on
his fiddle somewhere in the tale, and Uncle Remus was called on to
explain. He looked at the little boy with an air of grieved
astonishment, and exclaimed:

"Well, I be bless if I ever year der beat er dat. Yer you bin
a-persooin' on atter deze yer creeturs en makin' der 'quaintunce, en yit
look lak ef you 'uz ter meet um right up dar in der paff you'd fergit
all 'bout who dey is."

"Oh, no, I would n't, Uncle Remus!" protested the child, glancing at the
door and getting a little closer to the old man.

"Yasser! you'd des nat'ally whirl in en fergit 'bout who dey is. 'T
aint so mighty long sence I done tole you 'bout ole Mr. Benjermun Ram
playin' he fiddle at Brer Wolf house, en yer you come en