to sleep?"

"Tooby sho' dey does, honey; dey sets down same ez you does. Co'se, dey
don't cross der legs," he added, cautiously, "kase dey sets down right
flat-footed."

"Well, I saw one the other day, and he was standing on one foot, and I
watched him and watched him, and he kept on standing there."

"Ez ter dat," responded Uncle Remus, "dey mought stan' on one foot an'
drap off ter sleep en fergit deyse'f. Deze yer gooses," he continued,
wiping the crumbs from his beard with his coat-tail, "is mighty kuse
fowls; deyer mighty kuse. In ole times dey wuz 'mongs de big-bugs, en in
dem days, w'en ole Miss Goose gun a-dinin', all de quality wuz dere.
Likewise, en needer wuz dey stuck-up, kase wid all der kyar'n's on, Miss
Goose wer'n't too proud fer ter take in washin' fer de neighborhoods, en
she make money, en get slick en fat lak Sis Tempy.

"Dis de way marters stan' w'en one day Brer Fox en Brer Rabbit, dey wuz
settin' up at de cotton-patch, one on one side de fence, en t'er one on
t'er side, gwine on wid one er n'er, w'en fus' news dey know, dey year
sump'n--_blim_, _blim_, _blim_!

"Brer Fox, he ax w'at dat fuss is, en Brer Rabbit, he up'n 'spon' dat
it's ole Miss Goose down at de spring. Den Brer Fox, he up'n ax w'at she
doin', en Brer Rabbit, he say, sezee, dat she battlin' cloze."

[Illustration: MR. FOX AND MISS GOOSE]

"Battling clothes, Uncle Remus?" said the little boy.

"Dat w'at dey call it dem days, honey. Deze times, dey rubs cloze on
deze yer bodes w'at got furrers in um, but dem days dey des tuck'n tuck
de cloze en lay um out on a bench, en ketch holt er de battlin'-stick en
natally paddle de fillin' outen um.

"W'en Brer Fox year dat ole Miss Goose wuz down dar dabblin' in soapsuds
en washin' cloze, he sorter lick he chops, en 'low dat some er dese
odd-come-shorts he gwine ter call en pay he 'specks. De minnit he say
dat, Brer Rabbit, he know sump'n' 'uz up, en he 'low ter hisse'f dat he
'speck he better whirl in en have some fun w'iles it gwine on. Bimeby
Brer Fox up'n say ter Brer Rabbit dat he bleedzd ter be movin' 'long
todes home, en wid dat dey bofe say good-bye.

"Brer Fox, he put out ter whar his fambly wuz, but Brer Rabbit, he slip
'roun', he did, en call on ole Miss Goose. Ole Miss Goose she wuz down
at de spring, washin', en b'ilin', en battlin' cloze; but Brer Rabbit he
march up en ax her howdy, en den she tuck'n ax Brer Rabbit howdy.

"'I'd shake han's 'long wid you, Brer Rab