't Brother Fox get the meat, and was n't that the
end of the story?"

Uncle Remus started to laugh, but he changed his mind so suddenly that
the little boy was convulsed. The old man groaned and looked at the
rafters with a curious air of disinterestedness. After a while he went
on with great seriousness:--

"I dunner w'at kinder idee folks got 'bout Brer Rabbit nohow, dat I
don't. S'pozen you lays de plans so some yuther chap kin git a big hunk
er goody, is you gwine ter set off some'r's en see 'im make way wid it?"

"What kind of goody, Uncle Remus?"

"Dish yer kinder goody w'at town folks keeps. Mint draps and reezins, en
sweet doin's lak Miss Sally keep und' lock en key. Well, den, if you
gits some er dat, er may be some yuther kinder goody, w'ich I wish 't
wuz yer right dis blessid minnit, is you gwine ter set quile up in dat
cheer en let n'er chap run off wid it? Dat you ain't--dat you ain't!"

"Oh, I know!" exclaimed the little boy. "Brother Rabbit went back and
made Brother Fox give him his part of the meat."

"Des lak I tell you, honey; dey wa'n't no man 'mungs de creeturs w'at
kin stan' right flat-footed en wuk he min' quick lak Brer Rabbit. He
tuck'n tie de rock on de string, stidder de meat, en he pursue long
atter it, he did, twel Mr. Man tu'n a ben' in de road, en den Brer
Rabbit, he des lit out fum dar--_terbuckity-buckity, buck-buck-buckity!_
en 't wa'n't long 'fo' he tuck'n kotch up wid Brer Fox. Dey tuck de
meat, dey did, en kyar'd it way off in de woods, en laid it down on a
clean place on de groun'.

"Dey laid it down, dey did," continued Uncle Remus, drawing his chair up
closer to the little boy, "en den Brer Fox 'low dey better sample it, en
Brer Rabbit he 'gree. Wid dat, Brer Fox he tuck'n gnyaw off a hunk, en
he shut bofe eyes, he did, en he chaw en chaw, en tas'e en tas'e, en
chaw en tas'e. Brer Rabbit, he watch 'im, but Brer Fox, he keep bofe
eyes shot, en he chaw en tas'e, en tas'e en chaw."

Uncle Remus not only furnished a pantomime accompaniment to this recital
by shutting his eyes and pretending to taste, but he lowered his voice
to a pitch of tragical significance in reporting the dialogue that
ensued:--

"Den Brer Fox smack he mouf en look at de meat mo' closeter, en up'n
'low:--

"'Brer Rabbit, _hit's lam'!_'

"'_No_, Brer Fox! _sho'ly not!_'

"'Brer Rabbit, _hit's lam'!_'

"'Brer Fox, _tooby sho'ly not!_'

"Den Brer Rabbit, he tuck'n gnyaw off a hunk, en he shot bofe