he goes away satisfied.

XXXVI

BRER WOLF FALLS A VICTIM

"Uncle Remus," said the little boy, one night, when he found the old man
sitting alone in his cabin, "did you ever see Mammy-Bammy Big-Money?"

Uncle Remus placed his elbows on his knees, rested his chin in the palms
of his hands, and gazed steadily in the fire. Presently he said:--

"Wen folks 'gin ter git ole en no 'count, hit look lak der 'membunce git
slack. Some time hit seem lak I done seed sump'n' n'er mighty nigh de
make en color er ole Mammy-Bammy Big-Money, en den ag'in seem lak I
ain't. W'en dat de case, w'at does I do? Does I stan' tiptoe en tetch de
rafters en make lak I done seed dat ole Witch-Rabbit, w'en, goodness
knows, I ain't seed 'er? Dat I don't. No, bless you! I'd say de same in
comp'ny, much less settin' in yer 'long side er you. De long en de short
un it," exclaimed Uncle Remus, with emphasis, "is des dis. Ef I bin
run 'crost ole Mammy-Bammy Big-Money in my day en time, den she tuck'n
make 'er disappearance dat quick twel I ain't kotch a glimp' un 'er."

[Illustration: "'EF YOU GIT ANY MO' SENSE, SON RILEY, YOU'LL BE DE
RUINATION EV DE WHOLE SETTLEMENT'"]

The result of this good-humored explanation was that the child did n't
know whether Uncle Remus had seen the Witch-Rabbit or not, but his
sympathies led him to suspect that the old man was thoroughly familiar
with all her movements.

"Uncle Remus," the little boy said, after a while, "if there is another
story about Mammy-Bammy Big-Money, I wish you would tell it to me all by
my own-alone self."

The idea seemed to please the old man wonderfully, and he chuckled over
it for several minutes.

"Now, den, honey," he said, after a while, "you hit me whar I'm
weak--you mos' sho'ly does. Comp'ny mighty good fer some folks en I kin
put up wid it long ez de nex' un, but you kin des take'n pile comp'ny
'pun top er comp'ny, en dey won't kyore de liver complaint. W'en you
talk dat a-way you fetches me, sho', en I'll tell you a tale 'bout de
ole Witch-Rabbit ef I hatter git down yer on my all-fours en grabble it
out'n de ashes. Yit dey ain't no needs er dat, 'kaze de tale done come
in my min' des ez fresh ez ef 't was day 'fo' yistiddy.

"Hit seem lak dat one time atter Brer Wolf tuck'n steal Brer Rabbit
foot, dey wuz a mighty long fallin'-out 'twix' um. Brer Rabbit, he
tuck'n got ashy 'kaze Brer Wolf tuck'n tuck he foot; en Brer Wolf, he
tuck'n got hot 'kaze Brer Rabbit