hard. Aunt Tempy
would have said "vigrous."

L

BRER 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
ain't 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 ax me how come
he don't take en play it at 'im 'g'in. W'at kinder lookin' sight 'ud dat
ole creetur a-bin ef he'd jump up en grab he fiddle en go ter playin' on
it eve'y time he year a fuss down de big road?"

The little boy said nothing, but he thought the story would have been a
great deal nicer if Mr. Benjamin Ram could have played one of the
old-time tunes on his fiddle, and while he was thinking about it, the
door opened and Aunt Tempy made her appearance. Her good-humor was
infectious.

"Name er goodness!" she exclaimed, "I lef' you all settin' yer way las'
week; I goes off un I does my wuk, un I comes back, un I fines you
settin' right whar I lef' you. Goodness knows, I dunner whar you gits
yo' vittles. I dunner whar I ain't bin sence I lef' you all settin' yer.
I let you know I bin a-usin' my feet un I been a-usin' my han's. Dat's
me. No use ter ax how you all is, 'kaze you looks lots better'n me."

"Yas, Sis Tempy, we er settin' yer whar you lef' us, en der Lord, he bin
a-pervidin'. W'en de vittles don't come in at de do' hit come down de
chimbly, en so w'at de odds? We er sorter po'ly, Sis Tempy, I'm 'blige
ter you. You know w'at de jay-bird say ter der squinch owl! 'I'm sickly
but sassy.'"

Aunt Tempy laughed as she replied: "I 'speck you all bin a-havin' lots
er fun. Goodness knows I wish many a time sence I bin gone dat I 'uz
settin' down yer runnin' on wid you all. I ain't bin gone fur--dat's so,
yit Mis