med the little boy, in a horrified tone, "I
_would n't_; you _know_ I would n't!"

"Don't tell me!" insisted the old man, "you er outgrowin' me, en you er
outgrowin' de tales. Des lak Miss Sally change de lenk er yo' britches,
des dat a-way I got ter do w'ence I whirl in en persoo atter de
creeturs. Time wuz w'en you 'ud set down yer by dish yer h'a'th, en
you'd take'n holler en laugh en clap yo' han's w'en ole Brer Rabbit 'ud
kick outen all er he tanglements; but deze times you sets dar wid yo'
eyes wide open, en you don't crack a smile. I say it!" Uncle Remus
exclaimed, changing his tone and attitude, as if addressing some third
person concealed in the room. "I say it! Stidder j'inin' in wid de fun,
he'll take'n lean back dar en 'spute 'long wid you des lak grow'd up
folks. I'll stick it out dis season, but w'en Chrismus come, I be bless
ef I aint gwine ter ax Miss Sally fer my remoovance papers, en I'm
gwine ter hang my bundle on my walkin'-cane, en see w'at kinder dirt dey
is at de fur een' er de big road."

"Yes!" exclaimed the little boy, triumphantly, "and, if you do, the
patter-rollers will get you."

"Well," replied the old man, with a curious air of resignation, "ef dey
does, I aint gwine ter do lak Brer Fox did w'en Brer Rabbit showed him
de tracks in de big road."

"How did Brother Fox do, Uncle Remus?"

"Watch out, now! Dish yer one er de tales w'at aint got no fun in it."

"Uncle Remus, please tell it."

"Hol' on dar! Dey mought be a snake some'rs in it--one er deze yer
meal-bran snakes."

"_Please_, Uncle Remus, tell it."

The old man never allowed himself to resist the artful pleadings of the
little boy. So he recovered his specks from under the chair, looked up
the chimney for luck, as he explained to his little partner, and
proceeded:

"One day w'en Brer Fox went callin' on Miss Meadows en Miss Motts en de
t'er gals, who should he fine settin' up dar but ole Brer Rabbit?
Yasser! Dar he wuz, des ez sociable ez you please. He 'uz gwine on wid
de gals, en w'en Brer Fox drapt in dey look lak dey wuz mighty tickled
'bout sump'n' n'er Brer Rabbit bin sayin'. Brer Fox, he look sorter
jub'ous, he did, des lak folks does w'en dey walks up in a crowd whar
de yuthers all a-gigglin'. He tuck'n kotch de dry grins terreckerly. But
dey all howdied, en Miss Meadows, she up'n say:

"'You'll des hatter skuse us, Brer Fox, on de 'count er dish yer
gigglement. Tooby sho', hit monst'us disperlite fer we-all f