, kittle-cattle, whar yo' eyes?
Who ever see a Sook Calf snappin' at flies?_'

"De hawn creeturs dey all look 'roun' un wonder w'at dat mean, but
bimeby dey go on wid dey confab. 'T wa'n't long 'fo' a flea tuck'n bite
Brer Wolf 'way up on de back er de neck, un 'fo' he know what he doin',
he tuck'n squat right down un scratch hisse'f wid his behime foot."

"Enty!" exclaimed Daddy Jack.

"Dar you is!" said 'Tildy.

"Brer Rabbit, he tuck'n broke out in 'n'er big laugh un 'sturb um all,
un den he holler out:

"'_Scritchum-scratchum, lawsy, my laws!
Look at dat Sook Calf scratchin' wid claws!_'

"Brer Wolf git mighty skeer'd, but none er de hawn creeturs aint take
no notice un 'im, un 't wa'n't long 'fo' Brer Rabbit holler out ag'in:

"'_Rinktum-tinktum, ride 'im on a rail!
Dat Sook Calf got a long bushy tail!_'

"De hawn creeturs, dey go on wid der confab, but Brer Wolf git skeerder
un skeerder, 'kaze he notice dat Mr. Bull got his eye on 'im. Brer
Rabbit, he aint gin 'im no rest. He holler out:

"'_One un one never kin make six,
Sticks aint hawns, un hawns aint sticks!_'

"Wid dat Brer Wolf make ez ef he gwine 'way fum dar, un he wa'n't none
too soon, needer, 'kaze ole Mr. Bull splunge at 'im, en little mo' un
he'd er nat'ally to' 'im in two."

"Did Brother Wolf get away?" the little boy asked.

"Yas, Lord!" said Aunt Tempy, with unction; "he des scooted 'way fum
dar, un he got so mad wid Brer Rabbit, dat he tuck'n play dead, un wud
went 'roun' dat dey want all de creeturs fer ter go set up wid 'im. Brer
Rabbit, he went down dar fer ter look at 'im, un time he see 'im, he
ex:

"'Is he grin yit?'

"All de creeturs dey up'n say he aint grin, not ez dey knows un. Den
Brer Rabbit, he 'low, he did:

"'Well, den, gentermuns all, ef he aint grin, den he aint dead good.
In all my 'speunce folks aint git dead good tel dey grins.'[79]

"W'en Brer Wolf year Brer Rabbit talk dat a-way, he tuck'n grin fum year
ter year, un Brer Rabbit, he picked up his hat un walkin'-cane un put
out fer home, un w'en he got 'way off in de woods he sot down un laugh
fit ter kill hisse'f."

Uncle Remus had paid Aunt Tempy the extraordinary tribute of pausing in
his work to listen to her story, and when she had concluded it, he
looked at her in undisguised admiration, and exclaimed:

"I be bless, Sis Tempy, ef you aint wuss'n w'at I is, en I'm bad
'nuff', de Lord knows I is!"

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