eturs hol' der bref."

"What did he sing, Uncle Remus?" asked the little boy.

"Ef I aint fergit dat song off'n my min'," said Uncle Remus, looking
over his spectacles at the fire, with a curious air of attempting to
remember something, "hit run sorter dish yer way:

"'_De jay-bird hunt de sparrer-nes',
De bee-martin sail all 'roun';
De squer'l, he holler from de top er de tree,
Mr. Mole, he stay in de groun';
He hide en he stay twel de dark drop down--
Mr. Mole, he hide in de groun'._'

"W'en de Little Gal year dat, she laugh, she did, and she up'n ax Brer
Babbit fer ter sing some mo', but Brer Rabbit, he sorter cough, he did,
en 'low dat he got a mighty bad ho'seness down inter he win'pipe
some'rs. De Little Gal, she swade,[2] en swade, en bimeby Brer Rabbit,
he up 'n 'low dat he kin dance mo' samer dan w'at he kin sing. Den de
Little Gal, she ax' im won't he dance, en Brer Rabbit, he 'spon' how in
de name er goodness kin a man dance w'iles he all tie up dis a-way, en
den de Little Gal, she say she kin ontie 'im, en Brer Rabbit, he say he
aint keerin' ef she do. Wid dat de Little Gal, she retch down en
onloose de fish-line, en Brer Rabbit, he sorter stretch hisse'f en look
'roun'."

Here Uncle Remus paused and sighed, as though he had relieved his mind
of a great burden. The little boy waited a few minutes for the old man
to resume, and finally he asked:

"Did the Rabbit dance, Uncle Remus?"

"Who? Him?" exclaimed the old man, with a queer affectation of elation.
"Bless yo' soul, honey! Brer Rabbit gedder up his foots und' 'im, en he
dance outer dat gyardin, en he dance home. He did dat! Sho'ly you don't
'speck' dat a ole-timer w'at done had 'spe'unce like Brer Rabbit gwine
ter stay dar en let dat ar Mr. Man sackyfice 'im? _Shoo!_ Brer Rabbit
dance, but he dance home. You year me!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------
FOOTNOTES:

[1] Topknot, foretop.

[2] Persuaded.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

IV

HOW BROTHER FOX WAS TOO SMART

Uncle Remus chuckled a moment over the escape of Brother Rabbit, and
then turned his gaze upward toward the cobwebbed gloom that seemed to
lie just beyond the rafters. He sat thus silent and serious a little
while, but finally squared himself around in his chair and looked the
little boy full in the face. The old man's countenance expressed a
curious mi