bbit got ole Brer Wolf out'n er mighty bad
fix."

"No," said the little boy, "you have n't, and that's just what I have
come for now."

Uncle Remus looked at the rafters, then at the little boy, and finally
broke into a loud laugh.

"I 'clar' ter goodness," he exclaimed, addressing the imaginary third
person to whom he related the most of his grievances, "I 'clar' ter
goodness ef dat ar chile ain't gittin' so dat he's eve'y whit ez
up-en-spoken ez w'at ole Miss ever bin. Dat he is!"

The old man paused long enough to give the little boy some uneasiness,
and then continued:--

"Atter ole Brer Wolf git de nat'al hide tuck off'n 'im on de 'count er
Brer Rabbit kittle, co'se he hatter go 'way off by hisse'f fer ter let
de ha'r grow out. He 'uz gone so long dat Brer Rabbit sorter 'low ter
hisse'f dat he 'speck he kin come down out'n he steeple, en sorter rack
'roun' mungs de t'er creeturs.

"He sorter primp up, Brer Rabbit did, en den he start out 'pun he
journeys hether en yan.[62] He tuck'n went ter de crossroads, en dar he
stop en choose 'im a road. He choose 'im a road, he did, en den he put
out des lak he bin sent fer in a hurry.

"Brer Rabbit gallop on, he did, talkin' en laughin' wid hisse'f, en
eve'y time he pass folks, he'd tu'n it off en make lak he singin'. He
'uz gwine on dis a-way, w'en fus' news you know he tuck'n year sump'n'.
He stop talkin' en 'gun ter hum a chune, but he ain't meet nobody. Den
he stop en lissen en he year sump'n' holler:--

"'O Lordy! Lordy! Won't somebody come he'p me?'"

The accent of grief and despair and suffering that Uncle Remus managed
to throw into this supplication was really harrowing.

"Brer Rabbit year dis, en he stop en lissen. 'T wa'n't long 'fo' sump'n'
n'er holler out:--

"'O Lordy, Lordy! Please, somebody, come en he'p me.'

"Brer Rabbit, he h'ist up he years, he did, en make answer back:--

"'Who is you, nohow, en w'at de name er goodness de marter?'

"'Please, somebody, do run yer!'

"Brer Rabbit, he tuck'n stan' on th'ee legs fer ter make sho' er gittin'
a good start ef dey 'uz any needs un it, en he holler back:--

"'Whar'bouts is you, en how come you dar?'

"'Do please, somebody, run yer en he'p a po' mizerbul creetur. I'm down
yer in de big gully und' dish yer great big rock.'

"Ole Brer Rabbit bleedz ter be mighty 'tickler in dem days, en he crope
down ter de big gully en look in, en who de name er goodness you 'speck
he seed down dar?"

Uncl