r quit yo' 'haveishness des long
ez I'm a-gwinter, en I ain't gwine beg you no mo', 'kaze I'm des
teetotally wo' out wid beggin', en de mo' I begs de wuss you gits. Now
I'm done! You des go yo' ways en I'll go mine, en my way lays right
spang back ter de big house whar Miss Sally is. Dat's whar I'm a-gwine!"

Uncle Remus started to the house with an exaggerated vigor of movement
comical to behold; but, however comical it may have been, it had its
effect. The little boy ran after him, caught him by the hand, and made
him stop.

"Now, Uncle Remus, _please_ don't go back. I was just playing."

Uncle Remus's anger was all pretence, but he managed to make it very
impressive.

"My playin' days done gone too long ter talk 'bout. When I plays, I
plays wid wuk, dat w'at I plays wid."

"Well," said the child, who had tactics of his own, "if I can't play
with you, I don't know who I am to play with."

This touched Uncle Remus in a very tender spot. He stopped in the path,
took off his spectacles, wiped the glasses on his coat-tail, and said
very emphatically:--

"Now den, honey, des lissen at me. How de name er goodness kin you call
dat playin', w'ich er little mo' en I'd er fell down on top er my head,
en broke my neck en yone too?"

The child promised that he would be very good, and Uncle Remus picked
him up, and the two made their way to where the negroes had congregated.
They were greeted with cries of "Dar's Unk Remus!" "Howdy, Unk Remus!"
"Yer dey is!" "Ole man Remus don't sing; but w'en he do
sing--gentermens! des go 'way!"

All this and much more, so that when Uncle Remus had placed the little
boy upon a corner of the platform, and made him comfortable, he
straightened himself with a laugh and cried out:--

"Howdy, boys! howdy all! I des come up fer ter jine in wid you fer one
'roun' fer de sakes er ole times, ef no mo'."

"I boun' fer Unk Remus!" some one said. "Now des hush en let Unk Remus
'lone!" exclaimed another.

The figure of the old man, as he stood smiling upon the crowd of
negroes, was picturesque in the extreme. He seemed to be taller than all
the rest; and, notwithstanding his venerable appearance, he moved and
spoke with all the vigor of youth. He had always exercised authority
over his fellow-servants. He had been the captain of the corn-pile, the
stoutest at the log-rolling, the swiftest with the hoe, the neatest with
the plough, and the plantation hands still looked upon him as their
leader