twel diggin' wuz pas' all endu'unce, en ole Brer Rabbit he sot up
dar in his front po'ch en smoke his seegyar. Eve'y time ole Brer
Wolf stuck de pick-axe in de clay, Brer Rabbit, he giggle ter his
chilluns:
"'He diggy, diggy, diggy, but no meat dar! He diggy, diggy,
diggy, but no meat dar!'
"Kase all de time de cow wuz layin' pile up in his smoke-'ouse,
en him en his chilluns wuz eatin' fried beef an inguns eve'y time
dey mouf water.
"Now den, honey, you take dis yer w'ip," continued the old man,
twining the leather thong around the little boy's neck, "en
scamper up ter de big 'ouse en tell Miss Sally fer ter gin you
some un it de nex' time she fine yo' tracks in de sugar-bar'l."
XXI. MR. RABBIT MEETS HIS MATCH AGAIN
"DERE wuz nudder man dat sorter play it sharp on Brer Rabbit,"
said Uncle Remus, as, by some mysterious process, he twisted a
hog's bristle into the end of a piece of thread--an operation
which the little boy watched with great interest. "In dem days,"
continued the old man, "de creeturs kyar'd on marters same ez
fokes. Dey went inter fahmin', en I speck ef de troof wuz ter
come out, dey kep' sto', en had der camp-meetin' times en der
bobbycues w'en de wedder wuz 'greeble."
Uncle Remus evidently thought that the little boy wouldn't like
to hear of any further discomfiture of Brer Rabbit, who had come
to be a sort of hero, and he was not mistaken.
"I thought the Terrapin was the only one that fooled the Rabbit,"
said the little boy, dismally.
"Hit's des like I tell you, honey. Dey ain't no smart man, 'cep'
w'at dey's a smarter. Ef ole Brer Rabbit hadn't er got kotch up
wid, de nabers 'ud er took 'im for a ha'nt, en in dem times dey
bu'nt witches 'fo' you could squinch yo' eyeballs. Dey did dat."
"Who fooled the Rabbit this time?" the little boy asked.
When Uncle Remus had the bristle "sot" in the thread, he
proceeded with the story:
"One time Brer Rabbit en ole Brer Buzzard 'cluded dey'd sorter
go shares, en crap tergedder. Hit wuz a mighty good year, en de
truck tu'n out monstus well, but bimeby, w'en de time come fer
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