"'Brer B'ar, I speck I got some bizness cut out fer you,' sezee.
"'What dat, Brer Rabbit?' sez Brer B'ar, sezee.
"'W'iles I wuz cleanin' up my new-groun' day 'fo' yistiddy,' sez
Brer Rabbit, sezee, 'I come 'cross wunner deze yer ole time bee-
trees. Hit start holler at de bottom, en stay holler plum der de
top, en de honey's des natchully oozin' out, en ef you'll drap
yo' 'gagements en go longer me,' sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, 'you'll
git a bait dat'll las' you en yo' fambly twel de middle er nex'
mont',' sezee.
"Brer B'ar say he much oblije en he bleeve he'll go long, en wid
dat dey put out fer Brer Rabbit's new-groun', w'ich 'twa'n't so
mighty fur. Leas'ways, dey got dar atter w'ile. Ole Brer B'ar, he
'low dat he kin smell de honey. Brer Rabbit, he 'low dat he kin
see de honey-koam. Brer B'ar, he 'low dat he can hear de bees a
zoonin'. Dey stan' 'roun' en talk biggity, dey did, twel bimeby
Brer Rabbit, he up'n say, sezee:
"'You do de clim'in', Brer B'ar, en I'll do de rushin' 'roun';
you clim' up ter de hole, en I'll take dis yer pine pole en shove
de honey up whar you kin git 'er,' sezee.
"Ole Brer B'ar, he spit on his han's en skint up de tree, en jam
his head in de hole, en sho nuff, Brer Rabbit, he grab de pine
pole, en de way he stir up dem bees wuz sinful--dat's w'at it
wuz. Hit wuz sinful. En de bees dey swawm'd on Brer B'ar's head,
twel 'fo' he could take it out'n de hole hit wuz done swell up
bigger dan dat dinner-pot, en dar he swung, en ole Brer Rabbit,
he dance 'roun' en sing:
"Tree stan' high, but honey mighty sweet--
Watch dem bees wid stingers on der feet.'
"But dar ole Brer B'ar hung, en ef his head ain't swunk, I speck
he hangin' dar yit--dat w'at I speck."
XXIX. MR. FOX GETS INTO SERIOUS BUSINESS
"HIT turn out one time," said Uncle Remus, grinding some crumbs
of tobacco between the palms of his hands, preparatory to
enjoying his usual smoke after supper--"hit turn out one time dat
Brer Rabbit make so free wid de man's collard-patch dat de man he
tuck'n sot a trap fer ole Brer Rabbit."
|