"'Mister Man! Oh, Mister Man! I'll tell you who kill yo' cow. You
look in de maul, en dar you'll fine 'im,' sezee.
"Wid dat de man tuck a stick and lam down on de maul so hard dat
he kill Brer Fox stone-dead. W'en Brer Rabbit see Brer Fox wuz
laid out fer good, he make like he mighty sorry, en he up'n ax de
man fer Brer Fox head. Man say he ain't keerin', en den Brer
Rabbit tuck'n brung it ter Brer Fox house. Dar he see ole Miss
Fox, en he tell 'er dat he done fotch her some nice beef w'at 'er
ole man sont 'er, but she ain't gotter look at it twel she go ter
eat it.
"Brer Fox son wuz name Tobe, en Brer Rabbit tell Tobe fer ter
keep still w'iles his mammy cook de nice beef w'at his daddy sont
'im. Tobe he wuz mighty hongry, en he look in de pot he did
w'iles de cookin' wuz gwine on, en dar he see his daddy head, en
wid dat he sot up a howl en tole his mammy. Miss Fox, she git
mighty mad w'en she fine she cookin' her ole man head, en she
call up de dogs, she did, en sickt em on Brer Rabbit; en ole Miss
Fox en Tobe en de dogs, dey push Brer Rabbit so close dat he
hatter take a holler tree. Miss Fox, she tell Tobe fer ter stay
dar en mine Brer Rabbit, w'ile she goes en git de ax, en w'en she
gone, Brer Rabbit, he tole Tobe ef he go ter de branch en git 'im
a drink er water dat he'll gin 'im a dollar. Tobe, he put out, he
did, en bring some water in his hat, but by de time he got back
Brer Rabbit done out en gone. Ole Miss Fox, she cut and cut twel
down come de tree, but no Brer Rabbit dar. Den she lay de blame
on Tobe, en she say she gwineter lash 'im, en Tobe, he put out en
run, de ole 'oman atter 'im. Bimeby, he come up wid Brer Rabbit,
en sot down fer to tell 'im how 'twuz, en w'iles dey wuz a
settin' dar, yer come ole Miss Fox a slippin' up en grab um bofe.
Den she tell um w'at she gwine do. Brer Rabbit she gwineter kill,
en Tobe she gwineter lam ef its de las' ack. Den Brer Rabbit sez,
sezee:
"'Ef you please, ma'am, Miss Fox, lay me on de grinestone en
groun off my nose so I can't smell no mo' w'en I'm dead.'
|