Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 20. December, 1877Various
Science
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 20. December, 1877
Various
Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals
"I gwine to do 'zactly wah you ax me not to do," returns Wolf in savage
tone. Then, going to a neighboring patch of thick, strong briers, he
pitches Buh Rabbit headlong in the midst, and says, "Now let's see de flesh
come off de bones."
No sooner, however, does the struggling and protesting Buh Rabbit find
himself among the briers than he slides gently to the ground, and peeping
at his would-be torturer from a safe place behind the stems, he says,
"Tankee, Buh Wolf--a tousand tankee--for _bring me home_! De brier-bush _de
berry place where I been born_."
Another favorite story is that of the "Foot-Race." Buh Rabbit and Buh Frog
are admirers of the beautiful Miss Dinah, and try their best to win her.
The lady likes them both, but not being permitted to marry both, she
resolves to make her choice depend upon the result of a foot-race. The
distance is to be ten miles--that is, five miles out and five miles
in--along a level road densely bordered with bushes. The day arrives. Miss
Dinah, seated at the starting-point, is to give the word to the rivals, who
stand one on either side, and the goal for the winner is to be a place _in
her lap_. By agreement, Buh Rabbit is to take the open road, and Buh Frog,
who prefers it, is allowed to leap through the bushes, and both are to
halloo to each other at the end of every mile. Buh Rabbit, however, with
all his cunning, has this time met his match; for Buh Frog has engaged five
of his kinsmen, so nearly like himself in appearance that they cannot be
distinguished from him, and has stationed one in concealment near each
mile-post, with instructions how to act, while he has provided for himself
a nice hiding-place in the bushes near Miss Dinah's seat. At the word Go!
the rivals start, Buh Frog leaping into the bushes, where he disappears,
and Buh Rabbit capering along the road and flaunting his white tail merrily
at the thought of distancing the other so far that he shall never see or
hear of him again till after Miss Dinah has been won. At the end of the
first mile Buh Rabbit turns his head back and tauntingly halloos, "I here,
Buh Frog! How you git 'long?"
To his dismay, however, he hears the voice of the other in the bushes ahead
of him singing out, "Boo-noo! I here too! I beat you here, I'll beat you
there: I'll beat you back to Miss Dinah's lap!"
On hearing this boast repeated ahead of him in the bushes at each
mile-post, Buh Rabbit becomes frantic, and rushes through the last mile as
he had never run before. But all in vain. Just as he comes within easy view
of the coveted goal he sees Buh Frog leap from the bushes plump into Miss
Dinah's lap, and hears him sing, with as good breath as though he had not
run a mile,
"Boo-noo! Before you!
I beat you there, I beat you here:
I've beat you back to Miss Dinah's lap!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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