Mother West Wind "Why" StoriesBurgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
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Mother West Wind "Why" Stories
Burgess, Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo)
Animals -- Juvenile fiction; Children's stories, American
"Way back in the days when Grandpap Buzzard had his lil falling out
with ol' King Eagle and done fly so high he sco'tch the feathers offen
his haid, he had a cousin, did Grandpap Buzzard, and this cousin was
jes' naturally lazy and no 'count. Like most no 'count people, he used
to make a regular nuisance of hisself, poking his nose into ev'ybody's
business and never 'tending to his own. Wasn't anything going on that
this trifling member of the Buzzard fam'ly didn't find out about and
meddle in. He could ask mo' questions than Peter Rabbit can, an'
anybody that can do that has got to ask a lot."
Everybody looked at Peter and laughed. Peter made a funny face and
laughed too.
"Seemed like he jes' went 'round from mo'ning to night asking
questions," continued Ol' Mistah Buzzard, "Got so that eve'ybody
dreaded to see that no 'count Buzzard coming, because he bound to
pester with questions about things what don't concern him no ways.
"Now yo' know that way down in Ol' Virginny where Ah done come from,
mah fam'ly done got the habit of sitting on the tops of chimneys in
the wintertime to warm their toes."
"Why, I thought it was warm down south!" interrupted Peter Rabbit.
"So it is, Brer Rabbit! So it is!" Ol' Mistah Buzzard hastened to say.
"But yo' see, ol' Jack Frost try to come down there sometimes, an' he
cool the air off a right smart lot before he turn tail an' run back
where he belong. So we-uns sit on the chimney-tops whenever ol' Jack
Frost gets to straying down where he have no business. Yo' see, if
we-uns keep our toes warm, we-uns are warm all over.
"One day this no 'count, trifling cousin of Grandpap Buzzard get cold
in his feet. He look 'round right smart fo' a chimney fo' to warm his
toes, an' pretty soon he see one where he never been before. It was on
a lil ol' house, a lil ol' tumble-down house. Mistah Buzzard fly right
over an' sit on that chimney-top fo' to warm his toes. Of course he
right smart curious about that lil ol' tumble-down house and who live
there. He hear somebody inside talking to theirself, but he can't hear
what they say, jes' a mumbling sound that come up the chimney to him.
"He listen an' listen. Then he shift 'round to the other side of the
chimney an' listen. No matter where he sit, he can't hear what being
said down inside that lil ol' tumble-down house. Then what do yo'
think Mistah Buzzard do? Why, he jes' stretch his fool haid as far
down that chimney as he can an' listen an' listen. Yes, Sah, that is
jes' what that no 'count Buzzard do. But all he hear is jes' a
mumbling and a mumbling, an' that make him more curious than ever. It
seem to him that he must go clean outen his haid 'less he hear what
going on down inside that lil ol' house.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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