“An’ dat ain’t all he do, needer. He sot out in de bushes, he did, an’
study how ter git some game in de trap. He study so hard, an’ he got so
errytated, dat he thumped his behime foot on de groun’ twel it soun’
like a cow dancin’ out dar in de bushes, but ’twan’t no cow, ner yit no
calf—’twus des Brer Rabbit studyin’. Atter so long a time, he put out
down de road todes dat part er de country whar mos’ er de creeturs live
at. Eve’y time he hear a fuss, he’d dodge in de bushes, kaze he wanter
see who comin’. He keep on an’ he keep on, an’ bimeby he hear ol’ Brer
Wolf trottin’ down de road.
“It so happen dat Brer Wolf wuz de ve’y one what Brer Rabbit wanter see.
Dey wuz perlite ter one an’er, but dey wan’t no frien’ly feelin’ ’twix
um. Well, here come ol’ Brer Wolf, hongrier dan a chicken-hawk on a
frosty mornin’, an’ ez he come up he see Brer Rabbit set by de side er
de road lookin’ like he done lose all his fambly an’ his friends terboot.
“Dey pass de time er day, an’ den Brer Wolf kinder grin an’ say,
‘Laws-a-massy, Brer Rabbit! what ail you? You look like you done had
a spell er fever an’ ague; what de trouble?’ ‘Trouble, Brer Wolf? You
ain’t never see no trouble twel you git whar I’m at. Maybe you wouldn’t
min’ it like I does, kaze I ain’t usen ter it. But I boun’ you done seed
me light-minded fer de las’ time. I’m done—I’m plum wo’ out,’ sez Brer
Rabbit, sezee. Dis make Brer Wolf open his eyes wide. He say, ‘Dis de
fus’ time I ever is hear you talk dat-a-way, Brer Rabbit; take yo’ time
an’ tell me ’bout it. I ain’t had my brekkus yit, but dat don’t make no
diffunce, long ez youer in trouble. I’ll he’p you out ef I kin, an’ mo’
dan dat, I’ll put some heart in de work.’ When he say dis, he grin an’
show his tushes, an’ Brer Rabbit kinder edge ’way fum ’im. He say, ‘Tell
me de trouble, Brer Rabbit, an’ I’ll do my level bes’ fer ter he’p you
out.’
“Wid dat, Brer Rabbit ’low dat Mr. Man done been had ’im hired fer ter
take keer er his truck patch, an’ keep out de minks, de mush-rats an’ de
weasels. He say dat he done so well settin’ up night after night, when
he des might ez well been in bed, dat Mr. Man prommus ’im sump’n extry
’sides de mess er greens what he gun ’im eve’y day. Atter so long a time,
he say, Mr. Man ’low dat he gwineter make ’im a present uv a cradle so
he kin rock de little Rabs ter sleep when dey cry. So said, so done, he
say. Mr. Man make de cradle an’ tell Brer Rabbit he kin take it home wid
’im.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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