“Miss Cow, she stood dar, she did, en she study
en study, en strive fer ter break loose, but de horn
done bin jam in de tree so tight dat twuz way ‘fo
day in de mornin’ ‘fo’ she loose
it. Anyhow hit wuz endurin’ er de night,
en atter she git loose she sorter graze ‘roun’,
she did, fer ter jestify ’er stummuck she low’d,
ole Miss Cow did, dat Brer Rabbit be hoppin’
long dat way fer ter see how she gittin’ on,
en she tuck’n lay er trap fer ’im; en
des ’bout sunrise w’at’d ole Miss
Cow do but march up ter de ‘simmon tree en stick
er horn back in de hole? But, bless yo’
soul, honey, w’ile she wuz croppin’ de
grass she tuck one mou’ful too menny, kaze w’en
she hitch on ter de ’simmon tree agin, Brer
Rabbit wuz settin’ in de fence cornder a watchin’
un ’er. Den Brer Rabbit he say ter hisse’f:
“‘Heyo,’ sezee, ‘w’at
dis yer gwine on now? Hol’ yo’ hosses,
Sis Cow, twel you hear me comin’,’ sezee.
“En den he crope off down de fence, Brer Rabbit
did, en bimeby here he come—lippity-clippity,
clippity-lippity—des a sailin’ down
de big road.
“‘Mornin’, Sis Cow,’ sez Brer
Rabbit, sezee, ’bow you come on dis mornin’?’
sezee.
“Po’ly, Brer Rabbit, poly,’ sez
Miss Cow, sez she. ’I ain’t had no
res’ all night,’ sez she. ‘I
can’t pull loose,’ sez she, ’but
ef you’ll come en ketch holt er my tail, Brer
Rabbit,’ sez she, ‘I reckin may be I kin
fetch my horn out,’ sez she. Den Brer Rabbit,
he come up little closer, but he ain’t gittin’
too close.
“‘I speck I’m nigh nuff, Sis Cow,’
sez Brer Rabbit, sezee. ’I’m a mighty
puny man, en I might git trompled,’ sezee.
’You do de pullin’, Sis Cow,’ sezee,
en I’ll do de gruntin,’ sezee.
“Den Miss Cow, she pull out ’er horn,
she did, en tuck atter Brer Rabbit, en down de big
road dey had it, Brer Rabbit wid his years laid back,
en Miss Cow wid ’er head down en ’er tail
curl. Brer Rabbit kep’ on gainin’,
en bimeby he dart in a brier-patch, en by de time
Miss Cow come long he had his head stickin’ out,
en his eyes look big ez Miss Sally’s chany sassers.
“‘Heyo, Sis Cow! whar you gwine?’
sez Brer Rabbit, sezee.
“‘Howdy, Brer Big-Eyes,’ sez Miss
Cow, sez she. ’Is you seed Brer Rabbit
go by?’
“‘He des dis minit pass,’ sez Brer
Rabbit, sezee, ’en he look mighty sick,’
sezee.
“En wid dat, Miss Cow tuck down de road like
de dogs wuz atter er, en Brer Rabbit, he des lay down
dar in de brier-patch en roll en laugh twel his sides
hurtid ’im. He bleedzd ter laff. Fox
atter ’im, Buzzard atter ’im, en Cow atter
’im, en dey ain’t kotch ’im yet.”
“Miss Sally’s” little
boy again occupying the anxious position of auditor,
Uncle Remus took the shovel and “put de noses
er de chunks tergedder,” as he expressed it,
and then began:
“One day, atter Sis Cow done run pas’
‘er own shadder tryin’ fer ter ketch ’im.
Brer Rabbit tuck’n ’low dat he wuz gwineter
drap in en see Miss Meadows en de gals, en he got
out his piece er lookin’-glass en primp up,
he did, en sot out. Gwine canterin’ long
de road, who should Brer Rabbit run up wid but ole
Brer Tarrypin—de same ole one-en-sixpunce.
Brer Rabbit stop, he did, en rap on de roof er Brer
Tarrypin house.”
