‘Cides jes’ tellin’ tales to you. 
  Tell you jes’ one?  Lem me see
  Whut dat one’s a-gwine to be. 
  When you ’s ole, yo membry fails;
  Seems lak I do’ know no tales. 
  Well, set down dah in dat cheer,
  Keep still ef you wants to hyeah. 
  Tek dat chin up off yo’ han’s,
  Set up nice now.  Goodness lan’s! 
  Hol’ yo’se’f up lak yo’ pa. 
  Bet nobidy evah saw
  Him scrunched down lak you was den—­
  High-tone boys meks high-tone men.

  Once dey was a ole black bah,
  Used to live ‘roun’ hyeah some whah
  In a cave.  He was so big
  He could ca’y off a pig
  Lak you picks a chicken up,
  Er yo’ leetles’ bit o’ pup. 
  An’ he had two gread big eyes,
  Jes’ erbout a saucer’s size. 
  Why, dey looked lak balls o’ fiah
  Jumpin’ ‘roun’ erpon a wiah
  W’en dat bah was mad; an’ laws! 
  But you ought to seen his paws! 
  Did I see ’em?  How you ’spec
  I ‘s a-gwine to ricollec’
  Dis hyeah ya’n I ‘s try’n’ to spin
  Ef you keeps on puttin’ in? 
  You keep still an’ don’t you cheep
  Less I ‘ll sen’ you off to sleep. 
  Dis hyeah bah ‘d go trompin’ ‘roun’
  Eatin’ evahthing he foun’;
  No one could n’t have a fa’m
  But dat bah ‘u’d do’ em ha’m;
  And dey could n’t ketch de scamp. 
  Anywhah he wan’ed to tramp. 
  Dah de scoun’el ’d mek his track,
  Do his du’t an’ come on back. 
  He was sich a sly ole limb,
  Traps was jes’ lak fun to him.

  Now, down neah whah Mistah Bah
  Lived, dey was a weasel dah;
  But dey was n’t fren’s a-tall
  Case de weasel was so small. 
  An’ de bah ‘u’d, jes’ fu’ sass,
  Tu’n his nose up w’en he ’d pass. 
  Weasels ‘s small o’ cose, but my! 
  Dem air animiles is sly. 
  So dis hyeah one says, says he,
  “I ‘ll jes’ fix dat bah, you see.” 
  So he fixes up his plan
  An’ hunts up de fa’merman. 
  When de fa’mer see him come,
  He ‘mence lookin’ mighty glum,
  An’ he ketches up a stick;
  But de weasel speak up quick: 
  “Hol’ on, Mistah Fa’mer man,
  I wan’ ’splain a little plan. 
  Ef you waits, I ’ll tell you whah
  An’ jes’ how to ketch ol’ Bah. 
  But I tell yow now you mus’
  Gin me one fat chicken fus’.” 
  Den de man he scratch his haid,
  Las’ he say, “I’ll mek de trade.” 
  So de weasel et his hen,
  Smacked his mouf and says, “Well, den,
  Set yo’ trap an’ bait ternight,
  An’ I ’ll ketch de bah all right.” 
  Den he ups an’ goes to see
  Mistah Bah, an’ says, says he: 
  “Well, fren’ Bah, we ain’t been fren’s,
  But ternight ha’d feelin’ ’en’s. 
  Ef you ain’t too proud to steal,
  We kin git a splendid meal. 
  Cose I would n’t come to you,
  But it mus’ be done by two;
  Hit’s a trap, but we kin beat
  All dey tricks an’ git de meat.” 
  “Cose I ’s wif you,” says de bah,