“‘Look like you gwineter have chicken fer dinner, Brer Fox,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee.

“’Yes, Brer Rabbit, dey er nice, en fresh, en tender, ’sez Brer Fox, sezee.

“Den Brer Rabbit sorter pull his mustarsh, en say:  ’You ain’t got no calamus root, is you, Brer Fox?  I done got so now dat I can’t eat no chicken ‘ceppin she’s seasoned up wid calamus root.’  En wid dat Brer Rabbit lipt out er de do’ and dodge ’mong the bushes, en sot dar watchin’ for Brer Fox; en he ain’t watch long, nudder, kaze Brer Fox flung off de flannil en crope out er de house en got whar he could cloze in on Brer Rabbit, en bimeby Brer Rabbit holler out:  ‘Oh, Brer Fox!  I’ll des put yo’ calamus root out yer on dish yer stump.  Better come git it while hit’s fresh,’ and wid dat Brer Rabbit gallop off home.  En Brer Fox ain’t never kotch ‘im yit, en w’at’s mo’, honey, he ain’t gwineter.”

II.  THE WONDERFUL TAR BABY STORY

“Didn’t the fox never catch the rabbit, Uncle Remus?” asked the little boy the next evening.

“He come mighty nigh it, honey, sho’s you born—­Brer Fox did.  One day atter Brer Rabbit fool ’im wid dat calamus root, Brer Fox went ter wuk en got ’im some tar, en mix it wid some turkentime, en fix up a contrapshun w’at he call a Tar-Baby, en he tuck dish yer Tar-Baby en he sot ’er in de big road, en den he lay off in de bushes fer to see what de news wuz gwine ter be.  En he didn’t hatter wait long, nudder, kaze bimeby here come Brer Rabbit pacin’ down de road—­lippity-clippity, clippity-lippity—­dez ez sassy ez a jay-bird.  Brer Fox, he lay low.  Brer Rabbit come prancin’ ’long twel he spy de Tar-Baby, en den he fotch up on his behime legs like he wuz ’stonished.  De Tar Baby, she sot dar, she did, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“‘Mawnin’!’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee—­’nice wedder dis mawnin’,’ sezee.

“Tar-Baby ain’t sayin’ nuthin’, en Brer Fox he lay low.

“‘How duz yo’ sym’tums seem ter segashuate?’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee.

“Brer Fox, he wink his eye slow, en lay low, en de Tar-Baby, she ain’t sayin’ nuthin’.

“‘How you come on, den?  Is you deaf?’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee.  ‘Kaze if you is, I kin holler louder,’ sezee.

“Tar-Baby stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“‘You er stuck up, dat’s w’at you is,’ says Brer Rabbit, sezee, ‘en I’m gwine ter kyore you, dat’s w’at I’m a gwine ter do,’ sezee.

“Brer Fox, he sorter chuckle in his stummick, he did, but Tar-Baby ain’t sayin’ nothin’.

“’I’m gwine ter larn you how ter talk ter ’spectubble folks ef hit’s de las’ ack,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee.  ’Ef you don’t take off dat hat en tell me howdy, I’m gwine ter bus’ you wide open,’ sezee.

“Tar-Baby stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“Brer Rabbit keep on axin’ ’im, en de Tar-Baby, she keep on sayin’ nothin’, twel present’y Brer Rabbit draw back wid his fis’, he did, en blip he tuck ’er side er de head.  Right dar’s whar he broke his merlasses jug.  His fis’ stuck, en he can’t pull loose.  De tar hilt ’im.  But Tar-Baby, she stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.