“‘Howdy, Brer Frog; is you seed Brer Rabbit go by yer?’

“‘He des gone by,’ sez Brer Rabbit, en ole man B’ar tuck off down de road like a skeer’d mule, en Brer Rabbit, he come out en dry hisse’f in de sun, en go home ter his fambly same ez enny udder man.

“The Bear didn’t catch the Rabbit, then?” inquired the little boy, sleepily.

“Jump up fum dar, honey!” exclaimed Uncle Remus, by way of reply.  “I ain’t got no time fer ter be settin’ yer proppin’ yo’ eyeleds open.”

XXIV.  MR. BEAR CATCHES OLD MR. BULL-FROG

“Well, Uncle Remus,” said the little boy, counting to see if he hadn’t lost a marble somewhere, “the Bear didn’t catch the Rabbit after all, did he?”

“Now you talkin’, honey,” replied the old man, his earnest face breaking up into little eddies of smiles—­“now you talkin’ sho.  ’Tain’t bin proned inter no Brer B’ar fer ter kotch Brer Rabbit.  Hit sorter like settin’ a mule fer ter trap a hummin’-bird.  But Brer B’ar, he tuck’n got hisse’f inter some mo’ trubble, w’ich it look like it mighty easy.  Ef folks could make der livin’ longer gittin’ inter trubble,” continued the old man, looking curiously at the little boy, “ole Miss Favers wouldn’t be bodder’n yo’ ma fer ter borry a cup full er sugar eve’y now en den; en it look like ter me dat I knows a nigger dat wouldn’t be squattin’ ‘roun’ yer makin’ dese yer fish-baskits.”

“How did the Bear get into more trouble, Uncle Remus?” asked the little boy.

“Natchul, honey.  Brer B’ar, he tuck a notion dat ole Brer Bull-frog wuz de man w’at fool ’im, en he say dat he’d come up wid ’im ef ’twuz a year atterwuds.  But ’twan’t no year, an ‘twan’t no mont’, en mo’n dat, hit wa’n’t skasely a week, w’en bimeby one day Brer B’ar wuz gwine home fum de takin’ un a bee-tree, en lo en behol’s, who should he see but ole Brer Bull-frog settin’ out on de aidge er de mud-muddle fas’ ’sleep!  Brer B’ar drap his axe, he did, en crope up, en retch out wid his paw, en scoop ole Brer Bull-frog in des dis away.”  Here the old man used his hand ladle-fashion, by way of illustration.  “He scoop ’im in, en dar he wuz.  W’en Brer B’ar got his clampers on ’im good, he sot down en talk at ’im.

“’Howdy, Brer Bull-frog, howdy!  En how yo fambly?  I hope dey er well, Brer Bull-frog, kaze dis day you got some bizness wid me w’at’ll las’ you a mighty long time.’

“Brer Bull-frog, he dunner w’at ter say.  He dunner w’at’s up, en he don’t say nuthin’.  Ole Brer B’ar he keep runnin’ on: 

“’You er de man w’at tuck en fool me ’bout Brer Rabbit t’er day.  You had yo’ fun, Brer Bull-frog, en now I’ll git mine.’

“Den Brer Bull-frog, he gin ter git skeer’d, he did, en he up’n say: 

“‘W’at I bin doin’, Brer B’ar?  How I bin foolin’ you?’

“Den Brer B’ar laff, en make like he dunno, but he keep on talkin’.