“Big Frog say: I dess kin! I dess kin!
“Mr. Rabbit say: ‘Dig it deeper.’
“De Frogs keep on diggin’ tell bimeby, big Frog holler out: Dis deep nuff? Dis deep nuff?
“Mr. Rabbit ’low: ‘Kin you jump out?’
“Big Frog say: No, I can’t! No, I can’t! Come he’p me! Come he’p me!
“Mr. Rabbit bust out laughin’, and holler out:
“‘Rise up, Sandy, an’ git yo’ Meat!’ an’ Mr. Coon riz.”
Lucien and Lillian laughed heartily at this queer story, especially the curious imitation of frogs both big and little that Crazy Sue gave. Lucien wanted her to tell more stories, but Daddy Jake said it was bedtime; and the children were soon sound asleep.
The next morning Daddy Jake had them up betimes. Crazy Sue took Lillian in her arms, and Daddy Jake took Lucien on his back. As they had gone into the cane-brake, so they came out. Randall and some of the other negroes wanted to carry Lillian, but Crazy Sue wouldn’t listen to them. She had brought the little girl in, she said, and she was going to carry her out. Daddy Jake, followed by Crazy Sue, went in the direction of Mr. Meredith Ingram’s house. It was on a hill, more than a mile from the river, and was in a grove of oak-trees. As they were making their way through a plum orchard, not far from the house, Crazy Sue stopped.
“Brer Jake,” she said, “dis is all de fur I’m gwine. I’m ’mos’ too close ter dat house now. You take dis baby an’ let dat little man walk. ’Tain’t many steps ter whar you gwine.” Crazy Sue wrung Daddy Jake’s hand, stooped and kissed the children, and with a “God bless you all!” disappeared in the bushes, and none of the three ever saw her again.