“‘Does you speck I’m a-gwine ter let dat cow kick me crank-sided?’ sez she.
“Man, he ’low, he did, dat de cow won’t kick, but dat ar gal she tuck ’n make mo’ skuses dan dey is frogs in de spring branch, but bimeby she say she kin try. But she ’low dat fus’ ’fo’ she try dat she’ll show ’im how she kin keep house. So the nex’ mornin’ yer she come, en I let you know she sailed in dar, en sot dat house ter rights ’fo’ some wimmen folks kin tun ’roun’. Man, he say, he did, dat she do dat mighty nice.
“Nex’ day, de gal sot in en got dinner. Man say, he did, dat dey ain’t nobody w’at kin beat dat dinner. Nex’ day, she sot in en scoured, en she make that flo’ shine same ez a lookin’-glass. Man, he say dey ain’t nobody in dat neighborhoods kin beat dat scourin’. Nex’ day, she come fer ter milk de red cow, en de man, he ’low ter hisse’f, he did, dat he gwine ter see w’at make she don’t like ter milk dat cow.
“De gal come, she did, en git de milk-piggin’, en scald it out, en den she start fer de cow-lot. Man, he crope ’long atter de gal fer ter watch ’er. Gal went on, en w’en she come ter de lot dar wuz de red cow stan’in’ in de fence-cornder wallopin’ ’er cud. Gal, she sorter shuck de gate, she did, en holler, ‘Sook, cow! Sook, cow!’ Cow, she pearten up at dat, kaze she know w’en folks call ’er dat away, she gwine ter come in fer a bucket er slops.
“She pearten up, de red cow did, en start todes de gate, but, gentermens! time she smell dat gal, she ’gun a blate like she smell blood, en paw’d de groun’ en shuck ’er head des like she fixin’ fer ter make fight. Man, he ’low ter hisse’f dat dish yer kinder business mighty kuse, en he keep on watchin’. Gal, she open de gate, but stiddier de cow makin’ fight, she ’gun ter buck. Gal, she say, ‘So, cow! so, cow, so!’ but de cow she hist her tail in de elements, en run ’roun’ dat lot like de dogs wuz atter ’er. Gal, she foller on, en hit sorter look like she gwine ter git de cow hemmed up in a cornder, but de cow ain’t got no notion er dis, en bimeby she whirl en make a splunge at de gal, en ef de gal hadn’t er lipt de fence quick es she did de cow would er got ’er. Ez she lipt de fence, de man seed ’er foots, en, lo en beholes, dey wuz wolf foots! Man, he holler out:
“‘You oughter w’ar shoes w’en you come a-milkin’ de red cow!’ en wid dat, de ole Witch-Wolf gun a twist, en fetched a yell, en made ’er disappearance in de elements.”
Here Uncle Remus paused awhile. Then he shook his head, and exclaimed:
“’T ain’t no use! Dey may fool folks, but cows knows wil’ creeturs by der smell.”
THE RATTLESNAKE AND THE POLECAT
“I lay ’t won’t be long,” said Uncle Remus, as the little boy drew his chair closer to the broad fireplace, “’fo’ I’ll hatter put on a backlog en pile’ up de chunks. Dem w’at gits up ’bout de crack er day like I does is mighty ap’ fer ter fin’ de a’r sorter fresh deze mornin’s. Fus’ news you know old Jack Frost ’ll be a-blowin’ his horn out dar in de woods, en he ’ll blow it so hard dat he ’ll jar down de hick’ry-nuts, de scalybarks, de chinkapins, en de bullaces, en den ole Brer ’Possum will begin fer ter take his promenades, en ef I don’t ketch ’im hit ’ll be kaze I’m too stiff in my j’ints fer ter toiler ’long atter de dogs.