| “IS ANYBODY EVER HEAR DE BEAT ER DAT?” | [Frontispiece] |
| FACING PAGE | |
| “So he holler down thoo de crack” | [34] |
| “‘Does you call dis good luck?’” | [36] |
| “Dey sot dar … talkin’ ’bout ol’ times” | [44] |
| “‘Git ’im use ter de bag’” | [48] |
| “‘Den you come on home; yo’ mammy want you’” | [50] |
| “Went off home des ez gayly ez a colt in a barley patch” | [80] |
| “‘Brer Rabbit, whar you gwine?’” | [82] |
| “Brer Fox, say, ‘Gents, … I wanter tell you dat I’m de swiffes’ one in dis bunch’” | [92] |
| “Mr. Elephant went splungin’ thoo de woods same ez a harrycane” | [96] |
| “So his ol’ ’oman went out ter de woodpile an’ got de ax” | [150] |
| “She dremp dat Brer Rabbit wuz laughin’ at ’er” | [152] |
| “Brer Deer went on fer ter tell Brer Rabbit” | [180] |
| “De beau got ter flingin’ his sass roun’ Brer Rabbit” | [272] |
| “De gal, she cry some, but dey went off an’ got married” | [274] |
| “Den he shuck a gourd-vine over de pot” | [286] |
| “De ax, it clum back on top er de woodpile an’ fell off on t’er side” | [290] |
| “Den she lit out atter de pot like she was runnin’ a foot-race” | [292] |
TOLD BY UNCLE REMUS
THE REASON WHY
The main reason why Uncle Remus retired from business as a story-teller was because the little boy to whom he had told his tales grew to be a very big boy, and grew and grew till he couldn’t grow any bigger. Meanwhile, his father and mother moved to Atlanta, and lived there for several years. Uncle Remus moved with them, but he soon grew tired of the dubious ways of city life, and one day he told his Miss Sally that if she didn’t mind he was going back to the plantation where he could get a breath of fresh air.
He was overjoyed when the lady told him that they were all going back as soon as the son married. As this event was to occur in the course of a few weeks, Uncle Remus decided to wait for the rest of the family. The wedding came off, and then the father and mother returned to the plantation, and made their home there, much to the delight of the old negro.
In course of time, the man who had been the little boy for ever so long came to have a little boy of his own, and then it happened in the most natural way in the world that the little boy’s little boy fell under the spell of Uncle Remus, who was still hale and hearty in spite of his age.