“Wid dat Brer Deer went on fer ter tell Brer Rabbit dat he done fell dead in love wid ol’ King Sun’s daughter. He dunner how come it ter be so, but anyhow so it is. He ain’t had no talk wid ’er; he ain’t mo’ dan cotch a glimp’ er de gal, yet dar he wuz dead in love wid ’er. Brer Rabbit mought laugh at ’im ef he wanter; he’ll des set dar an’ take it. He talk an’ talk, he did, twel Brer Rabbit got right sorry fer ’im. He sot dar, he did, an’ study, an’ he tell Brer Deer dat he’ll he’p ’im ef he kin, an’ he mos’ know he kin.
“Brer Deer went on fer ter tell Brer Rabbit”
“Brer Deer raise his head, an’ open his eyes. He say, ‘Brer Rabbit, you ’stonish me—you sho’ does. Ef you’ll he’p me out in dis, I’ll stan’ by you thoo thick an’ thin.’ But Brer Rabbit say he ain’t doin’ it fer no pay; he done lay by his crap, an’ he ain’t got nothin’ much ter do, an’ he say he’ll he’p Brer Deer des fer ter keep his han’ in. Brer Deer look like he wuz might’ly holp up. Fust he smole a smile, an’ den he broke out in a laugh. He say, ‘Youer de man fer my money!’
“Brer Rabbit kinder wiggle his nose. He say, ‘Ef you keep yo’ money twel you think you got too much, you’ll have it by you fer many a long year ter come.’ Wid dat, he got up an’ bresh de dus’ off’n his britches, an’ shuck han’s wid Brer Deer. He say, ‘I hope fer ter have some good news fer you de nex’ time we meet in de big road.’ He bowed, he did, an’ den off he put, lippity-clip. He look back fer ter see ef Brer Deer wuz follerin’ ’im, but Brer Deer had sense ’nuff fer ter hunt ’im a cool place in de woods, whar he kin take de fust nap what he had in many a night an’ day.
“Brer Rabbit lope off todes de spring, kaze he know’d dat de spring wuz de place whar King Sun’s house-gal come atter water—an’ she hatter tote a mighty heap un it. It look like de mo’ water what King Sun drunk de mo’ he want, an’ dat bein’ de case, de gal had ’bout ez much totin’ ez she kin do. Brer Rabbit went down ter de spring, but dey wa’n’t nobody dar, an’ he look in it an’ see hisse’f in de water. Dar he wuz, his ha’r all comb, his face clean, an’ he look slicker dan sin. He laugh, he did, an’ say ter de Rabbit what he see in de water, ‘You sho’ is mighty good-lookin’, whoever you is, an’ ef you blame anybody, don’t blame me, kaze I can’t he’p it.’
“Now, down at de bottom er de spring wuz ol’ man Spring Lizzard. He wuz takin’ his mornin’ nap, when we hear some un talkin’. He raise up, he did, an’ lissen; den he look an’ see Brer Rabbit lookin’ at hisse’f in de water, an’ he holler out, ‘Maybe you ain’t ez good-lookin’ ez you think you is.’ Brer Rabbit holler back, ‘Hello, dar! dis is de fus time I know’d dat yo’ shadder in de water kin talk back at you.’
“Wid dat, Mr. Spring Lizzard come fum under de green moss, an’ float ter de top er de water. He pass de time er day wid Brer Rabbit, an’ ax ’im whar he gwine, an’ what he gwine ter do when he git dar. Brer Rabbit ’low dat he tryin’ fer ter do a good turn ter a frien’ what’s in trouble an’ den he went on an’ tol’ de ol’ Spring Lizzard ’bout Brer Deer an’ King Sun’s daughter. De Spring Lizzard say she’s a mighty likely gal, kaze he seed her one time when she slip off an’ come wid de house-gal atter water. He say she got long ha’r dat look like spun silk, an’ eyes dat shine like de mornin’ star.
“Brer Rabbit say he don’t ’spute it, but what he wanter know is how he kin git word ter King Sun ’bout Brer Deer. De Spring Lizzard say dat’s easy. He say dat when de house-gal come atter water, she hatter let down de step-ladder, an’ Brer Rabbit kin slip by ’er an’ go up, er he hisse’f kin git in de bucket an’ go up. Brer Rabbit say he kinder jub’us ’bout gwine, kaze he’s a kinder home body, an’ den de Spring Lizzard ’low dat ef Brer Deer will write a note, he’ll take it.
“Well, Brer Deer can’t write an’ Brer Rabbit kin; so dey fix it up ’twix’ um, an’ ’twant long ’fo’ dey had de note writ, an’ Brer Rabbit tuck it an’ gi’ it ter de Spring Lizzard. He say, ‘Don’t let it git wet, whatever you does,’ and de Spring Lizzard ax how it gwineter git wet when he put it in his pocket? He say dat eve’ybody but him, de fishes an’ de frogs got a wrong idee ’bout water, kaze ’tain’t wet ez it mought be, ’ceppin’ on a rainy day.