Her and Mr. Dog set on a spell, when up comes hopping Mr. Rabbit wid his tail fresh washed and his whiskers shining. He got right down to business and asked Miss Coon to marry him, too.
“Oh, Miss Nancy,” he says, “Ma’am, also Ma’am, if you’d see me settin’ straddle of a mud-cat leadin’ a minnow, what would you think? Ma’am also Ma’am?” Which is a out and out proposal as everybody knows.
“Youse awful nice, Brother Rabbit and a beautiful dancer, but you cannot sing like Brother Dog. Both you uns come back next week to gimme time for to decide.”
They both left arm-in-arm. Finally Mr. Rabbit says to Mr. Dog. “Taint no use in me going back—she ain’t gwinter have me. So I mought as well give up. She loves singing, and I ain’t got nothing but a squeak.”
“Oh, don’t talk that a’ way,” says Mr. Dog, tho’ he is glad Mr. Rabbit can’t sing none.
“Thass all right, Brer Dog. But if I had a sweet voice like you got, I’d have it worked on and make it sweeter.”
“How! How! How!” Mr. Dog cried, jumping up and down. “Lemme fix it for you, like I do for Sister Lark and Sister Mocking-bird.”
“When? Where?” asked Mr. Dog, all excited. He was figuring that if he could sing just a little better Miss Coon would be bound to have him.
“Just you meet me t’morrer in de huckleberry patch,” says the rabbit and off they both goes to bed.
The dog is there on time next day and after a while the rabbit comes loping up.