Free Nights with Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris Page A

in en have some fun w’iles it gwine on. Bimeby Brer Fox up’n say ter Brer Rabbit, dat he bleedzd ter be movin’ ’long todes home, en wid dat dey bofe say good-bye.
    â€œBrer Fox, he put out ter whar his fambly wuz, but Brer Rabbit, he slip ’roun’, he did, en call on ole Miss Goose. Ole Miss Goose she wuz down at de spring, washin’, en b’ilin’, en battlin’ cloze; but Brer Rabbit he march up en ax her howdy, en den she tuck’n ax Brer Rabbit howdy.
    â€œ ‘I’d shake han’s ’long wid you, Brer Rabbit,’ sez she, ‘but dey er all full er suds,’ sez she.
    â€œ ‘No marter ’bout dat, Miss Goose,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, ‘so long ez yo’ will’s good,’ sezee.”
    â€œA goose with hands, Uncle Remus!” the little boy exclaimed.
    â€œHow you know goose aint got han’s?” Uncle Remus inquired, with a frown. “Is you been sleepin’ longer ole man Know-All? Little mo’ en you’ll up’n stan’ me down dat snakes aint got no foots, and yit you take en lay a snake down yer ’fo’ de fier, en his foots ’ll come out right ’fo’ yo’ eyes.”
    Uncle Remus paused here, but presently continued:
    â€œAtter ole Miss Goose en Brer Rabbit done pass de time er day wid one er n’er, Brer Rabbit, he ax ’er, he did, how she come on deze days, en Miss Goose say, mighty po’ly.
    â€œ ‘I’m gittin’ stiff en I’m gittin’ clumpsy,’ sez she, ’en mo’n dat I’m gittin’ bline,’ sez she. ‘Des ’fo’ you happen ’long, Brer Rabbit, I drap my specks in de tub yer, en ef you’d ’a’ come ’long ’bout dat time,’ sez ole Miss Goose, sez she, ‘I lay I’d er tuck you for dat nasty, owdashus Brer Fox, en it ud er bin a born blessin’ ef I hadn’t er scald you wid er pan er b’ilin suds,’ sez she. ‘I’m dat glad I foun’ my specks I dunner w’at ter do,’ sez ole Miss Goose, sez she.
    â€œDen Brer Rabbit, he up’n say dat bein’s how Sis Goose done fotch up Brer Fox name, he got sump’n fer ter tell ’er, en den he let out ’bout Brer Fox gwine ter call on ’er.
    â€œ ‘He comin’,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee; ‘he comin’ sho’, en w’en he come hit’ll be des ’fo’ day,’ sezee.
    â€œ ‘Wid dat, ole Miss Goose wipe ’er han’s on ’er apun, en put ’er specks up on ’er forrerd, en look lak she done got trouble in ’er mine.
    â€œ ‘Laws-a-massy!’ sez she, ‘spozen he come, Brer Rabbit! W’at I gwine do? En dey aint a man ’bout de house, n’er,’ sez she.
    â€œDen Brer Rabbit, he shot one eye, en he say, sezee:
    â€œ ‘Sis Goose, de time done come w’en you bleedzd ter roos’ high. You look lak you got de dropsy,’ sezee, ‘but don’t mine dat, kase ef you don’t roos’ high, youer goner,’ sezee.
    â€œDen ole Miss Goose ax Brer Rabbit w’at she gwine do, en Brer Rabbit he up en tell Miss Goose dat she mus’ go home en tie up a bundle er de w’ite folks cloze, en put um on de bed, en den she mus’ fly up on a rafter, en let Brer Fox grab de cloze en run off wid um.
    â€œOle Miss Goose say she much ’blige, en she tuck’n tuck her things en waddle off home, en dat night she do lak Brer Rabbit say wid de bundle er cloze, en den she sont wud ter Mr. Dog, en Mr. Dog he come down, en say he’d sorter set up wid ’er.
    â€œDes ’fo’ day, yer come Brer Fox creepin’ up, en he went en push on de do’ easy, en de do’ open, en he see sump’n w’ite on de bed w’ich he took fer Miss Goose, en he grab it en run. ’Bout dat time Mr. Dog sail out fum und’ de house, he did, en ef Brer Fox