At this point Uncle Remus paused to indulge in one of his suggestive chuckles, and then proceeded:--
"Don't talk 'bout no songs ter me. Gentermens! dat 'uz a funny song fum de wud go. Bimeby, w'en dey practise long time, dey gits up en goes 'roun' in de neighborhoods er King Deer house, en w'en night come dey tuck der stan' at de front gate, en atter all got still, Brer Rabbit, he gun de wink, en dey broke loose wid der music. Dey played a chune er two on de quills en tr'angle, en den dey got ter de song. Ole Brer Rabbit, he got de call, en he open up lak dis:--
"'_Some folks pile up mo'n dey kin tote, En dot w'at de marter wid King Deer goat,_'
"'_Dat's so, dat's so, en I'm glad dat it's so!_'
Den de quills en de tr'angle, dey come in, en den Brer Rabbit pursue on wid de call:--
"'_Some kill sheep en some kill shote, But Brer Fox kill King Deer goat,_'
en den Brer Fox, he jine in wid de answer:--
"'_I did, dat I did, en I'm glad dat I did!_'
En des 'bout dat time King Deer, he walk outer de gate en hit Brer Fox a clip wid his walkin'-cane, en he foller it up wid 'n'er'n, dat make Brer Fox fa'rly squall, en you des better b'lieve he make tracks 'way fum dar, en de gal she come out, en dey ax Brer Rabbit in."
"Did Brother Rabbit marry King Deer's daughter, Uncle Remus?" asked the little boy.
"Now, den, honey, you're crowdin' me," responded the old man. "Dey ax 'im in, en dey gun 'im a great big hunk er chicken-pie, but I won't make sho' dat he tuck'n marry de gal. De p'int wid me is de way Brer Rabbit run Brer Fox off fum dar."
[16] The veritable Pan's pipes. A simple but very effective musical instrument made of reeds, and in great favor on the plantations.
[17] A species of sweet-shrub growing wild in the South.
[19] That is to say, Brother Rabbit sang the air and Brother Fox the refrain.
There was a pause here, which was finally broken by 'Tildy, whose remark was in the shape of a very undignified yawn. Uncle Remus regarded her for a moment with an expression of undisguised scorn, which quickly expressed itself in words:--
"Ef you'd er bin outer de house dat whack, you'd er tuck us all in. Pity dey ain't some place er 'n'er whar deze yer trollops kin go en l'arn manners."
Tildy, however, ignored the old man, and, with a toss of her head, said to the little boy in a cool, exasperating tone, employing a pet name she had heard the child's mother use:--