“BRER REMUS, is you heern tell er deze doin’s out yer in de udder eend er town?” asked a colored deacon of the church the other day. “W’at doin’s is dat, Brer Ab?” “Deze yer signs an’ wunders whar dat cullud lady died day ‘fo’ yistiddy. Mighty quare goin’s on out dar, Brer Remus, sho’s […]

BIG ‘possum clime little tree. Dem w’at eats kin say grace. Ole man Know-All died las’ year. Better de gravy dan no grease ‘tall. Dram ain’t good twel you git it. Lazy fokes’ stummucks don’t git tired. Rheumatiz don’t he’p at de log-rollin’. Mole don’t see w’at his naber doin’. Save de pacin’ mar’ fer […]

WHEN Miss Theodosia Huntingdon, of Burlington, Vermont, concluded to come South in 1870, she was moved by three considerations. In the first place, her brother, John Huntingdon, had become a citizen of Georgia–having astonished his acquaintances by marrying a young lady, the male members of whose family had achieved considerable distinction in the Confederate army; […]

A Jonesboro negro, while waiting for the train to go out, met up with Uncle Remus. After the usual “time of day” had been passed between the two, the former inquired about an acquaintance. “How’s Jeems Rober’son?” he asked. “Ain’t you year ’bout Jim?” asked Uncle Remus. “Dat I ain’t,” responded the other; “I ain’t […]

THE deacon of a colored church met Uncle Remus recently, and, after some uninteresting remarks about the weather, asked: “How dis you don’t come down ter chu’ch no mo’, Brer Remus? We er bin er havin’ some mighty ‘freshen’ times lately.” “Hit’s bin a long time sence I bin down dar, Brer Rastus, an’ hit’ll […]

THE notable difference existing between the negroes in the interior of the cotton States and those on the seaboard–a difference that extends to habits and opinions as well as to dialect–has given rise to certain ineradicable prejudices which are quick to display themselves whenever an opportunity offers. These prejudices were forcibly, as well as ludicrously, […]

As Uncle Remus was going down the street recently he was accosted by several acquaintances. “Heyo!” said one, “here comes Uncle Remus. He look like he gwine fer ter set up a bo’din-house.” Several others bantered the old man, but he appeared to be in a good humor. He was carrying a huge basket of […]

“HIT turn out one time,” said Uncle Remus, grinding some crumbs of tobacco between the palms of his hands, preparatory to enjoying his usual smoke after supper–“hit turn out one time dat Brer Rabbit make so free wid de man’s collard-patch dat de man he tuck’n sot a trap fer ole Brer Rabbit.” “Which man […]

“W’AT’S dis yer I see, great big niggers gwine ‘lopin’ ‘roun’ town wid cakes ‘n pies fer ter sell?” asked Uncle Remus recently, in his most scornful tone. “That’s what they are doing,” responded a young man; “that’s the way they make a living.” “Dat w’at make I say w’at I duz–dat w’at keep me […]

THE next time the little boy sought Uncle Remus out, he found the old man unusually cheerful and good-humoured. His rheumatism had ceased to trouble him, and he was even disposed to be boisterous. He was singing when the little boy got near the cabin, and the child paused on the outside to listen to […]

“IN dem times,” said Uncle Remus, gazing admiringly at himself in a fragment of looking-glass, “Brer Rabbit, en Brer Fox, en Brer Coon, en dem yuther creeturs go co’tin’ en sparklin’ ‘roun’ de naberhood mo’ samer dan folks. ‘Twan’t no ‘Lemme a hoss,’ ner ‘Fetch me my buggy,’ but dey des up’n lit out en […]

The next time the little boy got permission to call upon Uncle Remus, the old man was sitting in his door, with his elbows on his knees and his face buried in his hands, and he appeared to be in great trouble. “What’s the matter, Uncle Remus?” the youngster asked. “Nuff de matter, honey–mo’ dan […]

“JACKY-MY-LANTERN” [A] UPON his next visit to Uncle Remus, the little boy was exceedingly anxious to know more about witches, but the old man prudently refrained from exciting the youngster’s imagination any further in that direction. Uncle Remus had a board across his lap, and, armed with a mallet and a shoe-knife, was engaged in […]

ONE night, while the little boy was watching Uncle Remus twisting and waxing some shoe-thread, he made what appeared to him to be a very curious discovery. He discovered that the palms of the old man’s hands were as white as his own, and the fact was such a source of wonder that he at […]

“Now, den,” said Uncle Remus, with unusual gravity, as soon as the little boy, by taking his seat, announced that he was ready for the evening’s entertainment to begin; “now, den, dish yer tale w’at I’m agwine ter gin you is de las’ row er stumps, sho. Dish yer’s whar ole Brer Fox los’ his […]

“ONE time,” said Uncle Remus, whetting his knife slowly and thoughtfully on the palm of his hand, and gazing reflectively in the fire–“one time Brer Wolf–“ “Why, Uncle Remus!” the little boy broke in, “I thought you said the Rabbit scalded the Wolf to death a long time ago.” The old man was fairly caught […]

“DERE wuz nudder man dat sorter play it sharp on Brer Rabbit,” said Uncle Remus, as, by some mysterious process, he twisted a hog’s bristle into the end of a piece of thread–an operation which the little boy watched with great interest. “In dem days,” continued the old man, “de creeturs kyar’d on marters same […]

“FIN’ um whar you will en w’en you may,” remarked Uncle Remus with emphasis, “good chilluns allers gits tuck keer on. Dar wuz Brer Rabbit’s chilluns; dey minded der daddy en mammy fum day’s een’ ter day’s een’. W’en ole man Rabbit say scoot,’ dey scooted, en w’en ole Miss Rabbit say ‘scat,’ dey scatted. […]

“DAR wuz one season” said Uncle Remus, pulling thoughtfully at his whiskers, “w’en Brer Fox say to hisse’f dat he speck he better whirl in en plant a goober-patch, en in dem days, mon, hit wuz tech en go. De wud wern’t mo’n out’n his mouf ‘fo’ de groun’ ‘uz brok’d up en de goobers […]

“WELL, Uncle Remus,” said the little boy, counting to see if he hadn’t lost a marble somewhere, “the Bear didn’t catch the Rabbit after all, did he?” “Now you talkin’, honey,” replied the old man, his earnest face breaking up into little eddies of smiles–“now you talkin’ sho. ‘Tain’t bin proned inter no Brer B’ar […]