C037. Brer Rabbit in the Garden

3. Brother Rabbit and the Little Girl. Text Source: Nights with Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris. Online at Project Gutenberg. I have removed the frame material and standardized the spelling; click here for the original spelling plus all notes to the story.

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Now, then, you don't want to push old Brer Rabbit too close. He mighty tender-footed critter, and the more what you push him, the further he left you.

One time, after Brer Rabbit done been tramping 'round hunting up some salad for to make out he dinner with, he find hisself in the neighborhoods of Mr. Man house, and he pass along till he come to the garden-gate, and nigh the garden-gate he see Little Gal playing 'round in the sand. When Brer Rabbit look 'twixt the garden-palings and see the collards, and the sparrow-grass, and the other garden truck growing there, it make he mouth water. Then he take and walk up to the Little Gal, Brer Rabbit did, and pull he roach, and bow, and scrape he foot, and talk mighty nice and slick.

"Howdy, Little Gal," says Brer Rabbit, says he; "how you come on?" says he.

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Then the Little Gal, she respond howdy, she did, and she ask Brer Rabbit how he come on, and Brer Rabbit, he allow he mighty poorly, and then he ask if this the Little Gal what her pa live up there in the big white house, which the Little Gal, she up and say it were.

Brer Rabbit, he say he mighty glad, 'cause he just been up there for to see her pa, and he say that her pa, he sent him out there for to tell the Little Gal that she must open the garden-gate so Brer Rabbit can go in and get some truck.

(image source)

Then the Little Gal, she jump 'round, she did, and she open the gate, and with that, Brer Rabbit, he hop in, he did, and got him a mess of greens, and hop out again, and when he going off he make a bow, he did, and tell the Little Gal that he much obliged, and then after that he put out for home.

Next day, Brer Rabbit, he hide out, he did, till he see the Little Gal come out to play, and then he put up the same tale, and walk off with another mess of truck, and it keep on this a-way, till by and by Mr. Man, he begun to miss his greens, and he keep on a-missing on 'em, till he got to excusing everybody on the place of destroying on 'em, and when that come to pass, the Little Gal, she up and say, "My goodness, pa!" says she; "you done told Mr. Rabbit for to come and make me let him in the garden after some greens, and ain't he done come and ask me, and ain't I done gone and let him in?" says she.

Mr. Man ain't have to study long before he see how the land lay, and then he laugh, and tell the Little Gal that he done gone and disremember all about Mr. Rabbit, and then he up and say, says he, "Next time Mr. Rabbit come, you take an' turn him in, an' then you run just as fast as you can an' come an' tell me, 'cause I got some business with that young chap that's pleased to be tended to," says he.

Sure enough, next morning there was the Little Gal playing 'round, and here come Brer Rabbit after he allowance of greens. He was ready with the same tale, and then the Little Gal, she turn him in, she did, and then she run up to the house and holler, "O pa! pa! O pa! Here Brer Rabbit in the garden now! Here he is, pa!"

Then Mr. Man, he rush out, and grab up a fishing-line what been hanging in the back porch, and make for the garden, and when he get there, there was Brer Rabbit trampling 'round on the strawberry-bed and mashing down the tomatoses. When Brer Rabbit see Mr. Man, he squat behind a collard leaf, but it weren't no use. Mr. Man done seed him, and before you can count eleven, he done got old Brer Rabbit tie hard and fast with the fishing-line.

After he got him tie good, Mr. Man step back, he did, and say, says he, "You done been fool me lots of time, but this time you are mine. I'm goin' to take you an' give you a larrupin'," says he, "an' then I'm goin' to skin you an' nail yo' hide on the stable door," says he; "an' then to make sure that you get the right kind of larruppin', I'll just step up to the house," says he, "an' fetch the little red cowhide, and then I'll take and give you brimstone and ginger," says he.

Then Mr. Man call to the Little Gal to watch Brer Rabbit whiles he gone.

Brer Rabbit ain't saying nothing, but Mr. Man ain't more than out the gate before he begun to sing; and in them days Brer Rabbit was a singer, man, and when he tuned up for to sing he make them other critters hold their breath.

If I ain't forget that song off of my mind, it run sort of this here way:

The jay-bird hunt the sparrow-nest,
The bee-martin sail all 'round;
The squirrel, he holler from the top of the tree,
Mr. Mole, he stay in the ground;
He hide and he stay till the dark drop down—
Mr. Mole, he hide in the ground.

When the Little Gal hear that, she laugh, she did, and she up and ask Brer Babbit for to sing some more, but Brer Rabbit, he sort of cough, he did, and allow that he got a mighty bad hoarseness down into he windpipe somewheres.

The Little Gal, she persuade, and persuade, and by and by Brer Rabbit, he up and allow that he can dance more samer than what he can sing.

Then the Little Gal, she ask him won't he dance, and Brer Rabbit, he respond how in the name of goodness can a man dance whiles he all tie up this a-way, and then the Little Gal, she say she can untie him, and Brer Rabbit, he say he ain't caring if she do.

With that the Little Gal, she reach down and unloose the fish-line, and Brer Rabbit, he sort of stretch hisself and look 'round.

Brer Rabbit gather up his foots under him, and he dance out of that garden, and he dance home. He did that! Surely you don't expect that a old-timer what done had experience like Brer Rabbit going to stay there and let that there Mr. Man sacrifice him? Shoo! Brer Rabbit dance, but he dance home. You hear me!

C037. Baer (p. 60). Brother Rabbit and the Little Girl

This is Chase037.

Types ATU0122Z Other Tricks to escape from captor
Motifs
K0362 Theft by presenting false order to guardian
K0571 escape by pretending to dance so as to be untied
Notes
Harris parallels Theal's Kaffir tale.

Baer: "The opening of the tale in which the trickster gains food by presenting a false order is very common in African hunting stories. ... Flowers has 8 references to West Indian stories under K362 with either Rabbit or Nancy as the trickster although in her variants the message is usually read."

Parsons wants to make this a European story. Baer disagrees: "it is clearly an African/Afro-American tale."

C037. Brer Rabbit in the Garden (original spelling)

3. Brother Rabbit and the Little Girl. Text Source: Nights with Uncle Remus by Joel Chandler Harris. Online at Project Gutenberg. I have removed the frame material; click here for the standardized spelling plus all notes to the story.

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Now, den, you don't wanter push ole Brer Rabbit too close. He mighty tender-footed creetur, en de mo' w'at you push 'im, de furder he lef' you.

One time, atter Brer Rabbit done bin trompin' 'roun' huntin' up some sallid fer ter make out he dinner wid, he fine hisse'f in de neighborhoods er Mr. Man house, en he pass 'long twel he come ter de gyardin-gate, en nigh de gyardin-gate he see Little Gal playin' 'roun' in de san'. W'en Brer Rabbit look 'twix' de gyardin-palin's en see de colluds, en de sparrer-grass, en de yuther gyardin truck growin' dar, hit make he mouf water. Den he take en walk up ter de Little Gal, Brer Rabbit did, en pull he roach, en bow, en scrape he foot, en talk mighty nice en slick.

"Howdy, Little Gal," sez Brer Rabbit, sezee; "how you come on?" sezee.

Den de Little Gal, she 'spon' howdy, she did, en she ax Brer Rabbit how he come on, en Brer Rabbit, he 'low he mighty po'ly, en den he ax ef dis de Little Gal w'at 'er pa live up dar in de big w'ite house, w'ich de Little Gal, she up'n say 'twer'.

Brer Rabbit, he say he mighty glad, kaze he des bin up dar fer to see 'er pa, en he say dat 'er pa, he sont 'im out dar fer ter tell de Little Gal dat she mus' open de gyardin-gate so Brer Rabbit kin go in en git some truck.

Den de Little Gal, she jump 'roun', she did, en she open de gate, en wid dat, Brer Rabbit, he hop in, he did, en got 'im a mess er greens, en hop out ag'in, en w'en he gwine off he make a bow, he did, en tell de Little Gal dat he much 'blije', en den atter dat he put out fer home.

Nex' day, Brer Rabbit, he hide out, he did, twel he see de Little Gal come out ter play, en den he put up de same tale, en walk off wid a n'er mess er truck, en hit keep on dis a-way, twel bimeby Mr. Man, he 'gun ter miss his greens, en he keep on a-missin' un um, twel he got ter excusin' eve'ybody on de place er 'stroyin' un um, en w'en dat come ter pass, de Little Gal, she up'n say, "My goodness, pa!" sez she, "you done tole Mr. Rabbit fer ter come and make me let 'im in de gyardin atter some greens, en aint he done come en ax me, en aint I done gone en let 'im in?" sez she.

Mr. Man aint hatter study long 'fo' he see how de lan' lay, en den he laff, en tell de Little Gal dat he done gone en disremember all 'bout Mr. Rabbit, en den he up'n say, sezee, "Nex' time Mr. Rabbit come, you tak'n tu'n 'im in, en den you run des ez fas' ez you kin en come en tell me, kase I got some bizness wid dat young chap dat 's bleedze ter be 'ten' ter," sezee.

Sho' nuff, nex' mawnin' dar wuz de Little Gal playin' 'roun', en yer come Brer Rabbit atter he 'lowance er greens. He wuz ready wid de same tale, en den de Little Gal, she tu'n 'im in, she did, en den she run up ter de house en holler, "O pa! pa! O pa! Yer Brer Rabbit in de gyardin now! Yer he is, pa!"

Den Mr. Man, he rush out, en grab up a fishin'-line w'at bin hangin' in de back po'ch, en mak fer de gyardin, en w'en he git dar, dar wuz Brer Rabbit tromplin' 'roun' on de strawbe'y-bed en mashin' down de termartusses. W'en Brer Rabbit see Mr. Man, he squot behime a collud leaf, but 't wa'n't no use. Mr. Man done seed him, en 'fo' you kin count 'lev'm, he done got ole Brer Rabbit tie hard en fas' wid de fishin'-line.

Atter he got him tie good, Mr. Man step back, he did, en say, sezee, "You done bin fool me lots er time, but dis time you er mine. I'm gwine ter take you en gin you a larrupin',' sezee, 'en den I'm gwine ter skin you en nail yo' hide on de stable do'," sezee; "en den ter make sho dat you git de right kinder larrupin', I'll des step up ter de house," sezee, "en fetch de little red cowhide, en den I'll take en gin you brinjer," sezee.

Den Mr. Man call to der Little Gal ter watch Brer Rabbit w'iles he gone.

Brer Rabbit aint sayin' nothin', but Mr. Man aint mo'n out de gate 'fo' he 'gun ter sing; en in dem days Brer Rabbit wuz a singer, mon, en w'en he chuned up fer ter sing he make dem yuther creeturs hol' der bref.

Ef I aint fergit dat song off'n my min', hit run sorter dish yer way:

De jay-bird hunt de sparrer-nes',
De bee-martin sail all 'roun';
De squer'l, he holler from de top er de tree,
Mr. Mole, he stay in de groun';
He hide en he stay twel de dark drop down—
Mr. Mole, he hide in de groun'.

W'en de Little Gal year dat, she laugh, she did, and she up'n ax Brer Babbit fer ter sing some mo', but Brer Rabbit, he sorter cough, he did, en 'low dat he got a mighty bad ho'seness down inter he win'pipe some'rs.

De Little Gal, she swade, en swade, en bimeby Brer Rabbit, he up 'n 'low dat he kin dance mo' samer dan w'at he kin sing.

Den de Little Gal, she ax' im won't he dance, en Brer Rabbit, he 'spon' how in de name er goodness kin a man dance w'iles he all tie up dis a-way, en den de Little Gal, she say she kin ontie 'im, en Brer Rabbit, he say he aint keerin' ef she do.

Wid dat de Little Gal, she retch down en onloose de fish-line, en Brer Rabbit, he sorter stretch hisse'f en look 'roun'.

Brer Rabbit gedder up his foots und' 'im, en he dance outer dat gyardin, en he dance home. He did dat! Sho'ly you don't 'speck' dat a ole-timer w'at done had 'spe'unce like Brer Rabbit gwine ter stay dar en let dat ar Mr. Man sackyfice 'im? Shoo! Brer Rabbit dance, but he dance home. You year me!