C025. How Brer Rabbit Lost His Tail

25. How Brer Rabbit Lost His Tail. Text Source: Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings 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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HOW BRER RABBIT LOST HIS TAIL

One time Brer Rabbit was going along down the road shaking his big bushy tail, and feeling just as scrumptious as a bee-martin with a fresh bug.

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Old Brer Rabbit was going down the big road shaking his long, bushy tail, and feeling mighty biggity, when who should he strike up with but old Brer Fox going ambling long with a big string of fish!

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When they pass the time of day with one another, Brer Rabbit, he open up the confab, he did, and he ask Brer Fox where he get that nice string of fish, and Brer Fox, he up and respond that he caught 'em, and Brer Rabbit, he say whereabouts, and Brer Fox, he say down at the baptizing creek, and Brer Rabbit he ask how, 'cause in them days they was monstrous fond of minnows, and Brer Fox, he sat down on a log, he did, and he up and tell Brer Rabbit that all he got to do for to get a big mess of minnows is to go to the creek after sundown, and drop his tail in the water and sit there till day-light, and then draw up a whole armful of fishes, and them what he don't want, he can fling back.

Right there's where Brer Rabbit drop his watermelon, 'cause he took and sat out that night and went a fishing. The weather was sort of cold, and Brer Rabbit, he got him a bottle of dram and put out for the creek, and when he get there he pick out a good place, and he sort of squat down, he did, and let his tail hang in the water.

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He sat there, and he sat there, and he drunk his dram, and he think he going to freeze, but by and by day come, and there he was.

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He make a pull, and he feel like he coming in two, and he fetch another jerk, and lo and beholds, where was his tail?

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It come off, she did that! She did that, and that what make all there here bob-tail rabbits what you see hopping and skaddling through the woods.

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That's what they tells me. Look like they are pleased to take after their pa.

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