Wednesday, December 12, 2018

C066. Brer Rabbit and Brer Possum in the Garden

32. Brother Possum Gets in Trouble. 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. This is one of Daddy Jack's stories, so the original spelling reflects the Gullah pronunciation.


BRER RABBIT and BRER POSSUM in the GARDEN

There is been live one Man what plant some pea in he garden. He plant some pea, but he make no pea; Brer Rabbit, he is find 'em. He find 'em and he eat 'em. Man make no pea, Brer Rabbit he destroy 'em so. He plant them pea; they do grow, and he go off. He come back; pea no there. Brer Rabbit tear 'em up and make he cud with them.

So long time, Man say he gonna catch 'em, and he no catch 'em. Man go, Brer Rabbit come; Man come, Brer Rabbit go. By and by, Man, he is get so mad, he eye been come red; he crack he tooth, he do cuss. He see he gonna catch Brer Rabbit nohow. Then he is been call he little gal. He talk, he tell 'im for let Brer Rabbit go through the garden gate. Little gal say yessir. He talk, he tell 'im when Brer Rabbit go through the gate, then he must shut the gate, and no let 'im come past no more. Little gal say yessir.

Old Man is been gone 'bout he work; little gal, he do listen. Brer Rabbit, he come tippy-toe, tippy-toe; gone in the garden; eat them pea till he full up; eat till he most get sick with them pea. Then he start for go out; he find the gate shut. He shake 'em, he no open; he push 'em, he no open; he fair grunt, he push so hard, he no open. He been call the little gal; he say, "Little gal, little gal! Come open the gate. It is hurt me feelin' for find the gate shut like this."

Little gal no talk nothing.

Brer Rabbit say, "It is been hurt me feelin', little gal! Come open the gate, little gal, 'less I tear 'em loose from the hinge."

Little gal voice come back. He talk, "Daddy say mustn't."

Brer Rabbit open he mouth. He say, "See me long sharp tooth? He bite you through and through!"

Little gal scared; he turn loose the gate and fly. Brer Rabbit gone! Old Man come back; he ask about Brer Rabbit. Little gal say, "He done gone, daddy. I shut the gate, I hold 'em fast. Brer Rabbit been show he tooth; he going for bite me through and through. I get scared, daddy."

Man ask, "How he goin' for bite you through an' through, when he tooth fix bite grass? Brer Rabbit tell one big tale. He no can bite you. When he come again, you shut them gate, you hold 'em tight, you no let him go past no more."

Little gal say yessir.

Next day morning, Man go 'long about he work. Little gal, he play 'round, and he play 'round. Brer Rabbit, he is come tippy-tippy. He find gate open; he slip in the garden. He chew them pea, he gnaw them pea; he eat till them pea taste bad. Then he try for go out; gate shut fast. He no can get through. He push, gate no open; he kick with 'em foot, gate no open; he butt with 'em head, gate no open. Then he holler, "Little gal, little gal! Come open the gate. He very bad for fool with Old Man like me. I no can hold me feelin' down when you is do like this. He very bad."

Little gal hold he head down; he no say nothing.

Brer Rabbit say, "Be shame, little gal, for do Old Man like this. Me feelin' get worser. Come open the gate 'fore I is tear 'em down."

Little gal say, "Daddy say mustn't."

Brer Rabbit open he eye wide; he is look very mad. He say, "See me big eye? I pop this eye straight at you, me kill you dead. Come open the gate 'fore me eye pop."

Little gal scared for true. He loose the gate, he fair fly. Brer Rabbit done gone! Little gal daddy back. He ask where is Brer Rabbit. Little gal say, "He done gone, daddy. I hold gate fast; he is been 'come very mad. He say he gonna pop he eye at me, shoot me dead."

Man say, "Brer Rabbit tell too big tale. How he going shoot you with he eye? He eye seem like the other folks eye. When he come some more, you shut them gate, you hold 'em fast."

Little gal say yessir.

Next day morning, Man go, Brer Rabbit come. He is march in the gate and eat them pea till he can eat no more. He start out; gate shut. He no can come past. He shake, he push, he pull; gate shut. Then he holler, "Little gal, little gal! Come open the gate. It is very bad for treat yo' kin like this. Come open the gate, little gal. It is full me up with sorry when you do like this."

Little gal, he no say nothing. Brer Rabbit say, "He very bad for treat yo' kin like this. Turn go the gate, little gal.'

Little gal say, "How you is kin with me, Brer Rabbit?"

'Yo' gran'daddy follow after me uncle with he dog. That make we is kin. Come open the gate, little gal."

Little gal no say nothing at all!

Then Brer Rabbit say, "See me long, sharp tooth, little gal? Me bite you through and through."

Little gal say, "Me no scare the tooth. He bite nothing at all 'cept he bite grass."

Brer Rabbit say, "See me big eye? I pop 'em at you, shoot you dead."

Little gal say, "Me no scare the eye. He seem like the other folks eye."

Brer Rabbit say, "Little gal, you make me 'come mad. I no like for hurt me kin. Look at me horn! I run you through and through."

Brer Rabbit lift he two ear up; he point 'em staight at the little gal. Little gal 'come scared the horn; he do turn go the gate; he fly from there-there. Little gal turn go the gate, Brer Rabbit gone!

Man come back; he ask where is Brer Rabbit. Little gal cry; he say he scare Brer Rabbit horn. Man say he is have no horn. Little gal is stand 'em down he see horn. Man say the horn is nothing at all but Brer Rabbit ear what he hear with. He tell little gal next time Brer Rabbit come, he must shut the gate; he must run from there-there and leave 'em shut. Little gal say yessir.

Man gone, Brer Rabbit come. He is go in the gate; he eat them pea till he tired. He try for go past the gate, gate shut. He call little gal; little gal gone! He call, call, call; little gal no hear. He try for find crack in the paling; no crack there. He try for jump over; the paling too high. He 'come scared; he is 'come so scared he squat upon the ground; he shake, he shiver.

Man come back. He ask where Brer Rabbit. Little gal say he in the garden. Man hug little gal, he is love 'em so. He go in the garden; he find Brer Rabbit. He catch 'em—he carry 'em off for kill 'em; he mad for true. Little gal come holler, "Daddy, daddy! Missus say run there! He want you come straight there!"

Man tie Brer Rabbit in the bag; he hang 'em on tree limb. He say, "I gonna come back. I learn you for make cud with me green pea."

Man gone for see he missus.

By and by, Brer Possum is been come past. He look up, he catch glimpse the bag upon the limb. He say, "Ki! What this is been hang in the bag upon the tree-limb?"

Brer Rabbit say, "Hush, Brer Possum! It is me. I been listen at them sing in the cloud."

Brer Possum listen. He say, "I no hear them sing, Brer Rabbit."

"Hush, Brer Possum! How is I can hear them sing when you is make the fuss there-there?"

Brer Possum, he hold he mouth still, 'cept he do grin. Brer Rabbit say, "I hear them now! I hear them now! Brer Possum, I wish you is hear them sing!"

Brer Possum say he mouth water for hear them sing in the cloud. Brer Rabbit, he say he is been have so long time acquaintance with Brer Possum, he let him hear them sing. He say, "I get from the bag. I turn you in till you is hear them sing. Then you is get from the bag, till I do come back and enjoy meself."

Brer Possum, he do climb up the tree; he get them bag, he bring 'em down. He take off the string; he turn Brer Rabbit go. He crawl in and he curl up. He say, "I no hear them sing, Brer Rabbit!"

"Hi! Wait till the bag it tie, Brer Possum. You hear them soon enough!"

He wait. "I no hear them sing, Brer Rabbit!"

"Hi! Wait till I climb the tree, Brer Possum. You hear them soon enough!"

He wait. "I no hear them sing, Brer Rabbit!"

"Wait till I fix 'em upon the limb, Brer Possum. You hear them soon enough!"

He wait.

Brer Rabbit climb down; he run away from there-there; he hide in the bush side. Man come back. He see the bag move. Brer Possum say, "I no hear them sing. I wait for hear 'em sing!"

Man think he Brer Rabbit in the bag. He say, "Ah-yi-ee! I make you hear them sing!"

Man take the bag from the tree-limb; he do slam the bag against the face the earth. He take he walking-cane, and he beat Brer Possum what is do 'em no harm till he most kill 'em. Man think Brer Rabbit must been dead by this. He look in the bag; he stretch he eye big; he astonished. Brer Rabbit, he do come from the bush side; he do holler, he do laugh. He say, "You no is catch me! I thief yo' green pea,—I thief 'em some more,—I thief 'em till I dead!"

Man, he 'come so mad, he is fling hatchet at Brer Rabbit and chop off he tail.

That's just about the long and the short of it. Mr. Man clip off Brer Rabbit tail with the hatchet, and it bleed so free that Brer Rabbit rush off to the cotton-patch and put some cotton lint on it, and down to this day that lint most the first thing you see when Brer Rabbit jump out of he bed and tell you good-bye.


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