Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-07-10
De wolf. De Rabbit. and De Tar Baby.


} OF their own, although, till lately, unwritter
and almost unknown. But their lyrics are
now becoming famous through the Fisk ju-
bilee and Hampton singers. Besides these
there great number of fireside legends tha
! have been TO them what Cinderella and Re,
: Riding Hood are to us These are almos
all about animals. The negroes, even il
common conversation, speak Of animals as i
they thought, talked and behaved among
themselves like rational beings and the tw,
animals most prominent in the legends art
the wolf and the rabbit They are repre-.
senIed as enemies, and the rabbit Away.
comes off victorious through his superior
strategy. The following is, | believe. the
most popular of these freside stories But
to appreciate it you should see the old grand
mother in her bue-checked, home-spun dress,
and high red and yellow turban. with FIVE or
six woolly heads clustering about her knee,
before blazing fire, waiting for the sweet
potatoes in the ashes 10 roast for their sup
per, and amusing themselves meanwhile with
the story Of ''De Wolf, de Rabbit an de
Tar Baby"
Now de Wolf be berry wise man, but e
not 50 wise as de Rabbit. De Rabbit e
mos eunnin' man DAT 90 on 70 leg. f lib
in de brier bush.
Now de Wolf e done plant corn one ear.
but Rabbit, e amt plant nuthin' tall e
lib on Wolf corn all winter Mex ear Wolf
amt plant corn; e tink corn crop too poo :
80 e plant groun'nut. THAT i, peanut~.)
Rabbit e do jus de same as belo'.
Well, de Wolf e beginnin to tink some
ting wrong. L gone outone mawnin', look
at de groun nut patch, look berry hard at
Rabbit track, say, Il 'spicion somebody ben
an tief my grOun'nut.' Mex mawnin e
gain meet mo groun nut gone, say same
ting. Den e say, Il gwine mex one skeer
crow for set up in dis yere groun nut patch
for skere de tief" So e mex one ole -keer-
crow an set nm in de middle Of de groun nat
patch.
Dat night when Rabbit come wild e bag
for get groun nut, e see de sSeer-crow stan
berry white in de moon>hine, an e say,
VIVA dat?' Nobody amt say anything.
"Wha' DAT - c say gain. Den nobody
/ amt see nuthin mo0be, 80 e gone leetle
closer an leetle closer. till e get close ter
um, den e put out e paw and touch de
/ skeer-crow. Den e say, You amt nuthin
/ but one old bundle o. ras Wolf tink
gwin 'fraid you? mus be fool" So e kick
/ ober De skeercrow and fiji e bag wild groun-
nut an gone back TO de brier-bush.
Mex mawnin', Wolf gone out for look at
| Z groun nut patch, an when t meet mo
/ croan nut gone and de >keer-crow knock
| down, e berry mad. E say. .Nebber you
min. III fix ole Rabbit dat done tief ali de
groun nut Jus let ne show YOU" So e
mex one baby out o tar an set up in e
D Z. d, u.
/ bit try for knock over dis yer Tar Baby and
/ ell see JUS want um for try.
/ Dat night. when Rabbit come '.ain wil e
| bag for get croun nut an see de Tar Baby.
I stan berry black in de moonshine, e say,
"Wha' dat2 ole Wolf done gone set up
nodder skeer-crow. mus be So e moobe
leetle nearer and leetle nearer. and den e
stop and say, "pis yere enty no skeer-crow,
dis yere mus be one gal mus study pom
dis
81 e turn roun' an spread out { bag an
sit down in de middle Oh lie groun nut patch
an look hard at de Tar Baby. Bimeby e
say. "Gal, what YOU name?" Gal amt say
anything. Gal, why don't you speak me y?
What YOU DO dere ," Den e listen long
time, amt hear anything 'cept whippoorwill
in de swamp.
So e gone close up ter um. an say, "Gal.
YOU speak ne. yOu min Gal. if You amt
speak me knock you knock you wild my
right paw, den You tink it tunder - Tar
Baby amt say nuttin, - e knock um wild de
right paw, an e paw stuck
Den Z biggin for ho'ler Cal le' 20 me,
! tell you le' 20 me what for you hole me ?
If YOU don t let 90 me knock you wild my
left paw, den YOU tink it tunder an tighten
too - 50 e knock um gain wild de lef' paw,
and de lefpaw stick
Den e say. Gal. lef me loose, lef me
loose. tell you. lfyou don't | kick you
wid my right foot, den yon tnk colt kick
YOU - - e kick am wild E right foot, an
e foot stick
Den e say. Now, gal. 1t You ain lei'
me loose mighty quick klck you wld my
let' foot, den You tink hoSS kick you: ~
e kick um wild e let' foot, an e let' foot
stick
Den 'esav. Min now. cal. amt do
nuttin 10 Won. wha for Won hole me? Mebbe
Won tink can't do nuttin to Won amt you
tnow can bite Won. though? if voa amt
ler me loose | cwine bite You. Amt Won
know nv bite worse dan snake bite - 81 e
lite nm en- e nose stick
Mex mawnin', fore sun-up. Wolf gone
out to e croun nat patch for see what e
lin fin an p meet roor Rabbit wild g nav
an e feet an e nose all farSten ON Tar Rl-
bv. an e say. "Enty tole Won So look
wonder, reckon Tar Baby catch ole Rabbit
drs time So e tux Rabbit off an say.
..You dome rier balflnv croun mt now wba'
I cwine do wild Won.
Wolf do le' me ro' an | nebber tief ,roun'
mt no mo- Wolf slv. mo. Brudler
Rabbit. you been tief NV corn. las Gar.
an YOU been a tief nv gr1un'nut dis ear,
an now | gwine eat YOU up"
Den Rabbit saw. "Oh NAUSEA Wolf do
don do me -. but le' me beg YOU. You
ana roas' me. YOU ma toas me, YOU ma cut
me up. YOU ma eat me, butdo NAUSEA Wolf,
whatsb6sr YOU do. don't trow me in de brier
| busb Ef Won troy me in dc brier bush
cwine dead -
So Wolfsav. .sYou amt want me for trow
you in de bricer bush. entv? dat Jus what
rwine TO do wild We" 81 e fling um in de
bramble bush, an den Rabbit laugh an say
..Hi NAUSEA Wolf, amt you know | lib in
de brier bush ? amt ye know that all my
family born an bred in de brier bush? ds
ius whar | want We for put me- How We
irvine get me 'cin?''
Den Wolf berry mad cause e see Rabbit
too wise man for him. Z gone home an
tell e wife ..No rabbit-soup for dinner to-
day an dey begin for contribe, an dey
mex plan for get Rabbit for come to der
bouse So. one dav. Wolf wife call Neigh
bor Doc an tell um. "Neichbor Dog. want
Won far do one erran' for me. want YOU for
10 cit ON YOUR hoss an ride flrs' as We kin.
- BabL;t doo, an, tell Brudder Rabbit. Wolf
dead an; "a e die e leabe solum word e
don't want nobody else fo Law um out but
RrnSder Rabbit, An do, Neishbor Dog.
be- nm for come ober quick as e kin 50 we
ali lin bab de funeral. for Wolfsav e won't
bab ,,i ' nobordv for Law um out bat Brudder
Robbit-