The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-01-24

ing to throw all the blame upon the de,
ceitful maiden by whom he has been en-,
trapped not even suspecting yet--so we
are to infer-that she is made of tar in,
! stead of living flesh. lie declares with
| all the earnestness of injured innocence
that he was passing by, in the sweet,
honest moonlight, in pursuit of his laws
iul business, when this girl hailed him,
and decoyed him into giving her a kiss,
and was now holding him in unlawful
durance.
The listener ironically commiserates
his captive neighbor, and proposes to set
him free; when, suddenly noticing the
water.bucket and the tracks by the we'll
he charges Buh Rabbit with his repeated
rohberies by night, aud concludes by
declaring his intention to put him to
immediate death.
The case has now becomepretty seri-
Gus, and Buh Rabbit is of course woefully
troubled at the near approach of the
great catastrophe; still, even in this dire
extremity, his wits do not cease to cheer
him with some hope of escape Seeing
that his captor is preparing to hang him
for the cord is already around his neck
and he is being dragged toward an over
hanging limb-he expresses the greatest
joy by capering, dancing and clapping
his hands-so much so that the other
curiously inquiries "What for you so
glad, Buh Rabbit ?"
"Oh," replies the sly hypocrite, "be-
cause you gwine hang me and not trow
me in de brier-bush."
What for | mustn't trow you in de
brierbush? ." inquiries Mr.. Simpleton
Wolf.
"Oh," prays Buh Rabbit with a dole>
ful whimper, "please hang me please
trow me in de wMer or trow me in de fire,
where | die at once, But don't oh
don't--trow me in de brier bush to tear
my poor flesh from off my bones"
Il gwine TO do 'zactly wah you Ak me
not to do" returns Wolf in savage tone
Then, going to a neighboring patch of
thick, strong briers, he pitches Buh Rab.
bit headlong in the midst, and says,
"Now let's see de flesh come off de
bones.
No sooner, however, does the strug-
Cling aud protesting Buh Rabbit find
himself among the briers than he slides
gently to the ground, and peeping at his
would.be torturer from safe place be-
hind the stems. he says, " Thankce, Buh
Wolf tousand tankee--tor bring me
home! De brier.brush de berry place
where been born"
Another fayorite story is that of the
"foot race" Buh Rabbit and Buh
Frog are admirers OF the beautiful Miss
Dnah, and try their best to win her.
The lady likes them both, but not being
permitted to marry them both, she re-
solves to make her choice depend upon
the result of foot-race. The distance
| is to be ten miIes-that is, five miles out
and five miles in-along level road
densely bordered with bushes. The day
arrives Miss Dinah, seated at the start
ing-point, is to give the word to the
rivals, who stand one on either side, and
the goal for the winner il to be place
in her lap. by agreement, Buh Rabbit
is to take the open road, and Buh Frog,
who perfers it, is allowed to leap through
the bushes, and both are to halloo to
each other at the end Of every mile.
Buh Rabbit however, with all his cur
ming ,shas this time met his match; for
Buh Frog has engaged five of his kins-
men. so nearly like himself in appearance
that they can not be distinguished from
him, and has stationed one in conceal
ment near each mile-post, with in
structions how to act, while he has pro-
vided for himself q nice hiding place IN
the bushes near Miss Dinah's seat. At
the word go! the rivals start, Buh Frog
leaping into the bushes, where he dis
appears, and Buh Rabbit cape ring along
the road and Haunting his white tail
merrily at the thought of distancing the
other so far that he shall never see or
hear of him again till after Miss Dinah
has been won At the end of the first
mile Buh Rabbit turns his head back and
tauntingly halloos, | here Buh Frog
How you get along?"
To his dsmay, however, he hears the
voice of the other in the bushes ahead OF
him singing out, Boo.hoo! | heie,
too! beat you here, I'll beat you
there Pll beat you back to Miss Dinah's
lap !"
On hearing this boast repeated ahead
of him in the bushes at each mile post,
Buh Rabbit becomes frantic, and rushes
through the last mile as he had never
run before. But all in vain. Just as he
comes within easy view of the coveted
goal he sees Buh Frog leaping from the
bushes plump into Miss Dinah's lap, and
hears him sing, with as good breath as
though he had not run a mile
"Boo.noo! Before you!
beat you there, beat you here;
Pve beat YOU back to Miss Dinah's lapw
Another version makes the competitors
Buh Deer and Buh Cooter (the negro
name for terrapiu or land.tortoise), in
which Buh CoOter wins the day by col.
lusion with some of his closely-resembling
kin. Substantially the same story is to
be heard from the natives OF each of the
four continents, but whether the African
gained his idea of 1t from Europe or Asia,
or whether the European or Asian gained
it from Africa, is perhaps past determin-
ing. The writer can testify that the
story as above narrated, or rather the
substance of it, was told him in child
hood by negroes supposed to have
obtained it direct from Africa.
Some of these stories are mere lauda
tions of Buh Rabbits shrewdness and
common sense. Buh Wolf has long had
a watering of the mouth for rabbit flesh
but has never been able to crafty it
He finally hits upon the following ex
pedient. He causes report to be spread
that he has suddenly died, and all hi'
neighaors, especially Buh Rabbit, are
invited to his funeral. lie has no doubt
that his plump, short-,ailed neighbor,
being once inclosed within the walls oil
his houss, will fall an easy prey to him
self and his attending cousins. Buh Rab
bit, however, is not to be easily ensnared
ua ooas demurely to the house OF mourn.