The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-05
OLD UNCLE TYNE,
-oR1G1NAL BEER RABBIT STORY
TELLER

rale Old Colored Man, Who is
-,.s-,ar as Cricket-He Tells of
vontb and How He Became Ac-
- With Rabbits-A Cores
,,dent Hunts Him Up and Gets
s.ory From Him.
rov-x GA. Jan. Ii have found
~ ;.iu,l "Brer Babbltt" story teller.
.. lives in this district.
rs stately old colored man, and his
"a is "Uncle Tyne" His head is bend
and his matted locks are white as
Int his Sharp eye holds its luster, and
= art has lost no cunning.
n. Glands 6 feet 2 in his stocking feet,
5.so old man is as clipper as a cricket.
I..alsgence is deeply marked on his face,
his uttarances draw his listeners like
70 His deep, sonorous voice and the
.I vav that b. tells his stories makes
.i,,Ie fable glow with interest. 1t is
- an entertainment of a rare sort TO
~. 70 this old man tell stories. Formerly
1i..i I'll the servants who were slaves told
asat' st1ries. bat nearly all have died.
s III. T,ne is one of a class which is nearly
v.sS When called on him after sunset
60 he appeared a trifie Disconnected,
"a ia declined to talk until he found that l
~ NOT a guano agent. THESE fellows"
cement him very much IN ms OLD age ne
va He stumbled into his little room and
s 81 ont his two chairs. aud the enter
..;n5,snt was about to begin. The curtain
. ..-..' and Uncle Tyne was the player.
~ ieaned forward in his chair, aad, plac-
..aob elbow on q kEae, he folded his
t US on his Jap and began. He looked out
.-I tba cotton field, down into the meadow
IN font OF US, and did not once put his eyes
Ome; A,,,,,
Nancy She wuz my grandmuyer," he
so;A touching upon his career. when
Tr,1 biz huff ter tote chips an draw water,
AM Nancy put me ter work. had to go
tS-o, a thicket NV gallbsrries ter de spring,
.uly dareis wbar seed de fust rabbit l ever
.os5 Sin. dat thing sho' did make an UNI
rresbup on me. 1t hoped up, it did, fun
si6e Ia path. and 'peared lack it wGzzent
toerd nv me, and run'd down ter de spring
bead ar me. When it done got clean out er
nv sicat sot de bucket down and tuck
sic.srdst rabbit hard as could tare. But
be WINS done gone. Well sir ever since den
lie loved rabbits. I'd go back down dere
ever day ter see if could see dat rabbit.
tuck an drempt bout em-'bout he's
white tail bobbin' up al dow fro 1t NV me
and / iei kept studyin bout i'm. One night
Isot down on de ha'f 10 my aun' Nancy an
Iayed her ter tell me what dem rabbits
WIZ good fur. She said "dey's de DEVILS
witches Here the old man smiled
broadly, and changed the position
Of his hands In bis lap. well. sir, dat, jes'
cot me interested wusser. | wouldn't ha'dly
donufia' fur huntin' fur er nuver DEVILS
witches I'd go out fo' day lookin' fur 'em,
an rot git back fo' dinner. I'd take an
git off in de corner Nv de ya'd, an make
lack wuz er rabbit myself I'd eat grass
an jump erbout on my all-fours, jes' lack l
thought dey did. got ter be no count,
Aun' Nancy said, an everybody said wuz
er tramp an er runaway niger. | tell
yol, lack ter went 'strac ed bout de
Mollie Cotton Tails Here Uncle Tyne ex-
planned that the last ma given was one
which he originated after ne grew up and
became rabbit story teller.
"One time" the old man continued, 81
went ter err naboris 'oIse wild my Aun'
Nancy, and it come up or big rain, an we
had ter stay all night. Dat night wuz de
fust time ever heayd er rabbit tale.
nuver did forget dat tale, an I'd take an
git oft IN de corner Nv de yod an tell it over
ter myself
"By-me-bye gotup old ernufP to go bout
by myself, an tuck an slipped off from
Aun' Nancy an stay wild some or dc niggers
IN de naborhood." Old Uncle Tyne looked
straight down before him and smiled and
said: II got to whar | could do as | pleased.
Aun' Nancy wuz gittin' too old ter do any,
thing and wuz jes' gittin' old huff to do
sV'ytning.
But had de name Nv doing monstrous
Htle. got so nuver would stay home at
night, an mighty little in de day. | kept
goln' bout mongst de Majors till | larned
all bout de rabbits. OATS all wanted ter
Know. didn't keered muffin tall bout de
lggers. | dlda't mind what dey sayd. |
sspt studyin' and studyin' bout de ole
Aolle Cottontalls, till one night de deakin
10 De CHURCH sot er time ter meet at his
ouSe ter tell tales He said he had or big
n1e rawhlde whurp ter give ter der best
Ale teller. Dey didn't C unit me in de
game, but went ter heah dem tell de tales,
Dsy SAID deyd found dat lazy Niger TYNE
. sU9lq De dere. When every body was .fru
s!'n de deakin looked at me an lowd.
anu you got tale budivp
iNrter dropped my head and everybody
thugaeq an said, Yes, he's got er tale, make
UNI tell IT, DE deakin' he said, Buddy, if
wv wants to git in de race, out wild your
Sas g Il you amt got none, you got 10
A@FCi DOdJ IUOk6u me,
al Iore know'd it, wuz tellin' a tale. I
never heay'd it 10 an aiu't f'g It it since
asa, some kind er GUS speret wuz shorely
=, =. ms, an my mouf open an shut jes lack
' y meeeTTsneen- Everything wuz mighty
sau' ui l got fru wild it, den dere wuz such
y 9uVner scraping ur chairs round
~. ue room, a. such er coughin
at it skeared me. Everybody
w sui den an looged bout TO everybody
o ae. De deakin got UP airter while and
Slle clean cross de room au' patted M on
@ w an How'd, You'll make er good
jaI SpLtter yet, buddy Airter de meetin'
w. cal ed me hack in deroom." Here
S u.s. oiu man stopped and went inside the
-t use W hen he co ne out he held large
St n'p 10 his hand, and just as he got oppo-
bso, ulo ue popped it, 50 that it might have
'T ~ hea d half mile away.
Ii! ne grlnned broadly and rested it under
S ~ arm, as he proceeded: "Airter dat
Isu!' ne continued, 81 wuz kersidered de
~ v'SS Iale-teller, and / wuz de head man
,Sre gu de cotton pickin's an de corn
br "sAs. De piggers use ter said dat my
m %osae Aung on golden hinges an my mouf
TT HY9. dog-lat an honey-bush.n
A. oolIverlng himself Of the bit of flattery
s Az Via man threw his head back and gave
"a, he, that aroused the chickens.
5a Arter dat, he continued, 81 wuz ker-
5Se.eG de bes in the flock an if didn't tell
IN, .als q Ter eVry party de people wuz dis
sa'eu AS the old man finished shadow
Leo 10 pass over his face and his counte-
S he blended with the nightfall which was
SSTuSIiing the earth. He sat with his arms
d" e4 looking out over the field down into
Ne meadow.
all was silence, save the mellow twinkle
va coWbell as s1a t7yrnad bar head ho.,o