The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-09

is p"
The truth is. Aunt Mlnervy Ann was
talking to get rid of the embarrassment
which had seized her. And when they
laughed heartily at her description of the
experience" she felt better.
Now, den" she said. Il sorter feel
ike 1 wuz at home You all sot down
here and look at me so hard dat it tuck
my breff away. An right now l dunno
what l come 'roun here fer"
why, you We're to tell US a tale, Aunt
Minervy Ann" Sweetest Susan declared.
What l wanter know" remarked Aunt
Minervy Ann, lis why you come ter mi.
ter tell a tale, when dey's so many tale
tellers on de place? What de matter wild
dat gal dar?" pointing to Drusila. "She
got a monstous nice nanny; how come
she can't tell no tale?" AS nobody said
anything, Aunt Mnervy Ann went on:
what kinder tale you want? Which tale
mus I tell you?"
why, if l knew which tale I wanted
you to tell, l could tell it myself" said
Buster John. Don't you know any more
tales about Brother Rabbit and Brother
Fox?"
Look like you'd a done got your fill er
dem kinder tales by dis time" suggested
Aunt Minervy Ann. II don't git tired I'm
UNI myself, kaze in der gwines on an
in der windins up dem tales tetches folks
''4A"'A ~ iANS at Icy tAOtSs YES q SilO
ez youer sett,n' dar. I had one in my
head ter-day, an l come mighty nigh tel
lin it to Mars Tumlin, kaze | hear i'm
say he gwne in partnership wild dat ar
John Jeems Hightower, which he say he
done fine goP mine on his place. Ter
hear dat man, you'd think all he had ter
do wuz to go out in his back yard an
git bairlful er pyo goP wild no mo-
trouble dan shovelin' it up an shovelin'
1t in. Dat de way he talk, an when I
hear dat de tale bout OF Brer Fox dia-
mon mine pop in my head But l speck
you all done hear bout dat mo- times
dan you got fingers an toes"
But the children protested that they
had never heard of Brother Foxs diamond
mine.
IT seem like dat time wuz mighty hard
wild de creeturs harder dan what dey is
wild us right now" re marked Aunt Mi
nerVy Ann by way of preface, IAN de
creeturs had ter scuffle 'roun fer ter git
vittles ter eat an cloze ter war. 'Twuz
long bout de days when Brer Rabbit rob-
bed Brer Fox's COOLERS. Fust dey wuz a
long dry drout, an den a long wet rain
dat fresh'd de rivers, an de creeks, an
de branches outn der banks an washed
up all de craps. Dey wuz mo- sWimmin'
dan wedin' an mo wadin' dan walkin'
bout dat time, an when de water run'd
off, times wuz des a leetle bit harder dan
what dey wuz when de drout' wuz on.
You all mayn't b'lieve it, but hard times
will change habits. Let folks have plen-
ty ter eat, and huff c.oze to war, an
dey'll go on behavin' better an better; but
stint UNI, an dey'H go on behavin' wuss
an wuss. Now dat's be plain, naked trufe
an you'll fin it out when you git big huff
fer ter take notice er all de gwines-on
you see 'roun' you. Well 'twuz endurin'
deze hard times Ptellin' you bout dat de
frrrrr,
ter dem times dey went on an plant der
craps an work UNI an house us des like
folks does now. Dey had der corn patches
an der goober patches an der later
patches and der peach orchards, an dey'd
have der barbecues an dinners, an OF
Miss Meadows an de gals wuz dar fer ter
have quiltin' bees, an dey had der log
rollins and sech like.
But when times got hard, an dey got
wuss stdder gittin better they drap der
work, kaze 'twant no use ter work, an
den dey tuck ter stealin', an bimeby here
dey Wuz clawin' an chawin' one amer;
de big ones eatin' de little ones, an de
little ones eatn' de littlest up an down
thoo de woods; an fun dat time on dey
wuz viii. Dey quit warn cloze an h'ar
crowd on UNI, an after dey'd had blood
bread didn't tase good no mo-
''Yit de time I'm gwine ted tell you
bout wuz when times wuz gittin wus-
ser, but hadn't come ter de wuss. De
creetuTs wuz scufflin' an scrablin' for
sumpn L eat an none 'cept de biggest
had gun ter claw an chaw one amer
, Fo dem hard times dey had been a heap
er talk bout a damon min in dem parts
an all dat talk had been handed down
for de longest. Brer Wolf had heard his
great gran daddy talkin bout it; Brer
Fox gran daddy knowd sumpn bout it,
and Brer Rabbit gran nanny had lowed
daI eff she wuz young ez she use ter be an
had good use er limbs an eyes, she could
go right straight an put her han on de
place whar de damon min wuz at All
de OF creeturs talked dat way an de OF
ones TO dem, way back yam when de
creeturs wuz bigger dan what bosses is
now"
Bigger than horses! The children be-
gan to open their eyes and Sweetest Su-
san Struggled up to Aunt Mlnervy Ann
with that delightful thrill Of make be
lieve dread that only children can feel
Aunt Minervy Ann knew she had scored
Eyes. la, Bigger dan what bosses is
now. Dey'd set up cross-legged an run
on bout dat damon min, des Ike der
gran'dadies had done befo' UNI, an des
like der gran'chillun done after UNI An
when de hard times gun ter pinch UNI
dew start in ter hunt fer dat damon min
Ef dey'd "a worked ez hard ez dey hunt
ed. maybe dey mought er been better; any
how dey'd "a felt lots better.
'sRrer Wolf went off in de woods by
bisse'f an Brer Fox by hsse'f, an Brer
Rabbit by hisse'f, an dat wuz de way
wild all de yuthers. Dey don't want no
bodv ter know eff dey fin de damon
mine Dey hunt an dey hunt fun dawn
twel dark, an when night come deyd
dream bout It, But dey wuz bleeze ter
eat an some days dey'd so 'roun' hunt
in fer vittles Brer Rabbit had some
acorns dat his oil oman had saved up,
an, he foun' some sugar cane dat had
been buried in de SAN when de freshet
come. an he got long tol}able well; but
he want none too fat. Brer Wolf was
thin ez a fence rail, an Brer Fox wuz so
eaunt dat his family amt never got fat
down ter dis day.
.'WeIl. one time when de creeturs wuz
takin' a day off, Brer Fox, he low dat
he don't b'leve dey's any damon mine
anvwhar 'roun' in dat country. But Brer
Rabbit say his greatgran' nanny wuz
'quainted wild dem dat own de mine. Brer
Fox. he ak what der name wuz. Brer
Rabbit low dat der name wuz needer