Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-07-11
Found and ROM ae Rabbit Dorm
=-= ALABAMA FOLK LORE --
AsTOd by Black Nanny Her Wondering White Childer


nanny had told us so many stories
of the strange doings there. We
knew how Mister Rabbit befooled
and played tricks upon al The beasts
and birds that we're his neighbors.
He had coaxed Mister Deer into put.
ting his head into the hollow of the
bee-gum-tree to get honey to eat.
Then down came the bees in an angry
swarm and stung poor Deer until his
head swelled to twice its size; then
Rabbit came leaping down the wood
path, Calling
Run, Br'er Deer! Run Br'er Deer!
Don't you hear! Don't you hear!
Yonder King George come.
All his dogs in q run
Mister Deer at this was gone,-what
nanny called a "brambrugious jerk,
and out of the hollow tree came his
swollen head Torn and bleeding /;
came, for neither Nanny nor Mister
Rabbit minded if serious trouble came
liz the way of the story Of the playing
of FRANKS. But Nanny never played
a prank, of course, she was the acme
of dusky dignity, but how she did re-
joice in telling of "Br'er Rabbits
devilment,"
Mister Deer's face healed up white
and this story of Mammy's we believ.
ed to be strictly true, for any one can
see that to this day a deer's face is
white.
Then what a trick it was that Mis-.
ter Rabbit played on Mister Dog! We
never tired of hearing that story with
! the queer whistles and realistic pants
and cultural barks that Nanny in
terpersed through the story, which
ran as follows:
Mister Dog had found living or
Mister Mans scraps better'n scrapin
up a Twin in de vile woods" so we
were told, and he had left his old-time
companions, the wolf, the fox and the
rest of his kind, and had taken &c
''stretchin' hisse'f in de sun on Mister
Mans front porch" From this it was
easy to take the next step,--to go g
hunting with Mister Man.
An old friend transformed into al
enemy becomes always a most formid
able one. Mister Dog was no excep
ton. He knew the haunts of The
beasts and to them he guided Mister
Man. The quick scent of the wilC
wood creature remained with hin
and made it next to impossible fol
the beasts to escape him More thar
this he could In those days whistle
and a most entieing whistle it wa!
which Mister Dog had When tht
beasts heard that alluring whistle
they were obliged to creep and craw
from their covert and come straign
TO Mister Dog, Mister Mainland th'
Pun, He SO dealt dire destruction
among his old time friends that the,
felt one and all that some plan Of de
Tense must be determined on.
A council was called in the dec
woods. To it there came the ele
plant, the tiger, the lion, the wolf, tn'
fox, every animal that ever roamet
, the wild, and, of course, the rabbit
All spoke at length, something mus
be done. If even that alluring whistl
that Mr.. Dog practiced could b.
stilled! 1t must be done.
/ But who would do it?
All looked to the king Of the beasts
but the lion had a pressing engage
ment in the council chamber of hi
den.
The tiger had "compn'y comm t.
| dinner" The wolf had engaged to e
on a jaunt with the pack on the ia
fields where snow had already fallen
and so on to the last OF the grea
beasts of the wood All had with on
accord excused themselves except
Mister Rabbit.
Mister Rabbit in those days was
splentid creature, small as he was
he had fine bushy tail, which h
carried in a jaunty way above hi
back as Mister Squirrel does now.
Mister Rabbit was known to b
bold as the ion, swift as the tiger, a
tirc.ess as the wolf so he did no
shirk the job left to his puny strength
OF from the wild woods he started
out across the fields, from briar pate
to briar patch to Mister Mans mouse
Mister Dog lay in the sun on tn
front gallery painting and tired fror
| his last furious chase Of his old-tim
friends Mister Rabbit Jumped +
the top-rail of the fence and sa
hunched up there his fine tail wavin
high and his long ears pricked up
| Mister Dog" he said, 81 done lei
de wife woods to see you. done lei
de deep swamp to hear you, don
got lonesome without you. | don
got anxions to hear you whistle da
bes' song dat you can whistle
Of course the beasts spoke negr
/ dialect, at least in our day they did
in Aesop's day It was di6erent wit
them.
/ Mister Dog was nattered that Miste
Rabbit had come 80 far to hear hin
whistle and tired as he was ne prepal
cd to crafty the desire of his visito
| from across the wide fields.
He sat upon his launches and purs
ed up his iips-and whistled "a
never a dog had whistled before.
| 1t was enhancing and Mister Rat
bit was very nearly ready to lea
right down as food for Mister Dog
claws and jaws. But with great effor
he held his rail.
The tune finished Mister Do
waited for applause