XX BRER RABBIT TAKES SOME EXERCISE

 One night while the little boy was sitting in Uncle Remus's cabin, waiting for the old man to finish his hoe-cake, and refresh his memory as to the further adventures of Brother Rabbit, his friends and his enemies, something dropped upon the top of the house with a noise like the crack of a pistol. The little boy jumped, but Uncle Remus looked up and exclaimed, "Ah-yi!" in a tone of triumph.

 

"What was that, Uncle Remus?" the child asked, after waiting a moment to see what else would happen.

 

"News fum Jack² Fros', honey. W'en dat hick'y-nut tree out dar year 'im comin' she 'gins ter drap w'at she got. I mighty³ glad," he continued, scraping the burnt crust from his hoe-cake with an old case-knife, "I mighty glad hick'y-nuts ain't big en heavy ez grinestones."

 

He waited a moment to see what effect this queer statement would have on the child.

 

"Yasser, I mighty glad—dat I is. 'Kaze ef hick'y-nuts 'uz big ez grinestones dish yer ole callyboose 'ud be a-leakin' long 'fo' Chris'mus."

 

Just then another hickory-nut dropped upon the roof, and the [90]little boy jumped again. This seemed to amuse Uncle Remus, and he laughed until he was near to choking himself with his smoking hoe-cake.

 

"You does des 'zackly lak ole Brer Rabbit done, I 'clar' to gracious ef you don't!" the old man cried, as soon as he could get his breath; "dez zackly fer de worl'."

 

The child was immensely flattered, and at once he wanted to know how Brother Rabbit did. Uncle Remus was in such good humor that he needed no coaxing⁵. He pushed his spectacles back on his forehead, wiped his mouth on his sleeve, and began:—

 

"Hit come 'bout⁶ dat soon one mawnin' todes de fall er de year, Brer Rabbit wuz stirrin' 'roun' in de woods atter some bergamot fer ter make 'im some h'ar-grease. De win' blow so col' dat it make 'im feel right frisky⁷, en eve'y time he year de bushes rattle⁸ he make lak he skeerd. He 'uz gwine on dis a-way, hoppity-skippity, w'en bimeby he year Mr. Man cuttin' on a tree way off in de woods. He fotch up, Brer Rabbit did, en lissen fus' wid one year en den⁹ wid de yuther.

 

"Man, he cut en cut, en Brer Rabbit, he lissen en lissen. Bimeby, w'iles all dis was gwine on, down come de tree—kubber-lang-bang-blam! Brer Rabbit, he tuck'n jump des lak you jump, en let 'lone¹⁰ dat, he make a break, he did, en he lipt out fum dar lak de dogs wuz atter 'im."

 

"Was he scared, Uncle Remus?" asked the little boy.

 

"Skeerd! Who? Him? Shoo! don't you fret¹¹ yo'se'f 'bout Brer Rabbit, honey. In dem days dey wa'n't nothin' gwine dat kin⁴ skeer Brer Rabbit. Tooby sho', he tuck keer hisse'f, en ef you know de man w'at 'fuse ter take keer hisse'f, I lak mighty well ef you p'int 'im out. Deed'n dat I would!"

 

Uncle Remus seemed to boil over with argumentative indignation.

 

"Well, den," he continued, "Brer Rabbit run twel he git sorter het up like, en des 'bout de time he makin' ready fer ter squot en [91]ketch he win', who should he meet but Brer Coon gwine home atter settin' up wid ole Brer Bull-Frog. Brer Coon see 'im runnin', en he hail 'im.

 

"'Wat yo' hurry, Brer Rabbit?'

 

"'Ain't got time ter tarry.'

 

"'Folks sick?'

 

"'No, my Lord! Ain't got time ter tarry!'

 

"'Tryin' yo' soopleness?'

 

"'No, my Lord! Ain't got time ter tarry!'

 

"'Do pray, Brer Rabbit, tell me de news!'

 

"'Mighty big fuss back dar in de woods. Ain't got time ter tarry!'

 

"Dis make Brer Coon feel mighty skittish¹², 'kaze he fur ways fum home, en he des lipt out, he did, en went a-b'ilin' thoo de woods. Brer Coon ain't gone fur twel he meet Brer Fox.

 

"'Hey, Brer Coon, whar you gwine?'

 

"'Ain't got time ter tarry!'

 

"'Gwine at'-de doctor?'

 

"'No, my Lord! Ain't got time ter tarry.'

 

"'Do pray, Brer Coon, tell me de news.'

 

"'Mighty quare racket back dar in de woods! Ain't got time ter tarry!'

 

"Wid dat, Brer Fox lipt out, he did, en fa'rly split de win'. He ain't gone fur twel he meet Brer Wolf.

 

"'Hey, Brer Fox! Stop en res' yo'se'f!'

 

"'Ain't got time ter tarry!'

 

"'Who bin¹ want de doctor?'

 

"'No'ne, my Lord! Ain't got time ter tarry!'

 

"'Do pray, Brer Fox, good er bad, tell me de news.'

 

"'Mighty kuse fuss back dar in de woods! Ain't got time ter tarry!'

 

"Wid dat, Brer Wolf shuck hisse'f loose fum de face er de yeth, en he ain't git fur twel he meet Brer B'ar. Brer B'ar he ax, en [92]Brer Wolf make ans'er, en bimeby Brer B'ar he fotch a snort en run'd off; en, bless gracious! 't wa'n't long 'fo' de las' one er de creeturs wuz a-skaddlin' thoo de woods lak de Ole Boy was atter um—en all 'kaze Brer Rabbit year Mr. Man cut tree down.

 

"Dey run'd en dey run'd," Uncle Remus went on, "twel dey come ter Brer Tarrypin house, en dey sorter slack up 'kaze dey done mighty nigh los' der win'. Brer Tarrypin, he up'n ax um wharbouts dey gwine, en dey 'low dey wuz a monst'us tarryfyin' racket back dar in de woods. Brer Tarrypin, he ax w'at she soun' lak. One say he dunno, n'er say he dunno, den dey all say dey dunno. Den Brer Tarrypin, he up'n ax who year dis monst'us racket. One say he dunno, n'er say he dunno, den dey all say dey dunno. Dis make ole Brer Tarrypin laff 'way down in he insides, en he up'n say, sezee:—

 

"You all kin run 'long ef you feel skittish,' sezee. 'Atter I cook my brekkus en wash up de dishes, ef I gits win' er any 'spicious racket may be I mought take down my pairsol en foller long atter you,' sezee.

 

"Wen de creeturs come ter make inquirements 'mungs one er n'er 'bout who start de news, hit went right spang back ter Brer Rabbit, but, lo en beholes! Brer Rabbit ain't dar, en it tu'n out dat Brer Coon is de man w'at seed 'im las'. Den dey got ter layin' de blame un it on one er n'er, en little mo' en dey'd er fit dar scan'lous, but ole Brer Tarrypin, he up'n 'low dat ef dey want ter git de straight un it, dey better go see Brer Rabbit.

 

"All de creeturs wuz 'gree'ble, en dey put out ter Brer Rabbit house. W'en dey git dar, Brer Rabbit wuz a-settin' cross-legged in de front po'ch winkin' he eye at de sun. Brer B'ar, he speak up:—

 

"'W'at make you fool me, Brer Rabbit?'

 

"'Fool who, Brer B'ar?'

 

"'Me, Brer Rabbit, dat's who.'

"'AH-YI: YOU OUGHTER AX ME DAT FUS', BRER COON'" "'AH-YI: YOU OUGHTER AX ME DAT FUS', BRER COON'"

 

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[93]"'Dish yer de fus' time I seed you dis day, Brer B'ar, en you er mo' dan welcome ter dat.'

 

"Dey all ax 'im en git de same ans'er, en den Brer Coon put in:—

 

"'Wat make you fool me, Brer Rabbit?'

 

"'How I fool you, Brer Coon?'

 

"'You make lak dey wuz a big racket, Brer Rabbit.'

 

"'Dey sholy wuz a big racket, Brer Coon.'

 

"'Wat kinder racket, Brer Rabbit?'

 

"'Ah-yi! You oughter ax me dat fus', Brer Coon.'

 

"'I axes you now, Brer Rabbit.'

 

"'Mr. Man cut tree down, Brer Coon.'

 

"Co'se dis make Brer Coon feel like a nat'al-born Slink, en 't wa'n't long 'fo' all de creeturs make der bow ter Brer Rabbit en mosey off home."

 

"Brother Rabbit had the best of it all along," said the little boy, after waiting to see whether there was a sequel to the story.

 

"Oh, he did dat a-way!" exclaimed Uncle Remus. "Brer Rabbit was a mighty man in dem days."

1 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

2 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

3 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

4 kin   

n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的

参考例句：

• He comes of good kin.他出身好。
• She has gone to live with her husband's kin.她住到丈夫的亲戚家里去了。

5 coaxing   

v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应

参考例句：

• No amount of coaxing will make me change my mind. 任你费尽口舌也不会说服我改变主意。
• It took a lot of coaxing before he agreed. 劝说了很久他才同意。 来自辞典例句

6 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

7 frisky   

adj.活泼的，欢闹的；n.活泼，闹着玩；adv.活泼地，闹着玩地

参考例句：

• I felt frisky,as if I might break into a dance.我感到很欢快，似乎要跳起舞来。
• His horse was feeling frisky,and he had to hold the reins tightly.马儿欢蹦乱跳，他不得不紧勒缰绳。

8 rattle   

v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓

参考例句：

• The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。
• She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。

9 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

10 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

11 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.

12 skittish   

adj.易激动的，轻佻的

参考例句：

• She gets very skittish when her boy-friend is around.她男朋友在场时，她就显得格外轻佻。
• I won't have my son associating with skittish girls.我不准我的儿子与轻佻的女孩交往。