“None at all,” replied Mrs. Meadows. “It was just an old-time tale.”
“Now, I’m truly glad to hear you say so,” cried Mr. Rabbit, appearing to be very much pleased. “It’s as good as taking a nap.” He winked2 gravely at Buster John, and then proceeded to refill his pipe.
“I thought it was a pretty good story,” said Buster John. “It turned out to be a story so quick that it was all over with before I knew it was a story.”
“Well,” replied Mr. Rabbit, “I had to tell it mighty3 quick. Suppose I had stopped to light my pipe and left my own kin1 dangling4 between the Moon and the World! I knew in reason it would never do, and so I rattled5 away almost as fast as the oldest Rabbit jumped. It was a long story quickly told of a long journey quickly made.”
Mr. Rabbit seemed to be in better humor than ever. He leaned back, and patted the ground softly with one foot.
“Speaking of journeys,” he said, after awhile, “makes me think about how Brother Bear started out in the world. But what am I doing?” he cried. “I don’t want to do all the talking. I don’t have any chance to sleep unless somebody else is telling a story.”
“Now, please tell us the story,” pleaded Sweetest Susan.
“I’ll have to,” replied Mr. Rabbit, “since I’ve got it started. Well, one time when Brother Bear was young, the time came for him to scratch around and scuffle for himself. He had already learned how to grabble for sweet potatoes, how to tote an armful of roasting ears, and how to shut his eyes and rob a bee-tree, and so his daddy thought it was about time for him to go off and earn his own living. Brother Bear said he was more than willing, and when he came to tell his folks good-by, his daddy gave him seven pieces of honey-in-the-comb, saying:—
“‘This is all I have to give you, but it’s enough. Whoever eats this honey with you will have to wrestle6 with you seven years or give you everything he owns.’
“So Brother Bear put his seven pieces of honey-in-the-comb in a bag, slung7 the bag over his back, and went shuffling8 down the big road. He traveled all that day, and camped out in the woods at night. The next morning, just as he was about to eat breakfast, he heard a rustling9 in the bushes, and presently Brother Tiger came slipping and sliding along, hunting for his breakfast. Brother Bear howdied, and Brother Tiger said he was only tolerable—not as peart as he might be, and yet pearter than he had been. Then Brother Tiger sat and watched Brother Bear take put a piece of his honey-in-the-comb, and the sight made his mouth water. Brother Bear noticed this, and he says, says he:—
“‘I wish you mighty well, Brother Tiger, and I’d like to ask you to have some of my breakfast, for I have more than a plenty for two. But the trouble is, that whoever eats any of this honey-in-the-comb will have to wrestle with me seven years or give me all his belongings10.’
“‘Don’t let that bother you,’ says Brother Tiger, says he. ‘I’m a pretty good wrestler11 myself, and I don’t mind trying my hand with you after I’ve tasted your honey-in-the-comb.’
“But Brother Bear hemmed12 and hawed, and acted so that Brother Tiger thought he was either afraid to wrestle or mighty stingy with his honey-in-the-comb. He thought so, and he said so, and this put Brother Bear on his mettle13. So he says, says he:—
“‘Well, Brother Tiger, come and get a piece of my honey-in-the-comb. I’m more than glad to give it to you, and sorry, too, because, as sure as you eat it, you’ll be put under a spell, and you’ll be obliged to wrestle with me seven long years or give me all your belongings.’
“Brother Tiger grinned from ear to ear. Says he, ‘If I don’t have to wrestle before I get the honey-in-the-comb, it will be all right. Just let me get my fill of that, and I’ll wrestle with you seven times seven years. I’ll promise to make you tired of wrestling.’
“‘So be it,’ says Brother Bear. ‘Come and get the honey-in-the-comb, and take all you want, for I won’t need any after I’ve wrestled14 with you a time or two,’ says he.
“Brother Tiger went up and tasted the honey-in-the-comb, and it was so good that he smacked15 his lips and asked for more. Brother Bear gave him some. After both had eat as much as they wanted, Brother Tiger took a notion to go home, but something held him back. The spell was working. But finally he pulled himself together, and said he believed he’d go home and see his old woman.
“But Brother Bear chuckled16 to himself. Says he, ‘Now that you’ve gobbled up my honey-in-the-comb, you don’t want to wrestle. You can’t help yourself. When I say wrestle, you’ll have to wrestle. You can go home now, but to-morrow, bright and early, I’ll knock at your door, and you’ll have to come out and wrestle.’
“Says Brother Tiger, says he, ‘I’ll be more than glad to accommodate you. Just knock at the door any hour after daybreak, and you’ll find me on hand.’
“Says Brother Bear, ‘I’ll do so, I’ll do so. Just remember your spoken word, Brother Tiger!’
“Brother Tiger started home, but before he had gone very far he began to feel mighty queer. He had a buzzing noise in his head and a creepy, crawly feeling on his hide. He began to get scared. Once he thought the honey had poisoned him, but he wasn’t sick. He never felt better in his life. He wanted to jump and run, and I believe the tale does say that he capered17 around a time or two. But every time he’d start home he’d have that buzzing sound in his head and that creepy, crawly feeling in his hide.
“So, by and by, he thought he would turn back and see what Brother Bear thought about it. No sooner said than done. He went back at a hand gallop18, and found Brother Bear curled up at the foot of a tree fast asleep. The honey had made him feel so good that he concluded to enjoy himself by taking another nap. But he got up brisk enough when he heard Brother Tiger calling him, and by the time he had rubbed his eyes once or twice, and gaped19 and stretched himself, he was as wide awake as ever.
“Says he, ‘I knew you’d come back, Brother Tiger, and so I just waited for you; and while I was waiting I ups and drops off to sleep. But anyhow and anyway, here you are, and there’s no harm done.’
“Says Brother Tiger, says he, ‘I just came back to ask you about the queer feeling I have.’
“Says Brother Bear, ‘That’s easy enough. You just wanted to wrestle, and so you had to come back. I have the feeling most all the time when I’m not sleeping or eating. It’s a sort of zooning sound in the ears, and a sort of ticklish20 feeling on the hide. Well, there isn’t anything the matter at all. You just want to wrestle, and as the feeling is new to you, you didn’t know what it was.’
“Says Brother Tiger, ‘I believe you are right, Brother Bear; I believe that’s the whole trouble.’
“‘Well,’ says Brother Bear, ‘I’ll try you one round, just to loosen up my hide and put me in traveling trim. I’ll not wrestle with you very hard, because you are not used to it, and it’s too soon to get down to business with you. I told you about it when you wanted to eat the honey, but you would eat it, and now you’ll have to wrestle with me, off and on, first and last, for seven long years; and if you don’t, you’ll have to give me your house and all your belongings.’
“So they took off their coats and made ready to wrestle. ‘As you are not used to these capers21,’ says Brother Bear, ‘I’ll give you all-under holt, and promise not to use the in-turn, the ham-twist, or the knee-lock.’
“Now, Brother Tiger didn’t know whether Brother Bear was talking Latin or Chinese, but he said nothing: he just stood up and grabbed Brother Bear around the waist, or where the waist ought to be.
“‘When you are ready,’ says Brother Bear, ‘just give the word.’
“‘Well,’ says Brother Tiger, ‘I reckon I’m as ready now as I ever will be.’
“With that Brother Bear hugged Brother Tiger pretty tight, whirled around with him a time or two, fell on him, and then cuffed22 him, first on one ear and then on the other. It was all done so quick that Brother Tiger didn’t have time to say don’t. He got up and felt of his ribs23 to see if they were still whole, and then he rubbed the side of his head where Brother Bear had cuffed him. It had already begun to swell24. His breeches were badly ripped, and he was sore all over.
“‘Oh, no!’ says Brother Bear. ‘It wouldn’t do to call that wrestling. That was only playing. I was just showing you the first few capers: you can’t wrestle until you learn how. I’ll drop by your house to-morrow morning, bright and early, and give you another whirl.’
“Brother Tiger looked mighty solemn, but he didn’t say anything. He ambled26 off home as well as he could in his condition, and got his old woman to mend his breeches. She wanted to know who he had been fighting with, but he told her he had just been playing with Brother Bear. She laughed, and said that when he had played that way a few more times there wouldn’t be enough of him left, neither breeches, body, nor bones, to sew up in a bag.
“Well, the next morning, bright and early, Brother Bear rapped at Brother Tiger’s door, and told him to come out and take some exercise before breakfast. Brother Tiger didn’t like this invitation at all. He said he wanted to sleep a little longer; but Brother Bear sent in word that the night was made for sleeping, while the day was made for work and play. Now, it so happened that the honey which Brother Tiger had ate had put a spell on him, and when Brother Bear asked him out to wrestle he had to come. He pulled on his clothes with no good heart, for he was still very sore, and came limping out, trying to put a good face on the affair. Brother Bear laughed, and told Brother Tiger howdy, but Brother Tiger didn’t make much of a reply.
“So Brother Bear says, says he, ‘I hope you are not begrudging27 your bargain, Brother Tiger, but you made it yourself, and at no invitation of mine. I had the seven pieces of honey-in-the-comb, and you had the bad taste in the mouth. I told you how it would be, but you would have the honey, and now you’ll have to stand to your bargain: you can’t help yourself now. I told you the plain truth about it, but you wouldn’t believe it. You’ll find out the truth before you get the taste of that honey out of your mouth.’
“Then they made a few passes at each other; but Brother Bear finally grabbed Brother Tiger around his striped waist, squeezed the breath out of him, dashed him on the ground, cuffed his ears, and then stood there on his hind28 legs, waiting to see what Brother Tiger was going to do. But Brother Tiger didn’t want any more wrestling for that day. He went into the house and washed his face and hands, and sat down and licked his bruises29 the best he could.
“But the next morning he had to come out and wrestle again, and this happened until he was so weak he could hardly walk. His hide was split, his ears were swollen30, and every stripe on his long body was crossed by a scar. Wrestling was fine fun for Brother Bear, who was used to it, but it was no fun for Brother Tiger, who didn’t know how. Every time he wrestled he got new bruises, and his head swelled31 until he could hardly get in the door of his house without backing his ears.
“Finally, one day he told Brother Bear candidly32 that he would rather give up his house and lot than to be tossed around and cuffed at that rate. Brother Bear said that he would rather wrestle and have a jolly time than to take Brother Tiger’s house; but Brother Tiger wouldn’t hear to that. He said he couldn’t stay in that part of the country and hear the talk of the neighbors. They would pester33 him mighty near to death on the week days, and fairly kill him out on Sunday, when they had nothing to do but sit around and gossip.
“So Brother Tiger moved out, and Brother Bear moved in; and it has come to pass that Brother Tiger won’t stay in the same country with Brother Bear for fear that he will have to do some more wrestling.”
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1
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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2
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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3
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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4
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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6
wrestle
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| vi.摔跤，角力；搏斗；全力对付 | |
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slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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8
shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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9
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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10
belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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11
wrestler
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| n.摔角选手，扭 | |
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12
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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13
mettle
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| n.勇气，精神 | |
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14
wrestled
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| v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤 | |
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15
smacked
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| 拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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16
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
capered
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| v.跳跃，雀跃( caper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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gaped
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的过去式和过去分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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20
ticklish
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| adj.怕痒的；问题棘手的；adv.怕痒地；n.怕痒，小心处理 | |
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21
capers
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| n.开玩笑( caper的名词复数 )；刺山柑v.跳跃，雀跃( caper的第三人称单数 ) | |
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22
cuffed
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| v.掌打，拳打( cuff的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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24
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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25
itching
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| adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 ) | |
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26
ambled
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| v.（马）缓行( amble的过去式和过去分词 )；从容地走，漫步 | |
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27
begrudging
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| 嫉妒( begrudge的现在分词 )； 勉强做； 不乐意地付出； 吝惜 | |
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28
hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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29
bruises
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| n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 ) | |
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30
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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31
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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32
candidly
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| adv.坦率地，直率而诚恳地 | |
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33
pester
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| v.纠缠，强求 | |
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