Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 41.djvu/60

50 house and ask for some water, when the following conversation occurs:

"Reckly he holler out, 'Mammy, mammy! what you reckon? Dey'er lapping de water! De 'oman she holler back, 'I reckon dat's de way de quality folks does, honey.'"

Then the ladies ask for some bread and eat it, so as to cause the little boy to cry:

"Mammy, mammy! what you reckon? Dey'er got great long tushes." De 'oman she holler back, "I reckon all de quality folks has got 'em, honey."

Then they wash their hands, and again the boy cries:

"Mammy, mammy! what you reckon? Dey got little bit er hairy hans and arms." De 'oman she holler back, "I reckon all de quality folks has got 'em, honey."

The ladies now request that the little boy show them the way to the cross-roads, which he refuses to do until admonished by his mother.

"Now," says Uncle Remus, "dish yer little boy had two mighty bad dogs. One un urn waz name Minny minny Morack, en de oter one was name Follerlinsko, en de waz so bad dey hatter be tied in de yard day an' night, 'cep w'en dey wuzen't ahuntin'."

Before setting out, however, the boy places a pan of water in the kitchen, and sticks a willow twig near by in the ground, telling his mother that when the water turns to blood and the willow shakes, she is to loose the dogs and send them to hunt for him. He then proceeds to conduct the ladies to the cross-roads; but after he has gone some way perceives, on looking behind him, that the supposed ladies are walking on all fours. This strikes him as somewhat suspicious, and he hastens to climb up a big pine tree near at hand for safety. The ladies try and persuade him to come down, threatening to tell his mother of his disobedience; but in vain; the little boy prefers to remain where he is. "Den," says Uncle Remus, "de quality ladies got mighty mad. Dey walked 'roun' dat tree en fairly snorted. Dey pulled off der bonnets, en der veils, en der dresses, en, lo en behole! de little boy seed dey wuz two great big pant'ers. . . . Dey tried to climb de tree, but dey had done trim der claws so dey could git on gloves, en dey couldn't clam no mo'.

"Den one un em sot down in de road en made a kuse mark in de sand, en der great long tails turned to axes, dan de gun to cut de tree down. . ..

"But wiles the little boy wuz settin' up dar skeered mighty nigh ter def, hit come inter his min' dat he had some eggs in his pocket w'at he done brung with 'im fer ter eat w'enever he git hongry. He tuck out one er de eggs en broke it en say, 'Place