IX
MISS COW FALLS A VICTIM TO MR. RABBIT
MISS COW FALLS A VICTIM TO MR. RABBIT
“Uncle Remus,” said the little boy, “what became of the Rabbit after he fooled the Buzzard, and got out of the hollow tree?”
“Who? Brer Rabbit? Bless your soul, honey, Brer Rabbit went skippin’ along home, he did, just as sassy as a jay-bird at a sparrow’s nest. He went gallopin’ along, he did, but he feel mighty tired out, and stiff in his joints, and he was mighty nigh dead for something for to drink, and by and by, when he got almost home, he spied old Miss Cow feeding around in a field, he did, and he determined for to try his hand with her. Brer Rabbit know mighty well that Miss Cow won’t give him no milk, ‘cause she done refuse him more than once, and when his old woman was sick, at that. But never mind that Brer Rabbit sort of dance up along side of the fence, he did, and holler out:
“ ‘Howdy, Sis Cow,’ says Brer Rabbit, says he.
“ ‘Why, howdy, Brer Rabbit,’ says Miss Cow, says she.
“ ‘How you find yourself these days, Sis Cow?’ says Brer Rabbit, says he.
“ ‘I’m sort of tolerable, Brer Rabit; how you come on?’ says Miss Cow, says she.
“ ‘Oh, I’m just tolerable myself, Sis Cow; sort of lingerin’ between a balk and a break-down,’ says Brer Rabbit, says he.
“ ‘How your folks, Brer Rabbit?” says Miss Cow, says she.
“ ‘They are just middling, Sis Cow; how Brer Bull getting’ on?” says Brer Rabbit, says he.
“ ‘Sort of so-so,’ says Miss Cow, says she,
“ ‘There are some mighty nice persimmons up this tree, Sis Cow,’ says Brer Rabbit, says he, ‘and I’d like mighty well to have some of them,’ says he.
“ ‘How you going to get them, Brer Rabbit,’ says she.
“ ‘I allowed maybe that I might ask you for to butt against the tree, and shake some down, Sis Cow,’ says Brer Rabbit, says he.
“ ‘Course Miss Cow don’t want to disaccommodate Brer Rabbit, and she marched up to the persimmon tree, she did, and hit it a rap with her horns – blam! Now then," continued Uncle Remus tearing off the corner of a plug of tobacco and cramming it into his mouth – “now, then, them persimmons was green as grass, and never one would drop. Then Miss Cow backed off a little further,she did, and hoist her tail on her back, and come against the tree, kerblam! And she come so fast, and she come so hard, until one of her horns went spang through the tree, and there she was. She can't go forwards, she can't go backwards. This exactly what Brer Rabbit waiting for, and he no sooner saw old Miss Cow all fastened up than he jump up, he did, and cut the pidginwing. FN 1
" 'Come help me out, Brer Rabbit,; says Miss Cow, says she.
" 'I can't climb, Sis Cow,' says Brer Rabbit, says he, 'but I'll run and tell Brer Bull,' says he, and with that Brer Rabbit put out for home, and it wasn't long before he come back with his old woman and all his children, and the last one of the family was toting a pail. The big ones had big pails and the little ones had little pails. And they all surrounded old Miss Cow, they did, and you hear me, honey, they milked her dry. FN 2 The old ones milked and the young ones milked. and then when they done got enough, Brer Rabbit, he up and say, says he:
" 'I wish you mighty well, Sis Cow. I allowed being how that you'd have to sort of camp out all night that I'd better come and squeeze your bag,' says he.
"Do which, Uncle Remus?"asked the little boy.
"Go along, honey. Squeeze your bag. When cows don't get milked, their bag swells, and you can hear them a moanin' and a bellowin' just like they was getting hurted. That's what Brer Rabbit done. He assembled his family, he did, and he squeezed old Miss Cow's bag.
"Miss Cow, she stood there, she did, and she study and study, and strive for to break loose, but the horn done been jam in the tree so tight that it was way before day in the morning before she loose it. Anyhow it was during the night, and after she get loose, she sort of graze around, she did, for to justify her stomach she allowed, old Miss Cow did, that Brer Rabbit be hopping along that way for to see how she getting on, and she took and lay a trap for him; and just about sunrise, what did ole Miss Cow do but march up to the persimmon tree and stick her horn back in the hole? But bless your soul, honey, while she was cropping the grass she took one mouthful too many, 'cause when she hitch on to the persimmon tree again, Brer Rabbit was sitting in the fence corner a-watching her. Then Brer Rabbit he say to himself:
" 'Heyo,' says he, 'what this here going on now? Hold your horses, Sis Cow, until you hear me coming,' says he.
" 'And then he crept off down the fence, Brer Rabbit did, and by and by here he come -- lippity-clippity, clippity-lippity -- just a-sailing down the big road.
" 'Morning, Sis Cow,' says Brer Rabbit, says he, 'how you come on this morning?' says he.
" 'Poorly, Brer Rabbit, poorly,' says Miss Cow, says she. I ain't had no rest all night,' says she. 'I can't pull loose,' says she, 'but if you'll come and catch hold of my tail, Brer Rabbit,' says she, "I reckon maybe I can fetch my horn out,' says she. Then Brer Rabbit, he come up little closer, but he ain't getting too close.
" 'I expect I'm near enough, Sis Cow,' says Brer Rabbit, says he, "I'm a mighty puny man, and I might get trompled,' says he, 'You do the pulling, Sis Cow,' says he, 'and I'll do the grunting,' says he.
"Then Miss Cow, she pull out her horn, she did, and took after Brer Rabbit, and down the big road they had it, Brer Rabbit with his ears laid back, and Miss Cow with her head down, and her tail curled. Brer Rabbit kept on gaining, and by and by he dart in a briar-patch, and by the time Miss Cow come along he had his head sticking out, and his eyes look big as Miss Sally's china saucers.
" 'Heyo, Sis Cow! Where you going?' says Brer Rabbit, says he.
" 'Howdy Brer Rabbit Big-Eyes,' says Miss Cow, says she. 'Is you seen Brer Rabbit go by?'
" 'He just this minute pass,' says Brer Rabbit, says he, 'and he look mighty sick,' says he.
"And with that, Miss Cow took down he road like the dogs was after her, and Brer Rabbit, he just lay down there in the briar-patch and roll and laugh until his sides hurted him. He bleedzd (sic) FN 3 to laugh. Fox after him, Buzzard after him, and Cow after him, and they ain't catch him yet."
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FN 1 Pigeonwing - a fancy dance step, jump up and strike the legs together, "cut a pigeonwing" see ://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pigeonwing [is that hitting the heels together, to the side, as you jump up?] Relevance to the "buck and wing?" Apparently so- the pigeonwing was part of that Vaudeville - see://www.ehow.com/how_2105078_tap-dance-buck-wing.html.
FN 2 For comments on this group activity part of the story, see Hello, Fodder, Fodder in Literature, Brer Rabbit and Sis Cow. We hesitate to interrupt the enjoyment of the stories with issues of other relevance, so do visit there if you have an interest.
FN 3 "bleedzd" - first thought was a reference to tears, laugh until cry, for example; but looking it up, seems more like "forced to" [do a search for "bleedzd to"] in the sense of just had to laugh, or see "The Didactic Intention of Fables" at dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/; or "bleedzd to be dat away" - and many other contects, see www.chatham.edu/pti/2004%20units/
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