XIX. The Fate of Mr. Jack Sparrow. Uncle Remus Translation

Legends of the Old Plantation

XIX

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THE FATE OF MR. JACK SPARROW  *

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“You’ll trample on that bark ‘til it won’t be fit for to fling away, let alone make horse-collars out of,” said Uncle Remus, as the little boy came running into his cabin out of the rain.  All over the floor long strips of “wahoo” bark FN 1 were spread, and these the old man was weaving into horse-collars.

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“I’ll sit down, Uncle Remus,” said the little boy.

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“Well, then, you better, honey,” responded the old man, “ ‘cause I despises to have my wahoo trompled on.  If it was shucks, now, it might be different, but  I’m getting too old for to be projecting  FN 2  longer shuck collars.”

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For a few minutes the old man went on with his work, but with a solemn air altogether unusual.  Once or twice he sighed deeply, and the sighs ended in a prolonged groan, that seemed to the little boy to be the result of the most unspeakable mental agony.  He knew by experience that he had done something which failed to meet the approval of Uncle Remus, and he tried to remember what it was, so as to frame an excuse; but his memory failed him.  He could think of nothing he had done calculated to stir Uncle Remus’ grief.  He was not exactly seized with remorse, but he was very uneasy.  Presently Uncle Remus looked at him in a sad and hopeless way, and asked:

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“What’s that long rigmarole FN 3  you been telling Miss Sally about your little brother this morning?”

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“Which, Uncle Remus?” asked the little boy, blushing guiltily.

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“That’s just what I asking of you now.  I hear Miss Sally say she’s going to stripe his jacket, and then I knew you been telling on him.”

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“Well, Uncle Remus, he was pulling up your onions, and then he went and flung a rock at me,” said the child, plaintively.

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“Let me tell you this,” said the old man, laying down the section of horse-collar he had been plaiting  FN 4, and looking hard at the little boy – “let me tell you this – there ain’t no way for to make tattlers and tale-bearers turn out good.  No, there ain’t.  I been mixing up with folks now going on eighty year, and I ain’t seen no tattler come to no good end.  That I ain’t. And if old man Methuseleh  FN 5 was living clean ‘til yet, he’d up and tell you the same. Sure as you are sitting there.  You remember what come of the bird what went tattling around Brer Rabbit?”

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The little boy didn’t remember, but he was very anxious to know, and he also wanted to know what kind of a bird it was that so disgraced itself.  

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“It was one of these here uppity little Jack Sparrows, I expect,” said the old man; "they was always bothering alone other folks’ business, and they keeps at it down to this day – pecking here, picking there, and scratching out yonder.  One day, after he been fooled by old Brer Terrapin, Brer Rabbit was setting down in the woods studying how he was going to get even.  He feel mighty lonesome, and he feel mighty mad, Brer Rabbit did.  It ain’t put down in the tale, but I expect he cussed and reared around considerable. Leastways, he was setting out there by himself, and there he sat, and study and study, ‘til by and by he jump up and holler out:

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“ ‘Well, dog-gone my cats if I can’t gallop  around old Brer Fox, and I’m going to do it.  I’ll show Miss Meadows and the gals that I’m the boss of Brer Fox,’ says he.

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“Jack Sparrow up in the tree, he hear Brer Rabbit, he did and he sing out:

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“ ‘I’m going tell Brer Fox!  I’m going tell Brer Fox! Chick-a-biddy-wind-a-blowin’-acorns-fallin’! I’m going tell Brer Fox!”

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Uncle Remus accompanied the speech of the bird with a peculiar whistling sound in his throat, that was a marvelous imitation of a sparrow’s chirp, and the little boy clapped his hands with delight, and insisted on a repetition.

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“This kind of terrify Brer Rabbit, and he scarcely know what he going do; but by and by he study to himself that the man what see Brer Fox forst was bound to have the in turn (?), and then he go hopping off towards home.  He didn’t get far when who should be meet but Brer Fox, and then Brer Rabbit, he open up:

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“ ‘What this betwixt you and me, Brer Fox?” says Brer Rabbit, says he.  ‘I hear tell you going to send me to destruction, and nab my family, and destroy my shanty,’ says he.

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“ Then Brer Fox he get mighty mad.

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“ ‘Who been telling you all this?’ says he.

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“Brer Rabbit make like he didn’t want to tell, but Brer Fox he insist and insist, until at last Brer Rabit he up and tell Brer Fox that he hear Jack Sparrow say all this.

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“ ‘Of course, ‘ says Brer Rabbit, says he, ‘when Brer Jack Sparrow tell me that I flew up, I did, and I use some language which I’m mighty glad there  weren’t no ladies ‘round nowhere so they could hear me go on,’ says he.
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“Brer Fox he sort of gape, he did, and say he expect he better be sauntering on.  But bless your soul, honey, Brer Fox ain’t sauntered far, before Jack Sparrow flip down on a persimmon bush by the side of the road, and hollered out:

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“ ‘Brer Fox! Oh, Brer Fox! – Brer Fox!”

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“ Brer Fox he just sort of canter along, he did, and made like he don’t hear him.  Then Jack Sparrow up and sing out again:

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“ ‘Brer Fox! Oh, Brer Fox!  Hold on, Brer Fox! I got some news for you. Wait Brer Fox! It’ll astonish you!”

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“Brer Fox he make like he don’t see Jack Sparrow, nor neither do he hear him, but by and by he lay down by the road, and sort of stretch himself like he fixin’ for to nap.  The tattling Jack Sparrow he flew along, and keep on calling Brer Fox, but Brer Fox, he ain’t saying nothing.  Then little Jack Sparrow, he hop down on the ground and flutter around amongst the trash.  This sort of attracted Brer Fox’s attention, and he look at the tattling bird, and the bird, he keep on calling.

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“ ‘I got something for to tell you, Brer Fox.’

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“ ‘Get on my tail, little Jack Sparrow,’ says Brer Fox, says he, ‘because I’m deaf in one ear, and I can’t hear out of the other.  Get on my tail,’ says he.

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“Then the little bird he up and hop on Brer Fox’s tail.

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“ ‘Get on my back, little Jack Sparrow, because I’m deaf in one ear, and I can’t hear out of the other.’

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“Then the little bird hop on his back.

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“ ‘Hop on my head, little Jack Sparrow, because I’m deaf in both ears.”

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“Up hop the little bird.

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“ ‘Hop on my tooth, little Jack Sparrow, because I’m deaf in one ear and I can’t hear out of the other.’

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“The tattling little bird hop on Brer Fox’s tooth, and then –“

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Here Uncle Remus paused, opened wide his mouth and closed it again in a way that told the whole story. 
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“Did the Fox eat the bird all – all – up?” asked the little boy.

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“Judge B’ar come along next day,” replied Uncle Remus, “and he find some feathers, and from that word went around that old man Screech Owl done caught another whatsisname.”

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FN 1 “Wahoo” bark – Euonymous Atropurpureus, or burning bush, among other names. See http://www.hoag.org/health-library/alternative-medicine/wahoo-bark. Useful also as constipation remedy, but there can be unpleasant side effects.

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FN 2  Projickin' - Projecting? Projickin’? in the sense of a project?

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FN 3  Rigmarole.  1730’s, long rambling discourse.  In the 1520’s, “Kentish colloquial” for ragman’s roll, or long list. Before that, in Middle English, usage as long roll of verses for characters used in a game called Rageman, could then also be Anglo-French from Rageman le Bon, Rageman the Good, one of the characters.  See http://etymonline.com/?term=rigmarole

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FN 4  Plaiting – 14^th Century and on, gathering into pleats, folding, intertwining, Anglo, French, Latin roots. Braiding. See http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=plait

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FN 5.  Methuseleh.  Longest-lived man in history, says the Bible, see http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Methuselah
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 * A footnote is given in the text, summary here:  It says:
This is a middle Georgia version. Other variations of the story, as reported in Florida, substitute other animals, and a little boy as the rabbit, or a gosling telling tales on her mother, to the fox;