I didn't name my blog "The Brier Patch" fo nothing! Jus bin bisy!! I'm almost ready! So now you know - been holding out!

Way down deep in de brier-patch is de home of Breir Rabbit. He is a smart feller, but he get on de nerves of Brer Bear and Brer Fox.

One night dey cach him and tie him up, to make him into stew. But Brer Rabbit only laugh at Brer Bear and Brer Fox. "Too bad" he say. "what do you mean?" ask Brer Fox. "I was goin' to show you my secret lauthing place in a hollow tree," say Brer Rabbit "Make me feel like lauthin' just to think of it." "Can't you tell us which tree?" dey ask. "I can't tell you where 'tis" say Brer Rabbit. "I got to show you. But you got me all tied up. If you'd set me free, I't take you dere." Brer Fox and Brer Bear consider more. At last they give in. Oh, dey keep a rope on Brer Rabbit, good ant tight. Den dey start off, an' Brer Rabbit lead de way right up to a hollow oak. "Dere 'tis!" he yell. "Dere's my secret lauthing place." So Brer Fox and Brer Bear peek in. Zippety-zim, out come a swarm of bees, and dey chase Brer Fox and Brer Bear a-howling through de woods. Brer Rabbit, he laugh till he almost choke. "Dat's my lauthing place!" he sing out. So Brer Bear and Brer Fox go home, mos' unhappy, and dream of trappin' Brer Rabbit again.

The Tar Baby

One day Brer Fox an Brer Bear wuz sittin' round in de woods, an Brer Fox say, all to once, "I'm goin' to make a new sort of trap dat's sure to git Brer Rabbit!" so he get some tar and set to work. he make him a Tar Baby and dress it in brer Bear's clothes. Dey took de Tar Baby, and dey sot him down by the side of the road. Den Brer Fox and Brer Bear, dey hid until Brer Rabbit comes along and spies de Tar Baby. "Howdy-do!" sing out Brer Rabbit. Of course, de Tar baby he say nothin'. Brer Rabbit wait. Den he say, louder dan before, "Ain't you goin' to be perlit and say Howdy-do?" De tar baby he say nothin'. Now Brer Rabbit get mad. He draw back his fist, and BLIP! he hit de Tar Baby smack in his nose. But Brer Rabbit's fist stuck in the tar. "Let go of my fist!" he holler, an he hit de Tar Baby. But dis fist stuck, too. Well suh, Brer Rabbit kiked dat Tar Baby wif both behind feet. Den he ram him with his hean. By now, Brer Rabbit so stuck in de tar, he can't scarecely move at all. Now Brer Fox and Brer Bear Bear come outer de bushes. dey dance round Brer Rabbit, laughin' and chucklin'. "Brer Rabbit," say Brer fox, "you been bossin' other folks round fer a long time. Now I'm de boss, an I'm goin' to roast you."Brer Rabbit, he skeered, but he tink he know how to get out of his trouble. "Roast me ez hot ez you plese," say Brer Rabbit, "but plese PLESE don't fling me in dat brier-patch!" "Hold on," say Brer Bear. It's goin' to be a lot of trouble to roast Brer Rabbit. First, we got to build a big, hot fire." "Yes....dat's so," say Brer Fox. "Well, Brer Rabbit I guess de best way is to skin you. Come on, Brer Bear let's get started." "Skin me," say Brer Rabbit "pull out my ears, snach off my legs, and chop off my tail, but plese plese PLLLLEEEESSSSEEEE, Brer Fox and Brer Bear, don't fling me in det brier-patch!" Now Brer Bear sorter grumble. "ah.....pooh! It aint goin' to be much fun to skin Brer Rabbit, 'cause he ain't skeered of being' skined." But he sure is skeered of dat brier-patch!" say With dat, he yank Brer Rabbit off the Tar Baby, an he fling him KERPLUNK!.....right into dat brer-patch! Well suh, dere wuz a flutter wher Brer Rabbit landed, den "Ooo! Oow! Ouch!" He screech an he squall. Den after a while, der is only a week wisper from Brer Rabbit. Brer Fox and Brer Bear, dey listen. Den dey laff an shake hands. "We got him! Brer Rabbit is dead!" But right den dey hear a scuffin' way at de other end of the brer-patch. An lo an behold, who do dey see scramblin' out but Brer Rabbit hisself, whistlin' with a piece of de brer-bush! "Born an bred in de brier-patch, dat's me," laugh Brer Rabbit. "told you not to fling me der. In all de world dat's the place I love best!" An lippity clip, he hop away. So Up an down dat contryside, Brer Fox an Brer Bear chase Brer rabbit still. Maybe some day dey catch him. You recon dey will?

Uncle Remus, Joel Chandler Harris - 1880