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The Wind in the Chimney. Bret Harte.
The Evening Wind. William Cullen Bryant.
The Wind of Spring. Madison Cawein.

For the teacher to read to the class:

Ode to the West Wind. Percy Bysshe Shelley.
The Voice of the Grass. Sarah Roberts Boyle.
A Song of Clover. Helen Hunt Jackson.

Before the Rain. Thomas Bailey Aldrich.

A Child said, What is the Grass? (from a Song of Myself, Section VI). Walt Whitman.

The Brook. Alfred Tennyson.

Clear and Cool (from Water Babies). Charles Kingsley.

The Fountain. James Russell Lowell.

The Waterfall. Frank Dempster Sherman.

Arethusa. Percy Bysshe Shelley.

March. William Cullen Bryant.

Spring. William Blake.

Spring. Celia Thaxter.

Spring Song. Bliss Carman.

How They Brought the Good News from Ghent to Aix. Robert Browning.

Boot and Saddle. Robert Browning.

Muléykeh. Robert Browning.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin. Robert Browning.

HOW MR. RABBIT WAS TOO SHARP FOR

MR. FOX1

JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS

Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908) was born in Georgia. He lived on a plantation and heard from early childhood the stories told by the negroes. Later in life, realizing that they were a part of the folklore that the negro brought from Africa, he collected these stories. The collection, of which the chief narrator is "Uncle Remus," holds a unique place in American literature, and possesses a perennial interest for old and young. See also:

Halleck's History of American Literature, pp. 320-323, 338, 340.

Introduction to Uncle Remus, His Songs and His Sayings, by Joel Chandler Harris.

[Brer Fox had made a Tar-Baby on purpose to excite Brer Rabbit's curiosity and trap him. Brer Rabbit had attacked Tar-Baby because he would not answer Brer Rabbit's questions. The result was he was stuck fast to Tar-Baby. The story opens at this point.]

"UNCLE REMUS," said the little boy one evening, when he had found the old man with little or nothing to do, "did the fox kill and eat the rabbit when he caught him with the Tar-Baby?"

"Law, honey, ain't I tell you 'bout dat?" replied the old darky, chuckling slyly. "I 'clar ter grashus I ought er tole you dat, but old man Nod wuz ridin' on my eyeleds 'twel a leetle mo'n I'd a dis'member'd my own name, en den on to dat, here come yo' mammy hollerin' atter you.

1 Copyright, 1880, 1908, by D. Appleton and Company. This selection and its illus trations are used in this volume by special arrangement with the publishers.

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"W'at I tell you w'en I fus begin? I tole you Brer Rabbit wuz a monstus soon1 creetur; leas'ways dat's w'at I laid out fer ter tell you. Well, den, honey, don't you go en make no udder calkalashuns, kase in dem days Brer Rabbit en his fambly wuz at de head er de gang w'en enny racket wuz on han', en dar dey stayed. 'Fo you begins fer ter wipe yo' eyes 'bout Brer Rabbit, you wait en see whar'bouts Brer Rabbit gwineter fetch up at. But dat's needer yer ner dar.

"W'en Brer Fox fine Brer Rabbit mixt up wid de TarBaby, he feel mighty good, en he roll on de groun' en laff.

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enn' er de row. You bin cuttin' up yo' capers en bouncin' 'roun in dis neighborhood ontwel 2 you come ter b'leeve yo'se'f de boss er de whole gang. En den youer allers some'rs whar you got no bizness,' sez Brer Fox, sezee. 'Who ax you fer ter come en strike up a 'quaintance wid dish yer Tar-Baby? En who stuck you up dar whar you is? Nobody in de roun' worril. You des tuck en jam yo'se'f on dat TarBaby widout waitin' fer enny invite,' sez Brer Fox, sezee, 'en dar you is, en dar you'll stay twel I fixes up a bresh-pile and fires her up, kase I'm gwineter bobbycue 3 you dis day, sho,' sez Brer Fox, sezee.

1 Quick-witted.

? I.e. until.

8 Barbecue, roast-whole.

"Den Brer Rabbit talk mighty 'umble.

"I don't keer w'at you do wid me, Brer Fox,' sezee, 'so you don't fling me in dat brier patch. Roas' me, Brer Fox,' sezee, 'but don't fling me in dat brier patch,' sezee.

"Hit's so much trouble fer ter kindle a fier,' sez Brer Fox, sezee, 'dat I speck I'll hatter hang you,' sezee.

"Hang me des as high as you please, Brer Fox,' sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, 'but do fer de Lord's sake don't fling me in dat brier patch,' sezee.

"I ain't got no string,' sez Brer Fox, sezee, ''en now I speck I'll hatter drown you,' sezee.

"Drown me des ez deep ez you please, Brer Fox,' sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, 'but do don't fling me in dat brier patch,' sezee. "Dey ain't no water nigh,' sez Brer Fox, sezee, "'en now I speck I'll hatter skin you,' sezee.

"Skin me, Brer Fox,' sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, 'snatch out my eyeballs, t'ar out my years1 by de roots, en cut off my legs,' sezee, 'but do

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please, Brer Fox,

don't fling me in

dat brier patch,'

sezee.

"Co'se Brer Fox wanter hurt Brer Rabbit bad ez he kin, so he cotch 'im by de behime legs en slung 'im right in de middle er de brier patch. Dar

wuz a considerbul

flutter whar Brer Rabbit struck de bushes, en Brer Fox sorter hang 'roun' fer ter see w'at wuz gwineter happen.

1 Ears.

Bimeby he hear somebody call 'im, en way up de hill he see Brer Rabbit settin' cross-legged on a chinkapin log koamin' de pitch outen his har wid a chip. Den Brer Fox know dat he bin swop off mighty bad. Brer Rabbit wuz bleedzed1 fer ter fling back some er his sass, en he holler out : "Bred en bawn in a brier patch, Brer Fox - bred en bawn in a brier patch!' en wid dat he skip out des ez lively ez a cricket in de embers."

STUDY HINTS

Note how Brer Fox enjoys worrying Brer Rabbit with planning the various forms of his death. Why are Brer Rabbit's replies to Brer Fox's suggestions very wise? Does Brer Rabbit ever lose sight of his purpose? Would there be any difference in your facial expression and other actions if a wealthy pompous man or a ragged cripple slipped in a mud puddle? How is suspense employed in this story?

SUGGESTIONS FOR ORAL AND WRITTEN ENGLISH
THEME SUBJECTS

Tell orally in your own language at least two of the other stories of Uncle Remus and one or two by some other author, for instance by Kipling. Tell a short story of an animal that has played a clever trick.

After comparing some of Kipling's animal stories, such as those in the Just So Stories and the Jungle Books, with those by Joel Chandler Harris, write one story of your own. Try writing a part of this in the form of a dialogue. Note in the above selection how the dialogue form is paragraphed and punctuated.

SUGGESTIONS FOR ADDITIONAL READINGS

Nights with Uncle Remus. Joel Chandler Harris.

Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings. Joel Chandler Harris. A Story of the War (from Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings). Joel Chandler Harris.

A Story of Seven Devils (in Amos Kilbright). Frank R. Stockton.
Marse Chan (from In Ole Virginia). Thomas Nelson Page.

1 Obliged.

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