and softened it with turpentine and made it into something that looked like a baby. Then he set this tar baby down by the side of the road and put a hat on its head and went away and hid in the bushes to see what would 5 happen. He did n't have to wait long, for by and by Brer Rabbit came down the road-lippity-clippity, clippitylippity, just as saucy as a jay-bird. Brer Fox lay low. Brer Rabbit came along until he saw the tar baby; then he suddenly stood up on his hind legs as if he was astonished. 10 The tar baby just sat there and said nothing. Brer Fox lay low. "Good morning," said Brer Rabbit to the tar baby. "Fine weather this morning."

The tar baby did n't say a word. Brer Fox lay low. "How do you think you feel this morning?" said Brer 15 Rabbit to the tar baby.

Brer Fox, in the bushes, just winked his eye slowly and lay low. The tar baby did n't say anything.

"What's the matter with you? Are you deaf?" said Brer Rabbit. "Because if you are, I can talk louder." 20 The tar baby kept still. Brer Fox lay low.

"You are stuck up. That's what you are!" said Brer Rabbit. "And I'm going to cure you of being stuck up. That's what I'm going to do."

Brer Fox chuckled softly, away down in his stomach. 25 The tar baby said nothing.

"I'm going to teach you how to talk to respectable

folks," said Brer Rabbit. "Take off that hat and say good morning.'"

The tar baby kept still. Brer Fox lay low.

Brer Rabbit kept on talking to the tar baby, and the tar baby kept on saying nothing, until, at last, Brer Rabbit 5 drew back and—blip! he hit the tar baby on the side of the head. And that's where he made a mistake, because his fist stuck fast to the tar baby. He could n't pull it away. The tar held him. But the tar baby kept still and Brer Fox lay low.

"If you don't let me go, I'll hit you again," said Brer Rabbit; and with that-biff! he hit him with the other hand. That stuck fast, too. The tar baby said nothing. Brer Fox lay low.

९९

10

Let go, or I'll kick you!" said Brer Rabbit. The 15 tar baby said nothing, but kept holding on tight. So Brer Rabbit kicked him with his right foot. That stuck fast, too.

"If I kick you with my other foot," shouted Brer Rabbit, "you'll think the lightning struck you."

The tar baby said nothing.

Biff! he kicked the tar baby with his left foot; and his left foot stuck fast.

20

Then Brer Rabbit cried out that if the tar baby did n't let go, he would butt him in the stomach. So he butted 25 him in the stomach; and his head stuck fast.

34

Just then Brer Fox sauntered out of the bushes, looking as innocent as you please.

Good morning, Brer Rabbit," said he. "You look a little stuck up this morning." Then he lay down and 5 rolled on the ground, and laughed and laughed until he could n't laugh any more. By and by he said:

Well, I think I've got you this time, Brer Rabbit. Maybe not, but I think I have. You've been running around here and making fun of me for a long time, but 10 I think you've got through now. You're always putting your nose into places where you have no business. Who asked you to come and get acquainted with that tar baby? And who got you so stuck up? You just jammed yourself up against that tar baby without waiting to be asked; 15 and there you are, and there you'll stay until I gather up a brush pile and set fire to it; because I'm going to have you for dinner to-day."

Then Brer Rabbit was very humble. "I don't care what you do with me, Brer Fox," he said, "only don't 20 throw me into that brier patch. Roast me, if you must, Brer Fox, but don't throw me into that brier patch."

25

"It's so much trouble to kindle a fire, that I expect I'll have to hang you," said Brer Fox.

"Hang me as high as you please, Brer Fox," said Brer Rabbit, "but don't throw me into that brier patch."

"I haven't any string," said Brer Fox, "so I expect I'll have to drown you.'

"Drown me as deep as you please, Brer Fox," said Brer Rabbit, "but don't throw me into that brier patch."

Now Brer Fox thought if Brer Rabbit did n't want to be 5 thrown into the brier patch, that was the very place where he should go. So he caught Brer Rabbit by the hind legs and threw him right into the middle of the brier patch. There was a great fluttering where Brer Rabbit struck the bushes, and Brer Fox waited to see what would happen.

By and by he heard somebody call, and away up the hill he saw Brer Rabbit, sitting cross-legged on a log, combing the tar out of his hair with a chip. Then Brer Fox knew he had been fooled.

10

Brer Rabbit shouted to him, "I was born and brought 15 up in a brier patch, Brer Fox." And with that he skipped off, as lively as you please.

QUESTIONS AND HELPS

1. Write or tell what you can about Mr. Harris; (a) in what state he was born; (b) what schooling he had; (c) what he read when he was a boy; (d) what he did after he left school; (e) how he learned the ways and the stories of the negroes, and where the negroes got these stories; (f) what he did when he became a man; (g) what sort of home he had; (h) what name he gave to the old colored man who was supposed to have told many of his stories. 2. Name as many of Mr. Harris's stories as you