"I dunno hit," said Chris, "but I kin tell yer 'bout'n de tar baby, ef
dat'll do."

"Don't you think that'll do jes as well, Dumps?" asked Diddie.

"Certingly!" replied Dumps. So Diddie drew her pencil through "Annie's
Visit," and wrote in its place,

"The Tar Baby,"

and Chris began:

"Once pun a time, 'twuz er ole Rabbit an' er ole Fox and er ole Coon:
an' dey all lived close togedder; an' de ole Fox he had him er mighty
fine goober-patch, w'at he nuber 'low nobody ter tech; an' one mornin'
atter he git up, an' wuz er walkin' 'bout in his gyarden, he seed
tracks, an' he foller de tracks, an' he see whar sumbody ben er grabbin'
uv his goobers. An' ev'y day he see de same thing; an' he watch, an' he
watch, an' he couldn't nuber cotch nobody! an' he went, he did, ter de
Coon, and he sez, sezee, 'Brer Coon, dar's sumbody stealin' uv my
goobers.'

"'Well,' sez Brer Coon, sezee, 'I bet yer hit's Brer Rabbit.'

"'I lay I'll fix 'im,' sez Brer Fox; so he goes, he does, and he tuck'n
made er man out'n tar, an' he sot 'im, he did, right in de middle uv de
goober-patch. Well, sar, soon ez eber de moon riz, Brer Rabbit, he stole
outn his house, and he lit right out fur dem goobers; and by'mby he sees
de tar man er stanin' dar, an' he hollers out, 'Who's dat er stanin' dar