were as entertaining as those Arabian ones of blessed memory, had
finished supper and hurried out to sit with his venerable patron,
he found the old man in great glee. Indeed, Uncle Remus was
talking and laughing to himself at such a rate that the little
boy was afraid he had company. The truth is, Uncle Remus had
heard the child coming, and, when the rosy-cheeked chap put his
head in at the door, was engaged in a monologue, the burden of
which seemed to be--

"Ole Molly Har',
W'at you doin' dar,
Settin' in de cornder
Smokin' yo' seegyar?"

As a matter of course this vague allusion reminded the little boy
of the fact that the wicked Fox was still in pursuit of the
Rabbit, and he immediately put his curiosity in the shape of a
question.

"Uncle Remus, did the Rabbit have to go clean away when he got
loose from the Tar-Baby?"

"Bless gracious, honey, dat he didn't. Who? Him? You dunno
nuthin' 'tall 'bout Brer Rabbit ef dat's de way you puttin' 'im
down. W'at he gwine 'way fer? He moughter stayed sorter close
twel de pitch rub off'n his ha'r, but tweren't menny days 'fo' he
wuz lopin' up en down de neighborhood same ez ever, en I dunno ef
he weren't mo' sassier dan befo'.

"Seem like dat de tale 'bout how he got mixt up wid de Tar-Baby