"'Oh, Brer Fox,' sezee, 'plee-ee-eeze don't tho me in de briers, an'
git me all scratched up; plee-ee-eeze tho me in de fire; fur de Lord's
sake,' sezee, 'don't tho me in de briers.'

"And wid dat, Brer Fox he lif' 'im up, an' tho'd 'im way-ay-ay over in
de briers. Den Brer Rabbit he kick up his heels, he did, an' he laugh,
an' he laugh, an' he holler out,

"'Good-bye, Brer Fox! Far' yer well, Brer Coon! I wuz born an' riz in
de briers!' And wid dat he lit right out, he did, an' he nuber stop
tell he got clean smack home."

The children were mightily pleased with this story; and Diddie, after
carefully writing underneath it,

"The END of The Tar Baby,"

said she could write the poetry and history part some other day; so
she closed the book, and gave it to Mammy to put away for her, and she
and Dumps went out for a ride on Corbin.

CHAPTER VI

UNCLE SNAKE-BIT BOB'S SUNDAY-SCHOOL

THERE, was no more faithful slave in all the Southland than old Uncle
Snake-bit Bob. He had been bitten by a rattlesnake when he was a baby,
and the limb had to be amputated, and its place was supplied with a
wooden peg. There were three or four other "Bobs" on the plantation,