The Marengo Jake Stories: The Tales of Jake Mitchell and Robert Wilton Burton

An Abridged Nar[rjative

AnAbridged Nar[rjative Three litde white boys were setting out [to] spend Christmas rabbit hunting. At their heels trotted a bob-tailed cur, upon whose swiftness and keenness of scent depended their most enthusiastic expectations . Anticipation had lent them a delicious foretaste ofthe excitement ofthe chase and the triumphal return with such rich trophies as would make all their acquaintances green with envy. "Won't old Jim Brown be 'stonished when he sees us comin' back?" cried one bubbling over with enthusiasm. "He will that! He'll wisht he had a went," said another. "I'm glad he never. He's so biggety, he'd a said the reason we caught so many was 'cause he was 'long." "I wisht I had a took his bet. He said he'd bet his two stone glasses 'ginst my white alley we wouldn't ketch a thing." "Whyn't you take him up, you goose you?" An Abridged Narrative / 241 "'Cause." "I know the reason. You always so everlastin' scared you'll lose that old white alley." "You would a been too if it had a been your'n. Ole White's the best marvel in this town. I've had her so long she knows zactlywhat I want. IfI'm playin' ring, she goes for the middler every pop, an' if I'm playin' sweeps, she jest lays close till I knock 'em all out." "You reckon Jim would a bet ifhe had a knowed we was goin' to have old Bob?" "Naw. He thought we was jest goin' to have a little fice. He never knowed we could git old Bob, had, he'd a went with us." "Lemme tell you somethin'. Le's give old Jim four or five rabbits jest to make him shamed 0' hisself." And thus they rattled and prattled, as they ran rather than walked, till they had cleared the town, when a gruff voice from the corner of a fence arrested their attention. "Hayo!" The salute was so unexpected that all the boys stopped simultaneously from sheer surprise. "Whar y'alilittle boys gwine?" It was the voice ofJake, and through the interstices ofthe fence partial views ofhis grotesque figure and grinning face confirmed his identity. "Whar y'all gwine?" repeated Jake. "Huntin'," was the answer. "What y'all speck to ketch wid dat ole bob-tail dog?" "Rabbits. That's the best rabbit dog in this country." "Don't y'all know a bob-tail dog can't run? W'en y'all makes a kite you don't never speck hit to fly 'cep'n you puts a tail on it, does you?" "Course not." 242 / An Abridged Narrative "Same thing I done tole you. Efyou was to try to fly a kite 'dout a tail, hit'd des turn over an' flop down on de groun'. Y'all knows dat, an' you got sense 'nough to put a tail on ever' kite you makes. Well, de good man whar makes de dogs he's got mo' sense 'n you all is, an' ef dogs didn't need no tails, he wouldn't put none on 'em." "Bob ain't got none." "I know he ain't got none now, but he been had one. W'en he was a pup he had a tail, but somebody done cut hit off 'n him. He can't run fast save his life, 'caze he ain't got no tail to balance his haid, an' he'll turn a summerset. His behime parts deY'll fly up sho'. Maybe he might could run ef y'all was to tie a rock to his stump." "Rabbits can run, an' they ain't got no tails," said one of the little boys, shrewdly. "Dat's so, honey," returned Jake, "dey kin run same 'es de win'. Dey'll everlastin'ly git way f 'om dat ole dog y'all got. Dey won't study 'bout gwine in no holler, 'caze dat ole dog can't push 'em cloast 'nough. De one whar made rabbits never gin 'em no tails caze he knowed dey never need none. Dey hine laigs is so much heavier 'n dey fo' shoulders dey aint no danger 0' dey turnin' a summerset. Efhe had a built dogs de. same way, he wouldn't a gin dem no tails neither. But dat aint de onlies' reason I wouldn't go huntin' wid...