Читать книгу The Tales of Uncle Remus / Сказки дядюшки Римуса. Книга для чтения на английском языке - Джоэль Чендлер Харрис - Страница 4

When the animals started living here on Earth, something seemed to happen to them. Where before they had gotten along with each other[11], now they started having little arguments and disagreements. It was only a matter of time before they weren’t much different from people.

Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit were sitting alongside the road one day talking about much of nothing[12] when they heard a strange sound – blim, blim, blim.

“What’s that?” Brer Fox wanted to know. He didn’t know whether to get scared or not.

“That?” answered Brer Rabbit. “Sound like Sister Goose.”

“What she be doing?”

“Battling clothes,” said Brer Rabbit.

I know you don’t know what I’m talking about. You take your clothes to the Laundromat, or have a washing machine and dryer sitting right in the house. Way back yonder folks took their clothes down to the creek or stream or what’nsoever, got them real wet, laid’em across a big rock or something, took a stick and beat the dirt out of them. You don’t know nothing about no clean clothes until you put on some what been cleaned with a battlin’ stick.

Well, when Brer Fox heard that Sister Goose was down at the stream, his eyes got big and Brer Rabbit knew his mind had just gotten fixed on supper. Brer Fox said he reckoned he better be getting home. Brer Rabbit said he supposed he should do the same, and they went their separate ways[13].

Brer Rabbit doubled back[14], however, and went down to the stream where Sister Goose was.

“How you today, Sister Goose?”

“Just fine, Brer Rabbit. Excuse me for not shaking hands with you, but I got all these suds on my hands.”

Brer Rabbit said he understood.

I suppose I got to stop the story, ’cause I can hear you thinking that a goose don’t have hands. And next thing I know you be trying to get me to believe that snakes don’t have feet and cats don’t have wings, and I know better[15]! So, if you don’t mind, you can keep your thoughts to yourself and I’ll get back to the story.

After Brer Rabbit and Sister Goose had finished exchanging the pleasantries of the day, Brer Rabbit said, “I got to talk with you about Brer Fox. He’s coming for you, Sister Goose, and it’ll probably be before daybreak.”

Sister Goose got all nervous and scared. “What am I gon’ do, Brer Rabbit? My husband is dead and ain’t no man around the house. What am I gon’ do?”

Brer Rabbit thought for a minute. “Take all your clothes and roll ’em up in a nice clean white sheet and put that on your bed tonight. Then you go spend the night up in the rafters.”

So, that’s what Sister Goose did. But she also sent for her friend, Brer Dog, and asked him if he’d keep watch that night. He said he’d be glad to.

Just before daybreak Brer Fox creeped up to the house, looked around, eased the front door open and slipped inside. He saw something big and white on the bed. He grabbed it and ran out the door. Soon as he jumped off the porch, Brer Dog came out from under the house growling and scratching up dirt. Brer Fox dropped that bundle of clothes like it was a burning log and took off! It’s a good thing, too[16], ’cause it had taken Brer Dog four months to find somebody who could wash and iron his pajamas as good as Sister Goose, and he wasn’t about to let nothing happen to her.

Next day when the news got around that Brer Fox had tried to steal Sister Goose’s laundry, he couldn’t go nowhere for a week. Brer Fox blamed Brer Dog for spreading the news through the community, and ever since that day, the Dog and the Fox haven’t gotten along with each other.