Story: When Brer Frog Give a Big Dining
Book: “Folk-Tales from Georgia,” in Journal of American Folklore, v. 13
Author(s): Emma Backus
Published: 1900
Internet Archive link.

Notes: Eye-dialect removed, plus editing for paragraphing and punctuation.

Brer Rabbit and Brer Frog’s Fish Fry

Brer Frog he think he give a big dining to all his friends, so he send out invitations to all his friends to come down and eat fried fish with him. Brer Frog he invite Brer Fox and his wife, and Brer Wolf and his wife, and Brer Coon and his wife, and Brer Possum and his wife, but he don’t invite Brer Rabbit, Brer Frog don’t, ’cause there be hard feelings between Brer Frog and Brer Rabbit from way back.

When the critters all went past Brer Rabbit’s house on their way to the dining, they ask Brer Rabbit why he don’t go to Brer Frog’s dining? Brer Rabbit he say he ain’t invited, and he allow he ain’t powerful fond of fried fish nohow.

So they pass on, and when they come to the branch, they find Brer Frog frying fish over twenty little fires. Brer Frog he hop round from one frying-pan to the other, like a spry old man like he is.

Directly Brer Rabbit he smell the fish frying where he set on the porch. It smell so powerful good, Brer Rabbit he just can’t stand it. He take his way down to the branch, and he see Brer Frog taking off the fish from his twenty little fires, and set it on the table.

Brer Rabbit he slip into the swamp and make a big noise. The critters they say, “What that!” Brer Rabbit he make a big noise. Once more Brer Fox he say, “Where we going fly to?” Brer Frog he say, “I know the best place for me to get at.” He just give one jump over all the critters’ heads and go plunk into the water. Brer Terrapin he go slipping and sliding one side, then the other, and he go splash in the water; the other critters, they just strike out for home. Brer Rabbit he go up to the table and he eat his fill of fried fish.

Now Brer Frog are a mighty cold-blooded kind of a man; nobody ever see Brer Frog in a passion. Brer Frog’s eyes on the top of his head. All the time while Brer Rabbit was eating that fried fish, Brer Frog he set down in the water looking straight up at Brer Rabbit, and Brer Frog he was studying; but Brer Rabbit he don’t know that. Brer Frog he take it mighty hard, ’cause Brer Rabbit break up his dining, and he study to hisself how he going punish Brer Rabbit.

Sure enough, that day week, Brer Frog he send out invitations to all the other critters to another dining. So the critters all set out, and as they go past Brer Rabbit’s house they stop and ask Brer Rabbit why he don’t go to Brer Frog’s dining? Brer Rabbit he say his mouth ain’t set for fried fish, and he allow he powerful busy anyhow, and can’t leave home.

The critters they make haste, and when they get to the branch they see the bank all covered with little fires, and a pan of fish frying on every fire, and Brer Frog hopping from one frying-pan to the other and turning the fish; and Brer Frog he hop up and whisper in the ear of each one of his guests. Then Brer Frog he set the table.

Brer Rabbit he set upon his porch smoking his pipe, and the smell of the fish frying come up on the wind, and Brer Rabbit he just can’t stand it. He say he bound to set a tooth in that fish. So Brer Rabbit he go clipity clipity down to the branch, and he find the table done set, and it certainly do look powerful tempting. Brer Rabbit he go in the edge of the swamp and make a big noise; the critters they just strike out and fly for home. Brer Frog he say, “I know the nighest place for me to get,” and he jumped plumb over the table and go in the water kersplash.

Then Brer Rabbit he jump on the table. Now that just what Brer Frog know Brer Rabbit going do, and Brer Frog he done set the table on a plank, on the edge of the water, and he done put leaves and brush all round the plank, so Brer Rabbit ain’t see how it done set on the water, and when Brer Rabbit jump on the plank, over it go, and Brer Rabbit and all the fishes go kersplash down to the bottom.

Brer Frog he right down there, and Brer Frog he say, “Oho, Brer Rabbit, you is mighty kind to fetch my dinner down to me,” and Brer Frog he say, “You is my master many a day on land, Brer Rabbit, but I is your master in the water.”

And Brer Frog he kill old Brer Rabbit and eat him up.

Frog in the water at Wikimedia. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palmyra,_United_States_(Unsplash).jpg