Story: The Rabbit and the Peas
Book: Stories for Children
Author(s): Mrs. M. R. Allen
Published: 1912
Internet Archive link.

Notes: Lightly edited. This story has three episodes: Rabbit-and-the-Bears, Fox-and-the-Bear, then Frog-Rabbit-Fox-and-Bear, and finally Frog-Fox-and-Bear.

The Rabbit and the Peas

Long time ago there was a Bear that had a fine pea patch. Bear and his wife had to work in the field every day, so they left their little Bear girl at home to keep house.

So one fine morning Brer Rabbit came up to the house and called the little Bear girl, “Mary Bear, Mary Bear, your father and mother told me to come up here and tell you to put me in the pea patch and let me have as many peas as I want.”

So Mary Bear put him in, and he stayed there until nearly twelve o’clock, and then he begun calling, “Little Bear girl, little Bear girl, come and let me out; I’m full for this time!” So she let him out, and he went home.

At dinner when Papa Bear and Mama Bear came home and saw their pea patch they were mad, and said, “Who has been in these peas?”

“Why, didn’t you send Brer Rabbit to get as many as he wanted?” said Mary Bear.

“No, I didn’t; no, I didn’t,” said Mr. Bear. “And the next time that rascal comes here with that sort of tale, you jast keep him in there until I come home.”

So the next evening Brer Rabbit come back again, and called, “Mary Bear, Mary Bear, your father told me to tell you to put me in the pea patch, and let me have all the peas I want.”

“All right,” said Mary Bear; “come on.” So she put him in and fastened him up.

So as it begun to grew late, Mr. Rabbit begun to call, “Little Bear girl, little Bear girl, come and let me out!”

“All right,” said Mary Bear, “when I put down my bread for supper.”

After a while he called again, ” Little Bear girl, little Bear girl, come let me out!”

“When I milk my cow,” said Mary Bear. When she finished milking he called again, and she said, “Wait till I turn my cow out.”

By that time Mr. Bear came home and found Brer Rabbit in his pea patch, and asked him what he was doing in there.

“Your little girl told me you said I might have some peas,” said Brer Rabbit.

“Well,” said Mr. Bear, “T’ll put you in this box until I get rested and eat my supper; then I’ll show you a trick or two.” So he locked Brer Rabbit in the box and went to the house.

After a while Brer Fox came along the road and Brer Rabbit called him, and Brer Fox said, “What are you doing in there?”

“They are going to have a ball here tonight and want me to play the fiddle for them. So they put me in here; that way I wouldn’t disappoint them,” said Brer Rabbit. “But, Brer Fox, you always could beat me playing the fiddle. Now they offer to pay two dollars for every tune. Suppose you take my place; my wife is sick and I must go home— if I can git off.”

“All right,” said Mr. Fox. “I’m always willing to make money, and if you don’t want to stay I will take your place.”

“Well, look on top of the box and git the key. I saw Mr. Bear put it there,” said Brer Rabbit. So Brer Fox unlocked the door and Brer Rabbit hopped out and locked Brer Fox in.

So after supper they all come out, and the little Bear girl run up to the box and looked in, and said, “Oh, Mama! Just come and see how this Rabbit has growed!”

Mr. Fox said, “I ain’t no Rabbit!”

“Well,” said Mr. Bear, “how come you in there?”

“Because Brer Rabbit asked me to take his place, and play at your ball to-night,” said Mr. Fox.

“Well, Brer Rabbit has fooled you badly, Fox. But I will have to whip you, anyway, for letting him out.”

“I’ll help you find Brer Rabbit,” said Mr. Fox. “T’ll hunt him till I die, to get to pay him back for fooling me so.”

So Mr. Bear said, “All right,” and they all started out to find Brer Rabbit.

And they soon came upon him, and he begun to run, and all of them after him. And they got him in a tight place, and he run up a hollow tree.

And they had to go back for their axes. So they put a Frog at the tree to watch him to keep him from getting away.

After they were gone, Mr. Frog looked up and saw Brer Rabbit chewing. “What’s dat you chewing?” said Mr. Frog.

“Tobacco,” said Brer Rabbit.

“Give me some,” said Mr. Frog.

“Well,” said Brer Rabbit, “look up here and open your eyes and mouth wide.” So he filled the Frog’s eyes full of dirty old leaves. And while Mr. Frog was rubbing his eyes trying to get the dirty old leaves out so he could see, Brer Rabbit run out and got away.

When Mr. Bear and Mr. Fox got back with their axes, they asked Mr. Frog, “Whar’s Mr. Rabbit?”

He said, “He’s in the tree where you left him.”

They cut down the tree and didn’t find him.

Then they asked Mr. Frog again, “Whar’s Mr. Rabbit?”

“He’s in that tree I say,” said Mr. Frog.

So they split the tree open, and still didn’t find him. And they asked Mr. Frog again, “Whar’s Mr. Rabbit? Tell us true!”

“I said he’s in that tree!” shouted back Mr. Frog.

“Now, Mr. Frog,” they said, “you have let Mr. Rabbit get away, and we are going to kill you in his place.”

So Mr. Frog says, “Wait till I go to my praying ground, and say my prayers.”

So they told him he might have five minutes to pray.

And there was a pond near by, and a log on the edge of it. So when Frog got on the log he bowed his head and said, “Ta-hoo! ta-hoo! tah-o-o!”

SPLASH!

And he was gone!

And the Bear and Fox were outwitted again.

Rabbit in Garden from Pxhere. https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1334940