University of Virginia Library

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TWO TALES IN ONE—ONE TALE IN TWO

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Folks think deyer smart, an' I speck it's so,
Kaze most anybody bleeze ter know what dey know,
But when you dig down ter de trufe an' all,
You feel like creepin' thoo a hole in de wall,
An' you don't want de hole fer ter be too wide,
Kaze you want a place whar you kin hide—
Fer dat what you know mighty certain an' sho
Ain't mo' dan a thimbleful ter what you ain't know.

When you run yo' head in a hornets' nes'
You kin say what you please an' think de res',
But de ve'y fust thing dat you wanter do
Is ter git up fum dar, an' shuffle yo' shoe—

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Man! I wish you'd hush! You wanter git away,
Dey ain't money nuff fer ter make you stay!
Well, what you dunno, is got claws an' wings,
It zoons in yo' year, it zoons an' stings!

What! Tell you a tale dat I dunno?
Is you ever hear de one 'bout Tippity-Toe?
You ain't! Well, dat's mighty funny ter me,
An' I speck I better tell 'bout Flee-ter-my-Knee—
One tale in two, an' two tales in one,
By de time deyer finish' deyer mighty nigh done;
You'll lissen an' laugh, you'll lissen an' cry,
But yo' face will be straight an' yo' eye will be dry!

Dey wuz born in a well, an' dey wa'n't no doubt
Dat dey couldn't fall in, so dey had ter fall out,
An' de folks all say dat it sho wuz a sin

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Fer ter be fallin' out when dey oughter fall in;
An' dey wonder'd an' wonder'd how dat kin be,
An' dey hunted an' hunted fer Flee-ter-my-Knee,
But he wa'n't ter be foun', ner Tippity-Toe,
An' dat's how come dey ain't nobody know.

An' down ter dis day, when folks settin' still,
An' lookin' 'way off 'cross de creek an' de hill,
An' frownin' up when dey shets der eyes,
Er puttin' on specks fer ter make um look wise,
Deyer wond'rin' (special ef dey rubs der chin)
How it feels ter fall out when you oughter fall in;
Deyer watchin' an' waitin' an' tryin' ter see
Little Tippity-Toe an' Flee-ter-my-Knee.

Sometimes in de night you'll hear a mouse squeal
Kaze Tippity-Toe done trod on his heel,

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An' sometimes you'll wake an' hear de wall crack,
But it's Flee-ter-my-Knee a-drivin' a tack;
Dey gits in de kitchen an' makes de pans leak,
An' dey creeps in de closet, an' makes de shoes screak;
An' dey stops de clock—but der purtiest trick
Is ter swing on de pennel-um an' make it tick.

In de middle er de night, when you hear de dog howl,
An' de bullfrog grumble like he talkin' ter de owl,
An' de killdee holler like he skeer'd ter death,
An' de win' do like she's a-hol'in' her breath,
And de moon slips along twel she fin's a cloud
Fer ter hide behime, an' de geeses all crowd
Close up tergedder, it's bekaze dey see
Little Tippity-Toe an' Flee-ter-my-Knee.

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An' de katydids, wid der chatterin' song,
You'd think 'twould take um all night long
Fer ter tell what dey ain't do, an' what dey done,
A-jawin' an' 'sputin' one by one,
But, turnin' twelve, dey simmers down,
An' you can't hear one fer miles aroun'.
Deyer mo' dan willin' fer ter gi' do flo'
Ter Flee-ter-my-Knee an' Tippity-Toe.

An' chillun like you better keep der eyes skun
So dey'll know what's mischief fum dat what's fun,
Kaze Flee-ter-my-Knee an' Tippity-Toe
Deyer watchin' you close wharsomever you go—
Wharsomever you go, whatsomever you do,
Deyer wid you all day an' de whole night thoo;
Dey'll raise up de kivver when youer in bed,
An' pull at yo' toes an' tousel yo' head,

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