Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 April 1900 — THE TAR BABY. [ARTICLE]

THE TAR BABY.

Another Version of Uncle Remus' Famous Story. The “Tar Baby” story has. been found, somewhere in Africa, very much as Uncle Remus told the boy. It is published in Folk Lore. The hero is, of course, the rabbit. He eats up a whole field of grain. The owner, determined upon revenge, sets up a log of wood in the shape of a girl. He puts clothes and beads upon it, in order the more effectually to deceive the rabbit, and then smears the figure with gum. When the' rabbit came in the early morning he saluted her with “Good morning, little girl!” No answer. So he said: “Do you hate your neighbors, then? They salute you, and you say nothing. I will come nearer.” - He came nearer and spoke to her again, but still received no answer. Then he took hold of her, and his hand stuck fast. He said: ‘.‘Let me go,” but could not get away. “Let me go, little girl, there are people coming.” He seized her with the other hand, and that, too, stuck fast. me go; they are coming nearer. I will put my foot on you.” He did so; his foot stuck fast; then the other foot. Then he threatened to bite her, and as this produced no effect he tried to do so, and was caught by the mouth. Then he sat on her and could not get up again. The people now came up and found him a prisoner. They went to fetch the owner of the field, who loosed him from the gum and carried him off to the village. The culprit, however, thought of a way of escape. “You man! don’t kill me, but boil me alive in the pot; I shall boil quickly. If you kill me first I shall not boil quickly; I shall be hard like a stone.” The man listened to his words, and put him into the pot. The people then went off to hoe the fields, leaving the rabbit to boil and a child to watch the pot. The rabbit, of course, slipped out, put the child in his place and retired, to look on. Presently the people all came back and ate up the child, thinking it was the rabbit. Whereupon he appeared, reduced them to shame and confusion and disappeared in the jungle.