| Category: | African American Legends |
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One spring, Brer Rabbit decided he wanted a vegetable garden, but being lazy, he didn't want to do the work of planting and tending it. Instead, he went to Brer Bear's house and asked, "Brer Bear, how'd you like to share a garden with me? You do the planting, and I'll do the harvesting. We'll split everything evenly."
Brer Bear, not the brightest, thought this was a good idea and agreed. He tilled the soil, planted the seeds, and watered the garden every day. Brer Rabbit sat back and watched, eating carrots he had taken from Brer Fox's patch.
Soon, the vegetables began to grow, and Brer Bear was excited to harvest them. But when he went to the garden one morning, he found it had been picked clean. "Brer Rabbit!" he roared. "What's the meaning of this?"
Brer Rabbit appeared with a smile. "You did the planting, and I did the harvesting. Just like we agreed!" Brer Bear scratched his head, realizing too late that Brer Rabbit had tricked him.
Determined to get back at Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear said, "Let's plant again, but this time, I want the tops of the plants, and you can have the roots." Brer Rabbit agreed, and Brer Bear planted corn. When it was time to harvest, Brer Rabbit took the juicy corn ears, leaving Brer Bear with only the useless stalks.
Furious, Brer Bear shouted, "Next time, I get the roots and you get the tops!" Brer Rabbit smiled and agreed. This time, Brer Bear planted sweet potatoes. When harvest time came, Brer Rabbit took the lush green tops, and Brer Bear was left with nothing but dirt-covered roots.
Realizing he couldn't outsmart Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear gave up on the garden altogether. As for Brer Rabbit, he just laughed and hopped off to find his next adventure.