The Pimmerly Plum

One night, when the little boy had grown tired of waiting for a story,

he looked at Uncle Remus and said:

"I wonder what ever became of old Brother Tarrypin."

Uncle Remus gave a sudden start, glanced all around the cabin, and then

broke into a laugh that ended in a yell like a view-halloo.

"Well, well, well! How de name er goodness come you ter know w'at

runnin' on in my min', honey? Mon, you skeer'd me; you sho'ly did; en

w'en I git skeer'd I bleedz ter holler. Let 'lone dat, ef I keep on

gittin' skeerder en skeerder, you better gimme room, 'kaze ef I can't

git 'way fum dar somebody gwine ter git hurted, en deyer gwine ter git

hurted bad. I tell you dat right pine-blank.[47]

"Ole Brer Tarrypin!" continued Uncle Remus in a tone of exultation. "Ole

Brer Tarrypin! Now, who bin year tell er de beat er dat? Dar you sets

studyin' 'bout ole Brer Tarrypin, en yer I sets studyin' 'bout ole Brer

Tarrypin. Hit make me feel so kuse dat little mo' en I'd 'a' draw'd my

Rabbit-foot en shuck it at you."

The little boy was delighted when Uncle Remus went off into these

rhapsodies. However nonsensical they might seem to others, to the child

they were positively thrilling, and he listened with rapt attention,

scarcely daring to stir.

"Ole Brer Tarrypin? Well, well, well!--

"'_W'en in he prime

He tuck he time!_'

"Dat w'at make he hol' he age so good. Dey tells me dat somebody 'cross

dar in Jasper county tuck'n kotch a Tarrypin w'ich he got marks cut in

he back dat 'uz put dar 'fo' our folks went fer ter git revengeance in

de Moccasin war. Dar whar yo' Unk' Jeems bin," Uncle Remus explained,

noticing the little boy's look of astonishment.

"Oh!" exclaimed the child, "that was the Mexican war."

"Well," responded Uncle Remus, closing his eyes with a sigh, "I aint

one er deze yer kinder folks w'at choke deyse'f wid names. One name

aint got none de 'vantage er no yuther name. En ef de Tarrypin got de

marks on 'im, hit don't make no diffunce whe'er yo' Unk' Jeems

Abercrombie git his revengeance out'n de Moccasin folks, er whe'er he

got it out'n de Mackersons."

"Mexicans, Uncle Remus."

"Tooby sho', honey; let it go at dat. But don't less pester ole Brer

Tarrypin wid it, 'kaze he done b'long ter a tribe all by he own-'lone

se'f.--I 'clar' ter gracious," exclaimed the old man after a pause, "ef

hit don't seem periently lak 't wuz yistiddy!"

"What, Uncle Remus?"

"Oh, des ole Brer Tarrypin, honey; des ole Brer Tarrypin en a tale w'at

I year 'bout 'im, how he done tuck'n do Brer Fox."

"Did he scare him, Uncle Remus?" the little boy asked, as the old man

paused.

"No, my goodness! Wuss'n dat!"

"Did he hurt him?"

"No, my goodness! Wuss'n dat!"

"Did he kill him?"

"No, my goodness! Lots wuss'n dat!"

"Now, Uncle Remus, what _did_ he do to Brother Fox?"

"Honey!"--here the old man lowered his voice as if about to describe a

great outrage--"Honey! he tuck'n make a fool out'n 'im!"

The child laughed, but it was plain that he failed to appreciate the

situation, and this fact caused Uncle Remus to brighten up and go on

with the story.

"One time w'en de sun shine down mighty hot, ole Brer Tarrypin wuz gwine

'long down de road. He 'uz gwine 'long down, en he feel mighty tired; he

puff, en he blow, en he pant. He breff come lak he got de azmy 'way down

in he win'-pipe; but, nummine! he de same ole Creep-um-crawl-um

Have-some-fun-um. He 'uz gwine 'long down de big road, ole Brer Tarrypin

wuz, en bimeby he come ter de branch. He tuck'n crawl in, he did, en got

'im a drink er water, en den he crawl out on t'er side en set down und'

de shade un a tree. Atter he sorter ketch he win', he look up at de sun

fer ter see w'at time er day is it, en, lo en beholes! he tuck'n skivver

dat he settin' in de shade er de sycamo' tree. No sooner is he skivver

dis dan he sing de ole song:

"'_Good luck ter dem w'at come and go,

W'at set in de shade er de sycamo'._'

"Brer Tarrypin he feel so good en de shade so cool, dat 't wa'n't long

'fo' he got ter noddin', en bimeby he drapt off en went soun' asleep.

Co'se, Brer Tarrypin kyar he house wid 'im eve'ywhar he go, en w'en he

fix fer ter go ter sleep, he des shet de do' en pull to de

winder-shetters, en dar he is des ez snug ez de ole black cat und' de

barn.

"Brer Tarrypin lay dar, he did, en sleep, en sleep. He dunner how long

he sleep, but bimeby he feel somebody foolin' 'long wid 'im. He keep de

do' shet, en he lay dar en lissen. He feel somebody tu'nin' he house

'roun' en 'roun'. Dis sorter skeer Brer Tarrypin, 'kaze he know dat ef

dey tu'n he house upside down he ull have all sorts er times gittin'

back. Wid dat, he open de do' little ways, en he see Brer Fox projickin'

wid 'im. He open de do' little furder, he did, en he break out in a

great big hoss-laff, en holler:

"'Well! well, well! Who'd 'a' thunk it! Ole Brer Fox, cuter dan de

common run, is done come en kotch me. En he come at sech a time, too! I

feels dat full twel I can't see straight skacely. Ef dey wuz any

jealousness proned inter me, I'd des lay yer en pout 'kaze Brer Fox done

fine out whar I gits my Pimmerly Plum.'

"In dem days," continued Uncle Remus, speaking to the child's look of

inquiry, "de Pimmerly Plum wuz monst'us skace. Leavin' out Brer Rabbit

en Brer Tarrypin dey wa'n't none er de yuther creeturs dat yuvver got a

glimp' un it, let 'lone a tas'e. So den w'en Brer Fox year talk er de

Pimmerly Plum, bless gracious! he h'ist up he head en let Brer Tarrypin

'lone. Brer Tarrypin keep on laffin' en Brer Fox 'low:

"'Hush, Brer Tarrypin! you makes my mouf water! Whar'bouts de Pimmerly

Plum?'

"Brer Tarrypin, he sorter cle'r up de ho'seness in he th'oat, en sing:

"'_Poun' er sugar, en a pint er rum,

Aint nigh so sweet ez de Pimmerly Plum!_'

"Brer Fox, he lif' up he han's, he did, en holler:

"'Oh, hush, Brer Tarrypin! you makes me dribble! Whar'bouts dat Pimmerly

Plum?'

"'You stannin' right und' de tree, Brer Fox!'

"'Brer Tarrypin, sho'ly not!'

"'Yit dar you stan's, Brer Fox!'

"Brer Fox look up in de tree dar, en he wuz 'stonish'."

"What did he see in the sycamore tree, Uncle Remus?" inquired the little

boy.

There was a look of genuine disappointment on the old man's face, as he

replied:

"De gracious en de goodness, honey! Aint you nev' is see dem ar little

bit er balls w'at grow on de sycamo' tree?"[48]

The little boy laughed. There was a huge sycamore tree in the centre of

the circle made by the carriage way in front of the "big house," and

there were sycamore trees of various sizes all over the place. The

little balls alluded to by Uncle Remus are very hard at certain stages

of their growth, and cling to the tree with wonderful tenacity. Uncle

Remus continued:

"Well, den, w'en ole Brer Tarrypin vouch dat dem ar sycamo' balls wuz de

ginnywine Pimmerly Plum, ole Brer Fox, he feel mighty good, yit he

dunner how he gwine git at um. Push 'im clos't, en maybe he mought beat

Brer Tarrypin clammin' a tree, but dish yer sycamo' tree wuz too big fer

Brer Fox fer ter git he arms 'roun'. Den he up'n 'low:

"'I sees um hangin' dar, Brer Tarrypin, but how I gwine git um?'

"Brer Tarrypin open he do' little ways en holler out:

"'Ah-yi! Dar whar ole Slickum Slow-come got de 'vantage! Youer mighty

peart, Brer Fox, yit somehow er nudder you aint bin a-keepin' up wid

ole Slickum Slow-come.'

"'Brer Tarrypin, how de name er goodness does you git um?'

"'Don't do no good fer ter tell you, Brer Fox. Nimble heel make restless

min'. You aint got time fer ter wait en git um, Brer Fox.'

"'Brer Tarrypin, I got all de week befo' me.'

"'Ef I tells you, you'll go en tell all de t'er creeturs, en den dat'll

be de las' er de Pimmerly Plum, Brer Fox.'

"'Brer Tarrypin, dat I won't. Des try me one time en see.'

"Brer Tarrypin shet he eye lak he studyin', en den he 'low:

"'I tell you how I does, Brer Fox. W'en I wants a bait er de Pimmerly

Plum right bad, I des takes my foot in my han' en comes down yer ter

dish yer tree. I comes en I takes my stan'. I gits right und' de tree,

en I r'ars my head back en opens my mouf. I opens my mouf, en w'en de

Pimmerly Plum draps, I boun' you she draps right spang in dar. All you

got ter do is ter set en wait, Brer Fox.'

"Brer Fox aint sayin' nothin'. He des sot down und' de tree, he did, en

r'ar'd he head back, en open he mouf, en I wish ter goodness you mought

er bin had er chance fer ter see 'im settin' dar. He look scan'lous,

dat 's de long en de short un it; he des look scan'lous."

"Did he get the Pimmerly Plum, Uncle Remus?" asked the little boy.

"_Shoo!_ How he gwine git plum whar dey aint no plum?"

"Well, what did he do?"

"He sot dar wid he mouf wide open, en eve'y time Brer Tarrypin look at

'im, much ez he kin do fer ter keep from bustin' aloose en laffin'. But

bimeby he make he way todes home, Brer Tarrypin did, chucklin' en

laffin', en 't wa'n't long 'fo' he meet Brer Rabbit tippin' 'long down

de road. Brer Rabbit, he hail 'im.

"'W'at 'muze you so mighty well, Brer Tarrypin?'

"Brer Tarrypin kotch he breff atter so long a time, en he 'low:

"'Brer Rabbit, I'm dat tickle' twel I can't shuffle 'long, skacely, en

I'm fear'd ef I up'n tell you de 'casion un it, I'll be tooken wid one

er my spells whar folks hatter set up wid me 'kaze I laff so loud en

laff so long.'

"Yit atter so long a time, Brer Tarrypin up'n tell Brer Rabbit, en dey

sot dar en chaw'd terbacker en kyar'd on des lak sho' 'nuff folks. Dat

dey did!"

Uncle Remus paused; but the little boy wanted to know what became of

Brer Fox.

"Hit 's mighty kuse," said the old man, stirring around in the ashes as

if in search of a potato, "but endurin' er all my days I aint nev' year

nobody tell 'bout how long Brer Fox sot dar waitin' fer de Pimmerly

Plum."

[47] Point-blank.

[48] In another version of this story current among the negroes the sweet-gum tree takes the place of the sycamore.