THE PIMMERLY PLUM 
“Skeeter sail ’roun’ en zoon en light down yer beyan de hip¬ 
bone. He say he grandaddy got spot down dar. 
“Blip he tuck hisse’f beyan de hip-bone . 
“Hit keep on dis a-way,” continued Uncle Remus, who had 
given vigorous illustrations of Brer Rabbit’s method of killing 
mosquitoes while pretending to tell a story, “twel bimeby ole 
Brer Wolf en ole Sis Wolf dey lissen at Brer Rabbit twel dey ’gun 
ter nod, en den ole Brer Rabbit en de gal dey sot up dar en kill 
skeeters right erlong.” 
“Did he marry Brother Wolf’s daughter?” asked the little boy. 
“I year talk,” replied Uncle Remus, “dat Brer Wolf sont Brer 
Rabbit wud nex’ day dat he kin git de gal by gwine atter ’er, but 
I ain’t never year talk ’bout Brer Rabbit gwine. De day atter- 
wuds wuz mighty long time, en by den Brer Rabbit moughter had 
some yuther projick on han’.” 1 
XXXVIII 
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 
1 This story, the funniest and most characteristic of all the negro legends, cannot be 
satisfactorily told on paper. It is full of action, and all the interest centres in the ges¬ 
tures and grimaces that must accompany an explanation of Brother Rabbit’s method of 
disposing of the mosquitoes. The story was first called to my attention by Mr. Marion 
Erwin, of Savannah, and it is properly a coast legend, but I have heard it told by three 
Middle Georgia negroes. 
185 
