THE 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 ! 5 
“‘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?” in¬ 
quired 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! Ain’t you nev’ is see dem 
ar little bit er balls w’at grow on de sycamo’ tree?” 1 
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 won¬ 
derful 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 ain’t 
bin a-keepin’ up wid ole Slickum Slow-come.’ 
1 In another version of this story current among the negroes the sweet-gum tree 
takes the place of the sycamore. 
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