The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1898-08-29
BR'ER JIM.

Brer Jim one Of the negro slaves
on the farm--a tall slender. gingerbread
colored man. who had all of Old Marster's
fine manners and who tried his best to use
all the big words he heard the white people
use in the parlor and dining room.
Br'er Jim had beautiful white teeth and
bright black eyes. His mouth and nose
were very good for n negro and he was
one Of the most pleasant. polite and enter
tanning negroes in our neghborhood; but
he did so many funny things In trying to
ape the white people that ME was very Of
ten laughed at. and the other negroes used
to take great pleasure in telling jokes on
him.
If there was ever good negro. Br'er Jim
was one. He joined the church when quite
young and soon became one of the leading
members. All the older members called
him Brer Jim, and as he was not old
enough to be called uncle but was 100
grand and dignified to be called jim, all
the children. white and black, dropped into
calling him Brer jim, too. Thus in
the course of time he was known
to the neighborhood as Br'er jim
l have said that the other negroes used
to be fond of telling jokes on him, so L
must tell you one that Daddy told us enc
summers day while we were lying IN the
shade behind a straw rick. | snail not
put the story in quotation marks, nor tell
imagine that he IS telling It.
Who was Daddy? He was not my daddy
sure enough, He was black mammys
husband and was Sans and Johns faith
err Sam and John used to be my horses
sometime and sometimes ] was theirs. We
used to play marbles and other games and
go a-nshng and bathing together. Some
times we did not play to suit each other
and then we would get into rough, roll
and tumble fights, and often the white
boys would get licked, TOO, but never
said a word about 1t to Old Marster.
Who was Old Marster? He was the own
or OF Sam and John and the other ne
groes on the farm. The negroes calleo
him "Mahsteh" when they spoke to MIN
and we, the white boys, called him grand
pa, but all spoke OF him, when ne oiu ny
hear us. as Old Marster. We were alraIn
to tell him about getting into ishtS VIZ,
the little slave boys lor 80
he would have them whipped
However have since learned that he
often found out about our little fights, put
said nothing. because he thought we shoulo
learn to take care of ourselves. But no" l
must tell you what Daddy told US ABOUT
Br'er jim.
When Br'er Jim was a young man he
belonged to a gentleman VINO INeo III inc
civ HIS master died and they We're solhs
To sell him at auction. but ne htu Sun
kinsforx on our place. so "Old Marster
bought him at a private sale ana brouGht
him to the farm. This was In the tan OF the
year and after freezing weather hau begun
Br'rr Jim was born and raised in the
cI+y He had never been In the country
before and did not know a thing about II
or about the work and life on farm, 6tll
he was a strong and willing negro and 1t
d.d not take him long to learn to do farm
work But he was such a polite honest
and willing hand that after awhile 'Old
Marster" took him for one OF the house
servants.
Ono day In the first May after "Old
Marster'' bought Br'er Jim. he told him
to go down to the lower place and help the
hands to plant corn. He said that one Of