Why so little melanin on palms and soles?

In fact, there is an Uncle Remus just-so story on this very subject.

Warning for people who may not be familiar with Uncle Remus:

Uncle Remus is the fictional title character and narrator of a collection of African American folktales compiled and adapted by Joel Chandler Harris and published in book form in 1881. [snip] He wrote his stories in a dialect which was his interpretation of Deep South Negro language of the time. For these framing and stylistic choices, his collection has encountered controversy.

The story includes the n-word and dialect that many would consider offensive.