St Johns College - Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

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The .Ytrawberry Company ,1, I Captain, BURTIS COOPER. Lieutenant, PREP. GOSNELL. l A I Privates, 1 . OLD LADY WILSON, BIDDY CLARK, ARTHUR W. HARRIS, AMOS HUTCHINS, HANK PENNELL, BULL HARRISON, POP WILLING, MOTHER HEARN, PIGGY KEMP, , ELMER PARSLY. This company was Organized for the purpose of making inspections of the different strawberry patches of Anne Arundel County, and, incidentally, to sample the fruit in each one. The inspections take place every week, usually on Saturday afternoons. During the week a delegation usually goes the rounds to see that everything is in order. A few words about the individual members of this company. The captain, Burtis Cooper, was elected to his position because he can eat more strawberries than anyother member, and also because of his appearance, which always commands respect. The lieutenant, Prep. Gosnell, although he is little, is a very able officer, noted for escaping the snares laid by indignant owners of outraged strawberry patches. The whole company is more or less efficient in the mastication of the fruit, and also in the location of patches. It is with one of these weekly rounds of inspection that this story is concerned. One Saturday afternoon in early spring the company was mustered. Roll-call found the captain, lieutenant and four privates present. The rest had.leave of absence to visit their Sweethearts, so of course were excused. , ' The company marched along inspecting each patch as it was passed, until finally they came to the place owned by old man Jones. No one was near, and so fine and luscious were the berries, that they decided to go no further, but to filltheir contribution box Ca bushel basketj, and also themselves, at this place. So everyone jumped Over the fence and began picking strawberries' as if for a wager. Several carriages passed, and the captain questioned the occupants of each as to whether or not they ownedthe patch, but all answered no. So the company got careless, and the sentinel who had been left to watch for teams left his post and joined his companions. Thus it happened that no one saw the conveyance containing old man Jones and his family coming along the road, until it arrived at thepatch. The first intimation of danger was received when a voice was heard shouting, Who gave you permission to git them strawberries. , 194

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The .fpeakirig Tube l- Among the many improvements that have been made during the past year is the speaking tube which connects the Generals ' room with the kitchen. Of course this brilliant idea of direct communication originated with the General, who is always striv- ing to invent some new labor-saving device. Naturally this one saves wear and tear on the steps, besides many trips from second floor to kitchen by the General, and from the kitchen to second floor by Brayton and his corps. Since the General carries but one idea at a time, his feet had to work overtime for the short-comings of his head, and, that you 'may have a slight idea of the trips saved, we give below the first message over the wireless. i I Whistle.-7.30 A. M. B , . Hello Braxton-J' Braxton, first thing, .have my breakfast sent up. Well how are affairs this morn- ing? - ' f No sir nor-d-- those Preps.-They can't have them-eggs are forty-six cents per dozen. They will have to eat fish until eggs get cheaper. Now Brax, I don't like that, suppose you flavor it with-All gone? Well do the best you can. Have the andirons shined and the windows washed and-What? Charge it up to him, ten cents for every one he breaks. ' Yes that's very nice. I ate some like that up at Hotel Belvidere. . Now get some ice from the ice-man, fish from the fish-man, oysters from the fruit- man, fruit from the oyster-man.- ' ' Oh dang it-Dock Brown a quarter, discharge Lola, and don't bother me for two hours, I am about to practice my guitar lesson. Have you a good supply of ginger snaps? No, don't change, they like them better than any other. Good-bye. Hellol Hello!! O Braxton! did you use my telephone to Cantonsville? ll N037 I Good-Bye. 193

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Of course the members of the little company were much startled, but with remarkable presence of mind one of the privates yelled, We gave a colored man fifty cents for all there are in here. This might have seemed possible if the captain had not foolishly said, It wasn't fifty cents, it was only thirty-five. The old man was much excited and he got out of his carriage fan old mule and broken down daytonj, saying, Don't no nigger own these strawberries. Git out o' here. The members of the band now tried to parley with him, but he said to his son, Go up to the house and git my gun. I'll hold these fellersf' - ' Then the captain decided that discretion was the better part of valor, especially as Mr. Jones had a long, wicked-looking blacksnake whip in his hand, and he 'ordered a retreat. So the company turned and fied precipitately towards the woods, one of them grabbing the basket of strawberries. One fellow was unlucky, enough to 'be caught between the old man and his son. For various reasons his name is not given here, but everyone who has heard this story knows who it was. , The old man went up to this unfortunate hero, and, grabbing him by the collar, demanded to know his name. The young man would not tell him at first, but when the old man said, Well, I will take you before the magistrate-'T then he said his name was Alex. Brown. Of course, this was very wrong, and we would not usually countenance a lie, but under the circumstances it was probably justifiable. y So the old man let Alex. Brown go, and announced that he was going right over to the college to see the head professor, and you may be sure the so-called Brown made tracks. ' , ' The old man showed up at the college next day, but finding no Alex. Brown in the school, he was compelled to go back home, in a very ruffled state of mind. As a fitting end to this narrative, it may be said that the five lucky ones escaped with the basket of strawberries, and all six of them had a feast that night which well repaid them for their adventure. ww 195