St Johns College - Yearbook (Annapolis, MD)

Page 215 text:

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

Page 214 text:

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

Page 216 text:

ff J9 Dairy of Buck's ,.Hliments .1l-- I I r ST. iJOHN'S COLLEGE, January 1, 1904. I, Buck, wishing to know how many times I shall get .sick and what maladies shall attack me, intend to keep a rigid account of my various ailments until Feb. 1, 1904, if none of them compel me to pass in my .checks before that time. So here goes: JANUARY 2.-Today I had a severe attack of megalocardia and could secure relief only by taking a pint of Wilson's Best. A JANUARY 3.-About 11 o'clock, p. m., I had a severe pain between the first and second ribs. Not knowing what to make of it, I resolved to experiment with a dose of magnesia, and, in the dark, picked up the bottle and swallowed a good-sized mouthful. The pain left immediately. The next morning I found a black spot on my cheek and investigating its cause discovered that I had swallowed one-third of a bottle of shoe- polish instead of magnesia. . JANUARY 6.-While seated at the breakfast table, I was seized with such awful cramps that I could not rise until I had taken six glasses of milk. JANUARY 10.-Was affected by general debility, which was likely to end my earthly career, but Tommy's pills brought me through all right, all right, all right. JANUARY 11.-Hadn't moneyenough to get anything to get sick on. JANUARY 12.-Had tonsilitis in a malignant form until the doctor stuck a butcher's -knife -down my throat, which put an end to the sore throat, and almost to me. JANUARY lo.-About 2 o'clock in the 'morning I dreamed a funny dream and could not understand it, until I tried to get up , when I discovered that cerebro-spinal-meningitis had entered my system. Consequently I had to skip all classes that day. The attack was temporary, and had disappeared by baseball time. 'X JANUARY 16, 18, 20.-Couldn't find a fashionable disease for each of these days so Idecided not to be sick. JANUARY '21.-Upon waking in the morning, I felt very dull and -found that I had another blood-clot on my brain. Could not go to chapel. ' JANUARY 23.-Oh, fudge! What is the use of doing this any longer? It is too much trouble and I am so tired. . FINIS. 196