The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1879-08-23
[CONNUNICATED.l
How New Jersey Grabs Caught ua
Etiitor,

]
Asbury Park has just leaked out here It
is supposed to have come partly by su5tsr-
raneous telegraph and partly BY the Lehah
canal and, ofcourse, has lost nothing in tho
transit. We do not vouch for its truth, but
give it as we received it.
With the excursion named, so the story
goes, went an editor of one Of the Mauel
Chunk papers On arriving at the dcstina-
tion, he despatched special to his paperaui
began to ruminate in his mind as to the best
way to pass away the hours which must i1-
tervene before the excursion returned. BE
would not be able to enjoy the sports and
pastimes Of the average excursionist to tho
seashore. These would pail on his hands
He must strike out on line peculiarly h.B
own.
A happy thought struck him He de
termned to procure crab-line, repair 90
some shaded inlet along the shore, and catch
a string of crabs; and he laughed outright,
as in Imagination he pictured himself OK
hiJitng these captured denizens Of the brinv
deep, caught by himself, to his envious
friends in Mauch Chunk, as a trophy of his
"day Off at the seashore.
With our brother knight of the quill 20
think is too act, and especially when on an
excursion; and short time afterward found
him fully equipped, not only with cra'-
line and hook, but also with strong picro
of twine in his pocket, with which he pro
posed to pinion the claws ofthe crabs togcth-
or, as fast as caught, to let them remain in
the edge Of the water at the end of the string,
while catching others; and when be had as
many as he wished, he would tie the two
ends olthe string together, throw them acro-5
astck "A convenient method oCgetting them
to the railroad depot-and by this means,
not only carry the crabs homo safely, lu,
alivo also. Thus turning over in his mind
all the minor details of catching, carryinr,
exhibiting, and finally Geastng at home oa
the result Of his piscatorial enterprise, ia
which five or six of his friends, known s.
him to be extremely fond of crabs, were o.
be invited to dinner next day, he meandor-
ed along the shore in search of suitable
place to carry his plan into execution.
About mile from the railroad depot, he
found just the place that suited him. IN
fact, if it had been made to order, it cou'dr
have suited him better. He arranged e seat
exactly to his liking, and cast his hook into
the water.
A large number ofcrabs congregafed there
as crabs usually do, when sought after. But
a crab, and especially New Jersey crab, is
more of a philosopher than people are will
| ing to credit him with. They at once guess
ell that the angler was "man from the
mountains for his hook was baited with
peanut, which Juvenile vendor of these
marketables had assured him was the only
bait that Ocean Grove crabs would "blta at.
The crabs in their own way made merry
around the bait. In the meantime our ane-
teur fisherman, seeing the crabs in the shall
low water, but believing that they were NOT
hungry just at that moment, but determined
to wait until they should be, dropped into
pleasant reverie, and finally to sleep.
The crabs glanced ashore, took in the -.t-
uation, and are supposed to have held
council of war. They determined to revelss
the ends of the fish. line, iasten the HOOK Ia
his boot, and put the land end in the water
which was to be seized by as many crabs as
| practical to operate on the line in pulling
The remaining were to 60 out in booy,
| hitch their claws into their would-be captoIs
clothes, and by movements so slow and re
ular as to really lull him into a deeper sluu-
Der, drag him into the sea where they could
easily manage him. Just what they pro
posed to do with him afterward, does not
transpire 1t would be unfair to beleye that
New Jersey crabs areso silly as to think that
they could make a meal of an editor Of u
Pennsylvania political newspaper.
But our friend fell into a most brillan.
dream. He was catching crabs, the finest
ever human eyes feasted upon. He hpi
caught so many that his anxiety was aroused
as to how he should get them to the depot.
Suddenly, however, by one of those singular
transformations known only in dreams, Lie
string Of crabs was metamorphosed into
living noatilla, and himself, seated on the
back ofone Of them, was gliding swiillyur
the Lehigh canal, regardless Of locks. il
was just turning the curve above PackerJ,n
when he felt himsclfshaken ms though a dis
gusted clap of thunder had struck HIM. II,
opened his eyes, and was startled at finding
bending over him the form Of stalwa.-
darkey.
" Boss, aint You wild dat Merodist Sour
shion ?" asked the durkey.
Our editorial friend had not recovered his
waking senses. His frst thoughts were o
foul play. He was sensible that his feet and
legs were wet to his knees, and ihl. he was
a full length from whore he sat down. a
glance around, after raising disclosed thar
his string of crabs were gone. lie belieY-
ed that the darkey had roJbcd him, and
was trying to make way with his body.
e" Yes, he said" shaking his cliuched FIST
at the darkey, 81 am the fact0ium ofthat ex-
cursion, and III have you to understand th,t
am not the man you take me for--yoa
cross eyed ,hat-nosed, knock kneed ,miscegin.
sted son ola New Jersey carpet -bagger, er,wouid
be bloated-bond-holder and lackey of treas
uryrings and corrupt legislation. III"
''Look haar, boss, dat's good speech, but
| cum haar to ketch crabs, I did. An Of
you want 60 home wild dat skurshun OF
your'n, you'd better be gittin' to de depot"
This brought our journalist crab-angle.
to a wakeful realization Of the situation. Ha
thrust one hand into his pants pocket, and
with the other drew out his watch. He
had not been robbed. The truth dawued
upon his mind, that perhaps the good-na-
tured darkv had played the part of the goo6
Samaritan, aud he slipped quarter into ''
nand with a brief apology. He mad
fifteen minutes 20 make bis train, which
did lust lu time 10 catch hold Ol ana g..
ulmn the rear platform. When on the
up tne valley THAT evening his friends
ms unusual "meaucnuly," be eXpla