The Arizona sentinel., 1886-07-31

l
 fly into de basket. Keep dat up and
 you'll hab to hire a kyart to haul yo'
 tickets home"
 Mary Jane or Eliza Jane or Belinda
 Jane shows all her teeth at this, and,
 with a coquettish toss of her head, creek
 ons" she won't be turned out of church
 this year for not paying her dues. Next
 to the lively Belinda Jane great hulk
 ing fellow is sprawled all over the plants,
 while he slowly picks half a dozen ber-
 ries at time. The overseer bawls out:
 ''Git up dar, you lazy black nigger. Yo'
 legs too long and yo' feet's too broad fur dis heah strawberry field. You'se mashin' a peck fur every quart you picks. Wander is de fiddlers scrapin Dat foot kin dance quicker'n n dat han
 kin pick"
 The owner of the foot bestirs himself,
 if he has not been affronted by being called a nigger-a term of reproach common among the negroes, but strict ly interdicted among the best classes of white people at the South, where the word is never heard. A bright-eyed youngster, with no clothes on to speak
 
 eye.
 "What you doin' on dis heah field. boy? You ought to have broadcloth coat on yo' back and a beaver hat on you hade, an set in de shade in arm cheer. You doan know how to pick strawberries. You is gentmun, you is. 1 lay your nanny will have ole wuks wid you ter make you mind yo' busi- nessr'
 Thus adjured, the youngster slyly opens a ragged pocket and shows a bundle of strawberry tickets, and, stick ing his tongue out saucily, returns leis- urely to his work. Presently, in the midst of his eXhortation. he comes upon row half picked. Then he launches out and perfect hurricane of profani- ty rages. An elderly sister, who is the president of the Daughters of Rebekah or the Order of the Galilean Fisherman, remonstrates earnestly.
 Bro Samson, how kin you talk SO, an you a professin" Chrischun?"
 ''Sis' 'Lisbeth, I ain't professin' noth- in in Strawberry time. Pse back slider from de day I see de fust strawberry crate. Now, step long lively an femme see you clean up arter dem good-for-nothin' black niggers.'
 Just then a half dozen pickers come out into the narrow path, with their trays balanced on their heads. Bro Sampson stops every one, and taking a basket at random, empties it into an- other basket. This is to see if any are picking green or decayed berries. If they are alright the pickers march off to the paying booth, where the busy tafly-keeper checks them of. If not, a volley ensues from Sampson, in- terspersed with numerous charges of being ''black nigger," which is al- ways sullenly resented. If the berries are not up to the standard they are ruthlessly poured out on the ground, and if one or two of these corrections are not enough the worthless picker is driven out of the field. Meanwhile those that have gone off to the paying booth are making various dispositions of their tickets. Some go for pies, for although the negro is not much of a beer drinker-and, if the picker is young and light of heel, with no fear of the .'church,'' to the dancing pavilion. Old time jigS and backdowns prevail, the negro musicians playing with wild abandon which generates a enthusiasm. Many of the couples are strangers to each other, as time brings great influx of negroes from as far as North Carolina, but the steps of acquaintanceship are easy and progressive. A couple paired l in the dance are sometimes paired for life. When the engagement is an- nounced they may be seen picking in company and putting all their tickets into common fund. are put in crates ready to be moved on the big lighters or fat-bottomed boats that lie in the river. All day long the | scene is busy, but when the last half hour comes every thing is accelerated. | At given signal every picker is to | stop, as not moment is to be lost if | the lighters are to reach the steamers on time. Already the roar and rumble of the trucks on the wharves can be heard | like distant thunder. Probably several loads have already been lightered down, but every load is valuable, and it is highly important not to miss a single | one. The capacity of the immense steamers seems limitless, as, although the bulk of the strawberry crates is con- siderable, their weight is trifing, and they are slowed all over the ship, wher- ever they can find lodging-place. Samson is fairly boiling over by five o'clock. He rushes to the dancing pa- 7ilion and by dint of coaxing, storming md imploring, breaks up the festivities md gets the dancers down on their knees picking for dear life. Even the musi- ,ians are induced at this stage of the to help. The pie man is warned off the field until the last load s being headed for town The owner, on horseback or in a light buggy, is giving orders and hurrying things up. The overseers are flying hither md thither, and no longer make okes or bandy witticisms with he pickers. At last a long blast rom the steamers whistle is heard hat means perhaps that they have a lalf hour only to get the crates on board. Then every thing is trundled town to the shore, in five minutes the boats are out in mid tream meeting other flat-bottomed ,oats, and taking their place in line when they reach the pier. A great treat force of truckmen all black-are the heavily-loaded trucks into he steamers open hold. They have to ush, for sometime the line of boats xtends half across the Elizabeth river, nd when the bell rings the gang plank must be pulled in, although it may ,reak the cantain'S heart fO leave so