The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-08-19
CAUGHT THE EDUCATED CRAB.
1t Had Spoiled Cnp'n Eph's Fishing,
But Mns Lnndcd by MedfOrd rum.

1t Had Spoiled Cnp'n Eph's Fishing,
But Was Landed by Medford Rum.
The Educated Crab came to grief the
other day and Cap'n Eph Browles Wis
tied the village to celebrate the event.
When last seen, bound over the hills of
Hardscrabble, he was close hauled and
laying IA course as tortuous as the wake
of a mackerel smack beating to wind
ward against tide and a stiff moth
easter.
Cap'n Eph had been fishing Tor the
Educated Crab ever since he was so
afflicted with rheumatism that he had
to knock off cruising between Bishop
and Clerks lighthouse and the Hand
.5erchief ledge, and do all his fishing in
the bav or off the breakwater. He had
always maintained that the Educated
Crab was raised in Buzzard's bay and
that it had legs arGund New Bedford.
1t showed a vicious knowledge, accord
ing to Cap'n Eph, only to have been
gained by long experience among
whalemcn.
Il s'pose that air crab hez been afoul
my line at least 1even hundred times"
remarked Cap'n Eph when he stood in
front of the post office and displayed the
cadayer of the crab, which he had
brought from the beach carefully
wrapped in paper.
How do | know cts the same crab?
Don't yer s'pose / kin tell his figger-
head from yourn? addressing the
neighbor on his left and pointing to the
one on his right) Crabs hev phizes jest
ez much ez pussons. Sides, there never
Nvus crab afore that wuz sheathed all
along its keel and deck with barnacles.
I've hearn tell thet yer could tell tn age
uv rattlesnalle by tn rattles he steersd
by. Eff tibet holds good in til case NV
crabs this'n' must be nigh a thousand
years old.
1T nd steal bait faster a hull school
NV frverS Thet's where his eddication
cum in I've leaned over the gunwale
when | wuz fishing in clear water an
watched him skirmsh round mort so
times. He'd go skuttlin' round my hook
four or five times, jes' ter get tn bear
ings NV tn bait, but he wouldn't make
no effort ter tech tn bait until he'd gone
up ag'in tn tide for two or three faith
oms. Then he'd come sailin' back with
the tide on his beam an heaye to about
three inches from my line.
Every other crab would hev jes'
! grabbed fur tn bait an made sail. That
wuzn't tn style of tn Eddicated Crab.
4 howsomever he'd ies' port his helm an
, swing athWart til tide till he'd got his
| starboard claw fore an aft with my line,
an then he'd grab tn hook by tn eye
an pint its dizziness end away from his
! belly while he picked the bait off with
! his port claw. 1t didn't matter how fast
l hauled in tn line, he'd hev tn hook
| bare by tn time | rized him to the edge
NV tn water.
He spilled my fshin' fur three sum
mers, but | kotched him at last, How
il cum about shows that tn smartest
crab amt no way superior to man eff it
NEEDLES with rum. Night afore las [
opened half bucket ur CLANS an set
the bait down by the table right under
where I'd sot a nigh about full bottle Nv
/ MedfOrd rum; what | used to rub my
d7r f1'r. .rheumatia ~ q fen IaeIn bered
long about nine o'clock O night an
tried to light tn glim. Whilst | wuz
! foOlin' round fur match | knocked tn
bottle over an most all the Iikker
swashed down on them air CLANS. [
cussed myself fur a lubber all night.
| tur l had pains in my leg an stumach
mighty bad. But | amt sorry tibet |
spilled tn liliker now, seem that
| llotched tn dedicated crab.
II thot ez the Iilker would be likely
, to Spite tn bait an sure enough didn't
| git a bite till tn tide wuz about ebb an
tn ole crab hove in sight He took to
the rum soaked bait jest ez kindly ez Il
| prohibitionist away from hum. He
cleaned my hook an made sail fur his
port, but bimeby he cum back under
full Roadway an seemed dreadful eager
fur mother bite. He got it, but acted
so WObbly that it sot me ter thinkin'.
Says ter myself. you hev sartainly got
brains enough to git tangled up if
your latitude eff you hist in much more
NV that cargo So [ jist jambed tn
hook full NV rum-sQaked CLANS an let
zap II NIdD nav gaze all over tne bottom
with it. BimebY | seed tibet he was too
Wobbly ter steer within three pints NV
his course. He he'd to tack half a dozer
times afore he coul9 lay himself along
side the hook when | baited up agin
and then he jest grabbed at tn bait
hook and all. regardless o. conse-
Fecences. | let him git a good hold
afore lyanked, an when did give pull
on tn line | druv tn hook nigh half
through his port quarter. 1t wasn't
time for tn wink ur yallerleg's eve
afore | he'd him in tn boat; an he lay
thar an blinked at me Ell drunk ez
shanghaied foremost hand in tn fo'kas-
tie NV a Baltimore packet Thet's how
l kotched tn dedicated crab. Boston
Traveller.
Before HIS Honor.
The following is reported from
l.