Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1901-07-25
ANNAPOLIS WRINKLES.
Humorous Letter Descriptive of the
Maryland State Capital.

Maryland State Capital,
The following humorous effusion Is
copied from the Northampton Uowa}
Gazette and was written by the father
Of one of the cadet graduates of the
class of 1901 of the naval academy
while on visit to his son:
Annapolis has added one more year
to her nearly 500 since last saw her,
but one fails to see any added
wrinkles. She is the only she who,
having passed twenty or thirty, will
allow the subject to be mentioned.
The old girl actually seems proud of
her age. She fairly giggles when
abiding to her birth in 1908. She
must have been unusually slow in out
growing swaddling clothes and short
dresses, as she was not confirmed at
st. Anne's church till 1892, nor allowed
to make her chartered debut into city
society until 1909. No wonder she
talks fipantly of centuries and dis
poses of decades with a were toss OF
her head. And yet can see that she
is still growing at a rate which can be
measured in single year.
Among the noted improvements
since my last visit l observed that
Major MiHtaire has put new roof on
his smoke house and Mrs. George
Washington Parke Curtis, Of Coon
alley, has whitewashed the front of
her mansion. The streets, all Of
which are either the spokes or tires of
the numerous wheels which were
dropped out of the brain of the man
who laid out the town, are paved with
nice little stones. Each stone is
alleged to possess one smooth surface,
AS there is only one such smooth
surface the streets present avery
knobby, if not recherche, appearance,
One lone coon truck wagon creates
more genuine city noise than Chicago
can claim for State street. That's
what makes things lively here. Per.
having a microscope | have not dis.
covered them.
Anne seems to have had a ClnCh on
the godmother business when they
were christening churches, streets CT
any other thing here. There's g.
Anne, Queen Anne, Princess Anne.
Anne Arundel and Mary Anne
think. George got in his work with
the sterner sex. There's King Geor6o
Prince George, St George, etc, dowa
to By George. No plebeian George
ever got in his work here however
You had to be a king, prince, duke,
counter no acCount-or saint, at
least. They robbed the deck of all
the kings, queens, etc, and expect to
unearth the jacks and ten-spOts before
| am through with my explorations
They have a fine system of water
works, the most striking feature II
which is a choice assortment Of Queen
Anne log pumps stationed at con-
venient intervals along the curbstOne,
They are ornamented with long iron
handles, and. although sOmewhl 1t
asthmatic from age. they are still
serviceable and do a rushing business
despite the lavish dispensing Of
Anheuser- Bonnie Brier Busch beer
just behind them. The are provided
with loving cups, the size and shape of
frying pans, securely fastened to them
by long chains All trains back into
this city. This is because there ia
not sufficient room in the city for the
engine. Uncle Sam and other soulless
corporations own everything up to the
city gates, and If Annapolis ever grows
it will be obliged to simply swell on
top like a boil or a wen. Wen that
time comes. I should like to witness,
for the old town is topheayy even now.
IF any tenderfoot thinks everything
is cramped and narrow here he will
soon be undeceived. The Almighty
must have created these people first
and found Himself too liberal in heart
material, for He certainly put smaller
ones into the majority, which came
subsequently from the workshop.
The citizens of Annapolis are pas.
masters in hospitality and every other
social grace which aids In making life
worth living. Yes, indeed, as they
invariably say here. don't like To
disparage my own state, but must
say that one can make more friends
and feel more at home here IN week
than he can in Iowa in six months.
One often hears Of southern hospital
ity, but to realize what a whole