The colored American., 1903-06-27


Pace-Mrs. E. E. Conick, Jr., and
others Agreeably Surprised--A
Birthday Surprise Long to be Re-
membered-Tributes to d Maryland
er-Notes from Yonkers.
Yonkers, N. Y, Specia1.-One of the
most delightful surprise parties l
think l ever attended, was one gotten
up here by Mrs. H. r. Brown, of 25S
New Main street. in honor of the
S'teenth birthday of her bosom friend
and classmate, Mrs. c. E. Conick, Jr.,
who was was formerly a teacher at
Hampton, but who has recently mar
ried and is at present residing here.
About twenty ladies were in the Sc
cret. They kept it faithfully and on the
night of the surprise, the heavens
wept slightly, in acknowledgment of
this wonderful female feat of preserv-
ing silence until hidden to speak. How
they did it is a mystery. But they
"done it, nevertheless and notwith-
standing 1t happened on last We'd
neSday night, May 9th. The gay COM
pany assembled at the residence of
Mrs. Brown, in New Main street, and
marched in a body to the residence of
Mr.. and Mrs. F. ]. Moultrie, on War
burton avenue, (f. e.,) all who didn't
ride, and from thence proceeded on foot
to the Conick residence, in Harmartine
avenue, reaching there shortly after
ten o'clock; the time all good people in
fashionable neighborhoods, think CT re-
tiring to the arms of Morpheus. The
elder Conick had locked the hen
house, and unclaimed the rat terrier,
Conick fIS was quietly extracting
smoke from the cool end of a Henry
Clay, on the front piazza. Madam Co
saIr - Il -
mona, was just IN the act of saying the
evening prayer, now 1 lay me down to
sleep, etc." when a goOdly array OF
friends, headed by Rev. II. A. Booker,
of the Messiah Baptist Church, and the
ladies of the party and their escorts,
marched into the front yard and up the
piazza into the spacious parlor in ten
minutes less than no time. Each wore
a smile of ample proportions and the
usual evening attire. Conick pere think
ing they were burglars, set the terrier
on the company; the terrier got fright
ened away. The excitement of the mo-
ment took away the breath of the en-
tire Conick family. They could not
speak, but just looked aStonished; sur
prised; when the gas was lighted in
the parlors, it revealed among the con-
spirators, Rev. J. T. Gaskill and wife,
Rev. H. A. Booker and wife, Rev. Z.
]. Montrie and wife, Miss Conway Mr..
and Mrs S. Giddings, Mr.. and Mrs. A.
O. Thornton, Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas
Mason. Mrs. John H. Adams, Miss Ag-
ness Bowman, Miss Lillian Jackson,
Mr.. and Mrs. Albert Williams, Henry
Howard, Miss Ethel Madison, of STAN
ford, Conn, Miss Hattie Conway, Mr..
Eugene Conway, Mr.. and Mrs. A.
Brown, of Brooklyn, N. Y, Mr.. o. Bun
dick, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. G. E. Scott, Mr..
and Mrs. w. J. Spenine, Mr.. and Mrs.
Joseph Kelly, Mr.. and Mrs. r. H.
Brown, Mr.. w. H. Daggs, of Hampton,
Va. brother of Mrs. Conick, Jr. 1t was
amusing to study the faces of Mrs. Co
nick and her husband. They couldn't
understand what it all meant, until
some one said, why this is your birth
day, isn't it," Then it dawned upon
the dear lady that it was, and she
fitted upstairs and re-arranged her
toilet, after having excused herself,
and came down in jiffy, her face suf-
fused with smiles and her heart over
flowing with grateful emotions. Mrs.
r. II Brown. the chief conspirator,
explained it all, and in few minutes
a big freezer of cream was tapped and
many homemade cakes, including a
birthday cake were cut, passed around
by the committee of ladies and every
body enjoyed themselves immensely.
Mrs. Conick received several handsome