The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-27
OLD OYSTER sHucKER.
Some PeculIarities of the Unique Pro
 fession.

From the New York Times
 It is sunrise along the lower docks of Baltimores winding water front. The white fogs of the early dawn are swift ly dissipating, and all is hustle and hustle among the 200 sloops and pungies- anchored in the half moon of the Hol- low. There is an endless medley of sounds. The creaking of partly lowered sails, the dragging of chains, the rattle of hampers, the chug-chug of the power boats and, above all, the deep, husky shouts of the bay shippers as they con- test the space of some newcomer or give orders to the men who are filling the hampers from the holds of the ves- sels. And everywhere the humble oyster is king.
 But 1t is among the big packing houses on the rim of the harbor that the real activity is beginning. The long rows of negro shuckers have donned their aprons and taken their places in the stabilize compartments of the shucking rooms. The sharp clink of the broad knife now mingles with the steady splash of the bivalves in the receiving pails. and the occasional ditty of some light-hearted
 
 Oh. take me bac' to de Eastahn sho', A shanty home en an 'ol bateau: Take me away fum de fuesy town Oh, take me bac' to Tangeh Scum.
 And then at the other end of the ami mated line a sable shucker drifts into the humorous:
 Oystah en stahfish ran a race. Stahfish sed: Oystah, Set de pace; De oystah opened his n1ouf to laff, En de stahfsh nipped him clean in half. An old negro of the 'befb' de wah" type hobbies over from the lumber pile and peers through the mud-splattered window.
 "Ah'b heah dat song since An was old enough to hop an oystah knife,' he mumbles reminiscently.
 Are you a shucker, uncle?"
 Been one for forty-odd yeahs, sah. :"
 Most too old to shuclS now, aren't you7'
 Not me, sah. An was shuckin' at de staht ob de season, but nah hans got a. li'l bad en An b got to wait till dey heal up some. To know shuclin' oystahs am powehful hand on he hans eben wid de glove. De splintehs ob shell wuk right in en dey say when All Q1e uen II De tftul shells in desc ol' hans to make lime kiln.'
 And the old man laughed at this flash of wit until he forgot all about the sore ness of his fingers and became more and more loquacious.
 But dey doan shuck de oystahs aroun heah dat dey used to do," he confded.
 How Is that7''
 Why, dey ships dem up noff or out wes' right in de barrel. Oats winch de prime ones ko. en eff dey keeps on 'busing be debs deh won't be eny primes to ship anywheh."
 who's abusing them the most?''
 Why, de dredgehs, sah. Dey jess cums along en rips things right en lef. de IT oystahs en all Used to be time deh wahnt muffin but tongehs, en den de oystahs had a chance to grow. Yo' doan see de Tangeh Soun's en de Rappahan- nocks es plentiful es dey used to be, sah- Things am changin all aroun', sah. Used to be a time when de white fokes wudn't eat de lfl crabs det cum fin de oystahs base dey luked lak spidehs, en now dey cums down heah en buys de crabs sep'rate.''
 well, uncle, did you save up anything in the long years you have been shucking oysters?"
 "No, sah. Ahm lak de rest ob dem. Cum day, go day when man hans am good en Ann shuckin' fas' ee's pohk en flouh ebby Satuhday night en a pint ob stick gin on de side. When Ah'm layin' off cts livah en cohn bread on Sunday. Oats me-"
 Then you don't intend 10 go down the bay dredging this winter?"
 What, me? No, sah, Ans heahd too much about dem dredse boats"
 And then in an awed whisper
 why dey shanghai you, sah Bsfo de big flash, sah, deh was many a man dat went in de gin shops along de or market space en woke up way down de bay on de dredgin' groun's. En deh he staid en wuked de dredge on ef he sed anything dey threw him overheard. Ef dem watehs cud speak what a tale dey's tell. But de colohed man hes too much sense to go down deh now en all dey catches am furrienhs det doan know muffin about shanghaiehs. Goodby. sah. Thank you, sah. Dat will 1es buy glass of stick, sah."