The Washington times., 1930-09-08
81

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perfect powers Of perception, or
it may be that he is taking ad-
vantage Of your city feller's lack
of sophistication toward things
nautical and having . good
laugh back there in his cabin
ct our expense, but there is q
character down in this neck Of
the woods who has got US guess
ing-plentyl
Judge Billy Raleigh is his
name and besides being the To-
cal jurist, he is also the current
blacksmith, undertaken, notary
public and real estate represen-
tative.
The Judge declares he has
been In these parts for the bet
ter part Of forty-seven years, but
il his admitted term Of admin
istration is as exaggerated as
some Of the feats he narrates--
most Of them approaching the
impossible insofar as this Iin-
initiated mind is concerned
why, maybe he only moved in
last week.
A stranger pausing in any
new locality shouldn't necessar-
lily object to being regaled with
it's wonders, fascinations and
likely future, but there is 8. limit
to local pride, no matter what
sector Of the globe you travel.
and they've been rubbing it in
so thoroughly down here, at.
least Judge Billy Raleigh has,
thaA one wonders why the rest
Of the world hasn't discovered
st. Mary's County centuries ago
and moved the seat Of all civil
ization right down here on the
Point.
Too, a tourist would hardly
expect the. town undertaken.
judge acksmith-realtor to de-
cry the place. IT'S all right to
describe in glowing terms the
beauties Of nature, the natural
resources, the food that comes
from the waters and that which
Is grown on the land, the hos
pitality Of the people and such
but why can't they be truth
full about things like mileage,
rainfall, mosquitoes and popu-
lation, any item Of which can
be verified II one wished to
take the trouble?
The largest tomato, the big.
gest potato, the most perfect
ear Of corn, the enormity Of
the fish and crabs and whether
or not there is a breeze blow
ing might be q matter Of mere
opinion with most people and
few would go into a dispute
over such things, but when
Judge Billy Raleigh stands on
the point looking out over 90
miles Of Chesapeake Bay and
designateS ship half way
across and announces it is q
Venizulean banana boat bound
for Baltimore and is IL days
overdue, q body has q perfect
right to do little wondering
on his own account.
ALI this, mind you, not with
binoculars or any other agent
Of science but with an ordinary
pair Of spectacles which many
Of us use for mere reading
purposes.
"See that thar clipper out
yOnder?" the Judge will say,
pointing to q speck so far
away it might be mistaken
for q cOmbeP, "WeII. that
boat thar's out of Cambridge
and It's loaded with lumber
headed for Norfolk"
Who can dispute him, and
what proof could be brought to
bear to discountenance him?
Down here nobody second
guesses the Judge and If he
says a raft 10 miles at sea is
headed one direction and bears
a cargo Of lumber which was
loaded at Cambridge, or Clai-
borne for that matter, that's
the law.
OF course q city feller who
studied his geography, COM
mercial and nautical, can't be
arrested for secretly saying to
himself that Norfolk doesn't
have to get its lumber from
Maryland's Eastern Shore, be-
cause Nawth Caalina is so
loaded with lumber, and good
lumber too, and so close to
Norfolk that it, would be
breach Of economic etiquette to