Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1935-05-31
''Chirps'' ~
from the
Democrats Pen
from the

Well, Sir. as I was walking down
the street this week, met good
friend of mine-at least that is the
way I'd like to classify hinn-who ask
ed me if I wanted something to write
about in "Chirps."
"You got suggestion to make ~
I asked him.
EYES,"
"What is it?"
"Why, picked a strawberry from
nv patch this week that measured
SEVENTEEN INCHES across the
bottom"
"Now, look here, don't go to kid
din me. Pm old enough to be your
great grandfather, so keep on your
side of the pavement, please"
"I'm not kiddin' you," he came back,
land I've got the strawberry to show
you, at Mac Littleton's Smoke
House.
"Say, you better send that straw
berry, packed in dry ice, to Ripley,
Maybe, tho, you'd better ship it to
Judge who will put it in the feature
called, Don't you believe it, Who,
do you imagine, will believe crooked
story like that?"
cts not crooked" he maintained.
"Well, I'll bet a dollar to a nickel
there is something crooked about it"
''Ill take that bet," he said, and
out he came with his half dime.
Now, Pm not much of betting man
and you all know that country editor
has no business giving that kind of
odds. But as long as it was my prop
osition, l fished around in my pocket
till I found the hundred cents, still
maintaining there must be something
crooked about it. Because straw
berry measuring seventeen inckes
across would fill about three baskets,
and make man a meal.
How-some-ever. I wendell my way
down to Macs and, as he stepped to
the counter expecting to sell me some
thing, asked
"Mac, where's that strawberry some
body told me was big as house?"
His face fell at the presence of an
Improbable customer, but he brought
out a string, saying:
give made away with the straw
berry, but here's the string we meas
ured it with and it's seventeen inches
long"
There! bless Peter" l said, 81
knew there was an African in the
winters fuel, and I win my money;
or, speaking in another way, don't
lose my dollar. Because, winning a
nickel is not much to speak of.
What do you mean?" asked Mac.
"Why, bet the owner of that berry
there was something crooked about
it, and don't 1 come in under the wire
winner in a Walk"
"No, you DON'T" he replied, as he
reached down from somewhere to no
where and came back to somewhere
with the strawberry in his hand.
looked at the thing for half-min-
ute and asked: what became of the
rest of it?"
"This is all of it," he said.
"You mean to tell me that little red
thing measures seventeen inches?"
eyes, Sir!"
"How you come that way?"
He took the fruit by the stem, held
it point up and showed me how the
measurement was made. 1t was q
pretty big specimen and appeared as
If somebody had held it in his hands
and squeezed it, until the line Of
growth around the bottom was about
as crooked as a snakes trail. This
crooked line measured seventeen inch.
eS.
"Well," said, 81 win my bet after
all; l said there was something crook.
ed about it, and there is. If that out
line isn't about as crooked as a clock
spring, I'll eat it, mean the straw.
berry, not the spring.
l haven't seen the man, yet wht
put up the nickel. l don't know JUS
whether I shall be able to make hin
see my viewpoint of the matter OF
not. But 1 want you-all to go Sc,
that berry and then report to me j:
you don't think 1 win my bet. Thes'
are hard days to bet 20 to 1 and i:
there's any way of saving my poke
book from being depleted, I want t.
take advantage of it. And this is /;
warning to those whose gambling in
stinct is dangerous-look we'll befor,
you invest.