DIVISION TWO — COLONIAL. 137 



CHAPTER VII. 



Fun in the Colony. — A witty newspaper, The Reservoir. — Some Dog-gerel poetry. — 

 Grasshopper Talk. — The Preacher, and Wilson's wine. — Stage talent in the col- 

 ony. — Baker's Bear. — The "Nine Nobby Niggers." — Who killed Jesse Lee? — Col. 

 Banbury's Deer. — The "rifle team" saw a bear. — Rabbit Hunts. 



FUN IN THE COLONY. 



The first colony settlers of Pasadena were very largely of the class who 

 keep school-houses and churches in the foreground wherever they go, yet 

 they were neither morose nor long-visaged people. The spirit of fun and fun- 

 making cropped out very .soon, even amidst the most arduous cares and 

 labors of their pioneer life. D. M. Berry was notably a joker ; Calvin 

 Fletcher had a keen vein of humor ; Judge Eaton could see the ludicrous 

 side of a thing, and laugh as easily as any one ; and in fact the American 

 tendency of the age to give serious things a humorous turn was not at all 

 lacking in this .sober and very earnest community. But the first distinctive 

 historic manifestation of this spirit is found in the first number of The Res- 

 ervoir, Pasadena's first newspaper. 



THE FIRST NEWSPAPER. 



This was a pen-and-ink paper, prepared by Arthur H. Day, and read 

 before the literary .societj- in the up-and-down board shant)^ school-house of 

 the colony, December 28, 1876, It was entitled "The Reservoir"; and 

 the following extracts from the leading editorial article will serve to show 

 the spicy flavor of the entire first number. The editor says : 



' ' To carefully conserve the results of this experiment we have prepared 

 this ' Reservoir,' small in size to be sure, and plain in construction, but we 

 do not assess you for its making, and its water is free. 



' ' That an undercurrent of literary genius does exist in this fertile ranch 

 has been satisfactorily proved — not artesian in its nature, forcing a profuse 

 current into the upper atmosphere ; neither, on the other hand, has one to 

 bore severely for results. A judicious removal of the upper crust of modesty 

 and excuses will give rise to many a gentle flow. 



"As your appointed 'zanjero,' having filled the 'Reservoir,' we con- 

 tinue our official duties by apportioning its contents out to you. This is 

 ' service- water ' only, and only yotir .small pipes are to be used — large ones 

 we could not fill, and you will only be disappointed if you prepare to receive 

 our eff"usions in that way. You may complain of lack of head, and that 

 feature we acknowledge and justify — a part of a tale,'^''- at least will appear." 



Under the head of " Foreign Correspondence," the following humorous 

 and witty ' ' letter from London ' ' was given : 



London, December 25, A. D. 2000. 



Most Venerable Doctor Day — The High and Mighty Editor of the 

 ' ' Reservoir " : In looking over the mouldy archives of the past I came 



*This "tale" refers to a story entitled, "Perdita," written by Mrs. Margaret Collier Graham, 

 which was commenced in "The Reservoir" and afterward completed by Mrs. Graham and published in 

 The Argonaut at San Francisco. And also in a volume of her writings issued in 1894. 



