Head

No, no, this has nothing to do with a naval latrine. Back in the old days, throwing baseballs at a dummy's head was a favorite "sport" at county fairs, amusement centers etc. You'd pay, say, .25 cents for a set of baseballs and demonstarte your pitching skills by throwing these balls in an attempt to score a direct hit on the dummy's head and win a prize. In those days of racial prejudice the head of the dummy was often painted to resemble the head of a Negro -- hence, "the colored gentleman's head." The passage is a metaphor for how fast the service at the restaurant was -- it took no more time than it would to throw five balls.

[Edited 1 time to correct typos.]

What in the world are you reading? And when was it published?

<bear takes a peek... sees the subject matter isn't what he thought... quietly leaves>