Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1869-03-05

| thought he was doing very well where
he was, for be had sold six hundred dol.
lars worth of cattle the week before, and
his wife told me she had two hundred
hens and so many ducks and geese that
she hadn't counted them. Old McCrack-
en- is Scotch Presbyterian of the strict.
est sect and firm in his adherence 20 the
Bible and his conscience. The raising
of mules he considers ali abomination,
practically forbidded by the Almighty,
and no money can tempt him TO under
take this branch of stock raising. His
wife cooked us an ample dinner on short
notice. Z" Come again." said OLD Nc.
Cracker, and give me days notice,
and | II have a goose on that corner OF
the table, a duck on this, turkey on
that one, aud chicken on the other p
AS we drive along the side of the
bluff we often catch glimpse of Rush
River, now near and then distant, as it
winds down the valley among the trees,
and occasionally we hear again the music
of the rippIes. This has cheerful effect
upon us. The bold, rocky bluff GU the
other side of the river, with over hang
ing pines and cedars, is an object of in
terest. An artist would be busy with his
pencil here, but we are thinking there
may be deep pool by that ledge, where
a four pound trout is " waiting for the
right fly properly presented" The wild
flowers have charmed us all along the
yaley--the various pEloxes, the colum
bne, the hairbell, the rose, the lily, and
the bright scarlet "queen of the prairie"
The log house over there in the field
on the right is the bachelor home of
John Strong, the great deer hunter and
general woodsman, slayer, it is said, of
thousand deer and many bears. We
must have John meet us some evening
at Hicks and tell US some of his best
stories. A mile above this place we
drive close by q deep pool where Rush
River bends toward the road. and. if we
had mind that way, could fish from our
wagon and catch two or three big trout.
We can see them if the lights are proper
Iy adjusted, near the bottom, standing
| against the strong current of the pool,
their tails beating now and then as they
push up 20 recover lost ground.
Enjoy thy stream, o, lovely ishl
| And should an angler for his dish,
| Through gluttony's vile sin,
Attempt, the wretch, to pull thee out,
| God give the strength, o, noble trout,
| To pull the rascal lnI"
That's the way John Dunn says he
wrote it; though if it be gluttony to want
some trout for dinner, present company
must be expected from the sentiment, for
Hicks will catch Us dozen in half an
hour after we reach his house, and he
is no rascal, either-and we shall eat
them without remorse.
We will now turn down to the river,
drive through this ford, and here we are
at Hicks, ten miles, as we said before,
up the stream. This little clearing, with
its neat log house, with the river flowing
close by, and the big woods and bluffs
around it, is the home of an honest man
and an honest mau's best blessings
good housewife, as we soon shall see /.
Hicks is q good hunter and fisherman,
one of the most skilful of the craft, and
settled here for that reason. He and his
wife are proud of their situation and per-
fectly contented with it. 1t is about an
even chance whether We find him cutting
fly fishing with one handed rod just
over the bank there, or taking care of q
fat buck that he shot at daybreak this
morning. The deer in this country
thrive well in tho winter on the rushcs,
and the bucks are fat in June. We shall
have good venison here as well as trout,
early as it is, before we leave the neigh
borhood.
Here was where made my headquar-
tiers in 1866, when / did the happy fish
ing mentioned in the fcrmer letter. But
here is Hicks at the door. You think of
Seth Green as you see his sturdy, square
set face, and more so after his words and
grip of Welcome. Our team is cared
for; we are chatting with Mrs. H. and
admiring her neat housewifery-her floor
always washed and scrubbed "that very
morning" you think; when Hicks, tell
ing us to make ourselves at home, begs
to be excused q moment and vanishes
over the bank with his fly rod. We fol-
low him. "you bet," and see him stand
ing in the middle of the ripple, playing
the trout right and left. The stream is
so clear we can see them watching for
the floating flies and breaking water all
about us. Hicks returns quickly with a
mess; they are soon nicely cooked, fried
or broiIe,l, as you PREFER white table,
cloth is spread, and on it placed, with
the trout, if not a leg or loin of cold ven
ison, certainly loaf Of the finest win
ter wheat bread, with nice butter, pitch
err of creamy mild, and dish of maple
syrup. These items form the leading
features of hearty dinner that, with the
cup of tea or coffee added, is good
enough for the best man living. You
will feel at home here, for the welcome
will be as hearty as the fare.
Dinner over, we take smoke. and
then we look about us. We are twelve
hundred miles from Washington, and
| haven't come so far to be hurried about
our pleasures. You express laudable
desire to try that Oriental rod, and we
walk up to the first bend above Hicks,
where | will sit down in the shade and
see you do il, meanwhile finishing my
u IL