Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-03-10
NO. 50.

AotS tho Siut OilG Vi lUOSG NV lul lItLlt
square, red-painted knowledge-boxes that
lie scattered everywhere in country neigh
borhoods. A swarm Of little bare-footed
urchins were being rung in from their
play as we passed, and Jack and ! craned
our necks to see what the school-marm was
like, bnt never a glimpse could we get OF
her. There is clump of willow trees Just
below the bridge, and we fastened the
horse in their shade, for we had to walk
the rest of the way to our destination.
This was something like mile and a half
up the course of the brook, a deep, shady
pool in the cool beech woods, where the
trout always lay, and known to few in the
vicinity.
But when we were all ready to start,
Jack was taken with fit of laziness, or
sulks, don't know which, and vowed he
was not going on tramp of that length in
the sweltering heat-he should fish where
he was. Now, if you remember, the
brook at that place makes bend round
low, grassy point, and spreads out in
broad. sandy shallow You can see every
inch of bottom, and one could have sworn
there was not anywhere about a hole
where the smallest trout could hide. l
told him he would not catch so much as q
tadpole, but he was obstinate, and so left
him there and started off alone. Itwas al
most two miles, and most of the way
through half-burning chopping, as they
call it, where the trees are all felled, but
nothing is cleared up. There was every
species of obstacle-logs, stumps, brush
woodruff not tree for shade. 1t was
intolerably rough. | tried to skirt the
chopping, and got into swamp. stum-
bled over a hornets nest and the devils
stung my face so l had to plaster it with
mud. tore my coat in the dry bushes,
and covered myself with smut from the
half-burned logs, all ofwhich added to my
personal appearance. l lost my hat, and
made an Absalom of myself in an old
thorn-tree. Altogether, it was as hard
tramp as ever had in my life But my
temper was up, and 60 on would. To
crown all, found. when | reached the
place, not ten rods from the pool was
looking for, a camp of dirty ragged, bask-
et-making Indians; no men, but two or
three squaws and q dozen children of all
Sizes
thought at first would cross the stream
but looking over caught sight of dingy
faced boy, in scarlet cap, and concluded
they were as thick on one side as the 9th
er. So chose quiet place and sat down
to try my luck. The mosquitoes were so
thick their humming sounded like q swarm
OF bees, and as ravenous as wolves. Soon
the sun found me out, and my place be-
came uncomfortable, so moved further up,
forgetting my pocket-knife and fish-book,
which had laid on the gound. OF course,
they were stolen in less that five minutes.
The second place chose was more COM
Portable, but just at point where what lit
tie wind there was blew the scent of on
ions, burnt fat, and bad tobacco directly to
me from the camp of the red men. | had
worked so hard to get there that was not
willing to go back empty-handed, so there
| sat, from about two o'clock till six; but
not one single minnow did l hook in all
that time. There was one old sinner of
trout, the largest | ever saw in brook,
that played round and round my hook the
whole afternoon, and took my bait off half
dozen times, and had to leave him
there at last.
You can imagine my feelings, per-
haps, as prepared to go home. reach
ed for my knife and book, and found them
not; and when l went to the camp and de-
manded my property of those thieving
wretches, met such volley of abuse,
spoken in harsh mixture of bad English,
Canadian French, and something else
that may have been Sanscrit for aught
know, that was glad to beat retreat.
1t was IN no very amiable mood that /
tramped back, tired and hungry, to the
place where | left Jack and my horse.
And here the crowning aggravation of that
day. found Jack stretched out comfort
ably on the grass where l had left him.
He looked as if he had not stirred for
hours, but in his basket were two dozen of
the largest and handsomest front that ev-
er tllrted tail in a brook, which he had ta-
ken within three rods of where we stood.
believe did not speak once on the way
home, and never asked Jack to 90 fish
ing with me since. But have been nv
self to that very place in the stream, and
bobbed for hours, and never saw trout
there yet. So tell you it is more than
half luck after ALL"
We all laughed at the dismal tale, but
none so heartily or as long as Jack Dalton
it seemed as if he would never have done.
George has made good story of his
own luck he said at last; '.but he has a
very imperfect idea of mine. None of
you could ever guess what else besides
trout caught that day"
"A ducking, or the rheumatism, per-
haps,n said /.
The plague, for aught care,n said
George.
81 sce," said Deane Parker, ..there is
another chapter to the story ''I1l take a
fresh cigar, and Jack shall tell it. Begin
at the beginning, Jack"
VERY WE'LL" replied Jack, dusting a
few nutshclls off his knees, and setting
back in comfortable, STORYTELLING atti-
tude. THE beginning was much as
George gives it. | felt lazy. The day
was really too hot for sport, except for
such fanatical Waltonians as he is; and
when we reached the brook the idea of
tramping two miles through that villainous
'chopping was too much for my courage.
l backed down in the ignominious manner
you have heard, and George went of
without me. As he turned away l took
out my line and rod, and really made
preparations to do something; but before
he had been gone ten minutes, flung my
tackle on the grass, and, stretching my
self at full length under the trees, took
book from my pocket and tried TO read.
But the book was stupid, and--and--p
I N xt..af