Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1873-08-16
CAT-rleU,

tie pride a,l'l .,ivry If the great Missia
>ippi valley. a..l oftcn have we heard
the pilgrim FROM those regions lament
IN, tie poverty Of the Pacific Coast in
cats. II l. hn, very lately that we have
@ivrn this subject any particular attcn-
tlch, devoted n we have been to the
.T,timona'", both for sport and table use
but we are now determined to do every
thing in orr powortoNards stocking the
waters Of Puget Sound Sound with cats.
1t wa, only last Monday that VIC were
oiit trout-ii,lling with some of the boys
We went t. the falls -Tumwatcr falls
than which We can imagine no lovelior
stream for the true disciple of the gen
tie art Just below the last fall of the
series, where the stream takes its final
leap into the bay we stationed ourself,
in the shadow of the rugged ovcrhang-
ing walls of basalt, where the cool spray
was swept down upon us in misty
wreaths. Over our head hung a beau
tiful rainbow, regarded by us as an
omen OF piscatorial success. There for
hours we whipped that boiling and
secthing cauldron in the most approved
style of art. Yes, gentle reader, we
had n hy--a store fly, made of spanglcs
and feathers, to which we added piece
of raw beef-steak, to show even the
most suspicious and willy old trout that
it was not all deception and thus make
sure. Now we paid out from our reel
the silken thread of destiny, and the
beautiful spanglel fly and red beef went
dancing down the white-crcsted waves
like yellow jacket on dogs nose;
then we wound it in with click-ity-
click--clcl- click--that kept time with
the throbbings of our cxpectant bosom.
Again and again we repeated this pay
ing-out and winding.up process, until
at last--whiz-z-z-z, went our reel like
the crank of d windlass when full
bucket drops back into tie we'll, and
by that token VIC knew that we had q
monstrous trout upon our hook, to land
which would try our nerve and test our
skill. A long tug, q rapid dart with
the current, leap into the air, and
then commenced the steady dcath-pull
against the stream, which in two mill
utes was ended by the complete cxhaus
ton of the fish, and there he lay cap
tured at our feet. 1t was genuine
Solmo Spec'obiIis-lensth 24t inches,
weight 5 pounds IL ounces.
Reader, we leave you to draw the pic
ture of our emotions, as we contemplate
ell the scene. We regarded that fish as
the browning glory of our piscatorial
career. Twice we bore the trophy of
our skill in triumph through the town,
the admiration and envy of all behold
ers. And when, after preparing him
with our own hands for the pot, that
his noble form might not be mutilated,
we had hung him on the highest nail
in the porch, we retired to enjoy the
sweet rest that followsa well-spent day,
and to revel in dreams of the morrow's
feast. Gentle reader, them dreams were
never realized! We didn't have any
trout for our Tuesdays dinner, and we
didn't care for any. But next morning
when we gathered up the remains of
q head and dorsal fin, under the highest
nail on the porch, we did banker after
cat and we have been fishing for
cat under the house with a double-bar-
relied shotgun ever since, with hopeful
success. Nine went into the bay this
morning, and if the waters of Puget
Sound are not stocked with cats it will
not be our fault.
~ Here IT is! The AUGUST number