The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1875-07-22
WHEN / WENT FISHING WITH DAD.
By NJ. E. vANDYSE.


When 1 was a boy-Tm an old man now;
Look at the lines across my brow;
Old Time has furrowed them there.
My back is bent and my eyes are dim;
He has placed his finger on every limb,
And pulled out most of my hair.
But if life has reached December,
I'm not too old to remember
When 1 went fishing with dad.
We would each of us shoulder his part of the load,
And j~oyfully start along the road
But dads was the heaviest share.
Out of the village about a mile,
Over q meadow, across a stle,
and then w were almost there.
Dear old brook, l can see 1t still,
The NOISY bank and the old gray mill,
Where 1 went fishing with dad.
We would wander about for a little space
To find the contest, shadiest place,
Before we went to work.
Then dad would arrange his rod and line,
And tell me just how 10 manage mine
When the fish began to jerk.
I'll only could feel as 1 used to thenl
II the days could only come back again,
When 1 went fishing with dad!
We armed our hooks with the wrigglins bait,
Then seated ourselves on the bank to wait
And see If the fsh would bite.
Sometimes they would only take a look.
As If they thought there might be a hook,
But couldn't be certain quite.
There was one old perch that / usedt to thinE
Would always look at the line and wink,
When / went fishing with dad.
And so we fshed tin the sun was high,
And the morning hours were all gone by,
And the village clock struck one.
at am hungry, Jim, then dad would say;
"Let's give the fishes q chance to play
Until our lunch is DONE"
oh, nothing has ever tasted so sweet
A the big sandwiches 1 used to eat
When 1 went fishing with dad.
Then dad and 1 would lie on the grass
And wait for the heat of the day to pass;
How happy I used to feeli
And what wonderful stories he would tell
To the eager boy that he loved so well,
After our midday meali
And how 1 would nestle close to his side
To hear of the world SO big and wide,
When 1 went fishing with dad.
For I eagerly listened to every word;
And then among men Of whom l heard
How / longed to play q parti
What wonderful dreams Of the future came,
What visions of wealth and an honored name,
To I'LL my boyish heart!
There Is no dream like the old dream,
There is no stream like the old stream
Where I went fishing with dad.
Then back again to our sport we'd go,
And fish till the sunsets crimson glow
Lit up the dying day;
Then dad would call to me, "Jim, well stop;
The basket is full to the very top;
It's time we were on our way
y eAS -C = ~ 80 -
There are no days like the old days
When 1 went fishing NAh dad.
Then we took our way through the meadow lant
And 1 chung SO tight to his wrinkled hand,
As happy as I could be.
And when the old house came in sight,
The smile on his old face grew SO bright
As he looked down at me.
And no one smiles as he used to smile;
And, oh, it seems such a long, long while
Since / went fishing with dad.
It is way, way back in the weary years
That with aching heart and falling tears
watched dad go away.
His aged head lay on my breast
When the angels called him home TO rest
He was too old to stay.
And I dug a grave meath the very sod
That my boyish feet so often trod
WhenI went fishing with dad.
The world has given me wealth and fame,
Fulfilled nv dreams of an honored name,
And now 1 am weak and old;
The land is mine wherever 1 look;
I can catch my fish witt a silver hook;
But my days are almost told.
Uncheered by the love of child or wife,
Iwould spend the end of my lonely life
Where 1 went fishing with dad. .
My limbs are weary, my eyes are dim;
I shall tell them to lay me close by him
Whenever 1 come to die;
And side by side, it will be my wish,
That there by the stream where they used to fish,
They will let the old men lie.
Close by him I would like to be,
Buried beneath the old oak-tree
Where 1 sat and fished with dad.
-Harper's Weekly.