The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1876-07-06
How the GirlS Wish.

There are generally about six of then
in the bunch, with light dresses on, anc
they have three poles with as many hook.
and lines among them.
As o as they get to the river, they
look for n good place to get down ON the
RATS, and the most vcnturesomc ono
sticks her boot heels in the bank and
makes two careful step-downs; then she
suddenly finds herself at the bottom
with both hands in the water and a feel,
ing that everybody in this wide world
is looking at her, and she never tells any.
body how she got there. The other girls
profiting by her example, turn around
and 90 down the bank ON their hand'
and toes, backwards,
Then they scampcr over the RATS unit
they find Il shallow place where they caI
scc the fish, and shout
"Oh | see one"
Where ?"
"Therc."
con! my, 80 he is"
Lets catch him.
Who's got them baits?
You lazy thing, you're sitting On my
pole"
Show me the wretch that stole my
worm"
All these cxclamations are gotten Off
in u tone that awakens echo within Il
mile round, and sends every fish within
three acres into gaIIoping Mysteries.
Then the girls by superhuman cXcrtions
manage to get a worm on the hook, and
Il" throw in" with a splash like the launch
ing Of Il washtub, and await the result.
When a silycrtin comes along and nibblcs
the bait they pull up with u jerk, that,
had an unfortunate fish weighing less
than fifteen pounds been on the hook,
would have landed it in the ncighbor-
hood of three or four miles in the country.
After awhile a fceble.minded sunish con
trivcS to get fastened on the hook of a
timid woman, and she gives vent to her
tongue:
"Oh something's got my hook"
"Pull up, you little idiot p shout five
excited voices as poles and hooks are
dropped and they rush to the rescue.
The girl with the bite gives a spasmodic
jerk, which sends the unfortunate sunny
into the air the full length Of forty feet
of line, and he comes down on the near,
est curly head with II damp flop, that
sets the girl to cIawing rs though there
were bumbIcbcCs in her hair.
"Och murder, take it away. Tgbl
the nasty thing"
Then they hold up their skirts and
about that fish as it skips over
the logs, one all the time holding the line
in both hands, with her foot on the polc
as though she had M evil disposed goat
at the other end. They talk over it.
lIow.will he yer get of?'
"Ain't it prctty?'
Wonder if it amt dry?
Poor little thing; let's put it back"
How will we get the hook from u"
"lick it up says a girl who backs
rapidly out of the circle.
Good gracious, Pm afraid of it.
its opening its mouth ut me-"
Just then the sunny wriggles off the
hook and disappears between two logs
into the water, and the girls try for an
other bite.
But the sun comes down and fries the
backs of their necks, and they get three
headaches in the party, and all get cross.
and scold at the fish like 81 many mag
pies. If an unwary club dares show
himself in the water they poke AZ him
with poles, much to his disgust. Finally
get mad allOver and throw their pols
iway, hunt up the lunch basket, climb
up into the woods, where they sit around
IN the grass and catcrpillars, and eat
Of dried beef and rusk and hard
BOILED eggs to give Il wood horse the
nightmare; after which they compare
notes about their beaux until shutdown,
When they go home and plant envy in
he hearts OF all their muslin delainc
by telling what "just a splendid
they had.