The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1877-09-15
UNCLE JERRF,s FISH STORY.

A party of fishermen we're camped OF
. the Rattlesnake creek, near the celebra
y ted Greening farm, in the trout. fishing
e section of the Shohola region, in Pike
county, Pa. The question of the voraci
ty AID tenacity of fish was being dis.
cussed over the pipe and bowl, alter a
S days tramp of many miles. Old Uncle
Jerry was present. The catfish, the eel,
/ the black bass, the trout, and pickerel
each had its champion, and illustrative
/ stories that must have made the bones
of Munchausen turn and rattle in their
grave were related TO prove the superb
GRITTY of each in the two attributes men
toned. Uncle Jerry had taken butlittle
part in the discussion, and the weight of
argument seemed to be in favor of the
catfish. Then the old fisherman came to
the of the pickerel.
"a full-grown pick'rel It's healthy"
said Jerry, "'ll eat it's childurn and its
childurn's children to the tenth genera
ton n Pm burned T I amt seed one
t had got holt n his w tail somehow,
n was trying his pootiest to get away
with hisoelf. | take It that a fish that
hez SIGH a appetite's that orter be put
down 'mong them rs bez't least a inkin'
OF V~oraishusness. Is a pick'rel tee
naishus? Wall, mebbs | don't know
'zacly Gyhat teeDaishus is; hut I've
cotched pick'rel through the ice, throw
ed 'em out, and seed 'em flop 'round
till they froze stiff KEEP 'em two r three
days, and then carried EN- twenty mile
to get home, n chucked 'em on the
kitchen floor till KID git ready to clean
'em. I seed these same fish lay thar by
the stove bout five minutes, n then
begin to gap and work their gills, n
then pooty soon go to fioppin' and skip
pin round the room with their jaws
open like a young alligator, n wouldn't
be still till I hit 'em in tn head VII an
ak. Mebbe Dan'l Webstex's dictionary
don't call that teenashus, i'but i faint
Us pooty durn nigh on to it; amt it,
boys?"
The boys conld scarcely help allowing ,
there was at least a suspicious of ;
about a picKerel guilty of such =
=
"Guess / never tele you bout ole j
BilIins's pick'rel that he he'd 4
met, did 1? Wall, bsys, thar was a fish d! a
hebbe you won't b'lieve this story, but q
is true s preachin', n # you ever Bee +
he ole Squire he'll tell you the same r.
hing, He KEEP the pick'rel in a spring
n a pastur' On his farm. It want more'n -,
foot n a hall long, the pick'rel want, tc
ut he were g commoius as a ten-acre al
1t. burned fl hain't gone t. that spring n
18th a twelve-quart pail full O liver, "a
nd, after feedin' it all to ole Teetotaller 70
they called him Teetotaller cause he
got full--he'd snap his jaws and g,
,ar round in that spring till she BLEED, ed
ause there want any more liver comm G
him. The COWS feeding in tn lot got 20 g;
ley was 'traid to goe an drink in the re
ring, cause TeetotaIler chaw6d their o. =
'ses. He'd tackle any thing. Old Squire Gl
f. a subsile plow layin' near tn spring
10 night, and mex mornin' 'twere gone. r.
hey allus blamed a Teller It lived over pa
at way wi stealin' It, but l tell you Or
innocent. That durn pick'rel eat
at pillow! D;
" Wall, anyhow, the squire bought a NC
w COW one day, an turned 'er in the y,
lot; | were thar, an me an the en-
man was leanin' on the fence Iookin' na
tn new COW. She fed round a while, pr.
, then walks over t tn spring to raj
ink. She drunks, and turns round an snt
lnds still a swishin' and swoshin' her liv
Il in the spring, She werea nice fat bo,
liter, and ole Teetotaller liked tn the
ks offer, an made up his mind to arr
er up. % ne values over to that ing
e o. the spripp. an when fhe covas cas-
| came down inter it ag'in, he csosestsS r
it like a bar trap. Did that COW ST.
Ller2 Some, l think. An then she PR
v n jump and ole TetotalIer came VII
tn that spring IS if he'd been shot par
tn q cannon I'm roun' that lot n
~ went, the COW a-bellerin' an hum.
7 her back, and lookin' g if the
thlessness of this h'yer mundane Z II
ar had never struck 'er 80 forcible CO.
re, while Teetoller were a takin' up Oat
slack in 'er tail about a foot at every La
up. They hedn't made more'n one D 6o
cult o. the lot afore tn pick'rel he'd WI
! hisselfout side O. all that cows tail, T
in maxim a grab fur 'er rump he /
ised his holt and came t tn greun' m.
aummix. o.,
: By the horned spoon p said the ole 6
ire, that settles TeetotalIer! = L
We ruined over t whar he fell, ~.
.ctin' o. course, t. fin him deader'n \
une shad. But, boys, you may ask c
Squire, n he'll tell you tn same HoG
that durn fish want a raisin' g.. :
and tryin' to see which way that COW q
gone, an a spittin' out cows ha'r
ugh to mix a nod O. plaster, I hope Flo,
never see the back O my neck! One Wb
,afotoIIorsS ~ or* 81 &.o Cod