Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-08-27
THE OLD FIsmERMAN,s "BOYs.


either Of iron or of wood, weighted to
make it sink, with a small net attached
under the hoop. Some bait is fastened
in the middle Of the net, and the whole
is lowered to the bottom by roPo. Tho
net is occasionally hauled up, and some
times there is n crab in it, and some
times there is not.
IL knowed boy once" said the old
fisherman, "who came down here one
day, with two crab-nets aud basket of
bait. In each of his nets he put a big
piece of beef and two or three good sized
fish. He lowered his two nets and tied
the ropes to the wharf, and he spent
the afternoon first pullin' up one net
and then the other. l was amending
a sail, and / kept an eye on him. He
caught one crab that whole afternoon.
Now look here, says to him, another
time you'd a great sight better eat your
bait, and let the crabs alone. You had
fish enough there to fry for supper, and
beef enough to make big pot of soup
for the whole family, and you've spilled
it all, fshin' for that one crab, which
amt no good at all, by himself Yes
says he. but might "a caught a lot
O. crabs That's So says |, and Gen.
eral Washington might have married
Queen Victoria, if they'd lived at the
same time, and the families had been
within / tell you what it is, sir"
said the old fellow, as he walked away
"there's lots O. people in this world
who'd great sight better eat their bait
before they spoil it and get nothin' for
it,
o o
knowed o boy once down here who
thought he was dreadful smart. used
to take him out sailing every morning.
He was kind Of sick, and he took sails
for his health. He knew something
about sailing, and he used to like to hold
the tiller, and sail the boat himself, as
he called it. He gave lots of orders :
but as / always took care to tell him
what to order, it was all right. 1t
would have done you good to hear that
Teller sing out 'Hard-a-lee as if there
was whole shipful O. sailors in my
little boat. He used to sit there and
tell me lots Of things that he thought ]
ought to know. He would call out to
me in loud, clear voice, which was
pleasant to listen to, though there was.
MT often any sense in what he said
'Look here, captain It's good idea
TO have your ballast we'll amidship, a;
you've got it. 1t don't do to have bal
last too far for-rered. A boat isn't safe
if the ballast isn't fixed right And
he'd say lots of things of that kind
Jest as if he was tellin' me somethin
he'd found out, and that nobody else
didn't know. don't remember all hC
used to say, but the sum and substance
Of it was pretty much as if he'd boiler
ed out, Look here, captain You always
ought to put the mast of q sail-boat a
the bow. If you was to put it at tn,
stern, you couldn't steer her very we'll
with the main-sail a-sticking away gu
Enthusiastically if she was cat-rigge,
and had no jib.' Well, one morning
this boy took friend out with him, t
give him a sail. This other boy WASH
sick. My boy sat at the stern, and wa
very proud to sail the boat He took
into his head that the other boy was
little skeered. and he kept a-tryin' I
keep his courage up. He would say
Now, you see, when puff of win
comes, and tips her over, just brin
her round little into the wind, an
she comes up all right. There isn't an
danger, if the man at the helm know
his business And then he'd keep say
in: Now, don't you feel little conf
dence 2 And the other boy, who wa
R-sittin' quiet. lookin' as if he was Ell
joyin' the breeze, and the views, an
the sailin', would say; oh I'm col
6dent enough. I'm all right And N
boy would say to him I'm glad Of tina
l don't want you to be afraid. It's De-
fectly safe Well, one day [ took tn;
other boy out sailin' by himself. and
tell you, sir, was surprised. VIII
that boy knowed ten times as muC
about sailin' as my Teller. He'd bee
on sail-boats at the North ever since
was a little chap, he said, and ] four
he knowed nearly enough to sail bo
by himself. And says to him: VIII
on earth did you let that other boy ia
to you that way, as if you didn't kno
nothin' and you sittin' there quiet, al
KNOWN lots more about sailn' DO
than he did, all the time? WELL sa
he, he took me out, and he isn't we
and saw it pleased him to talk tn
way, and | didn't suppose it matter
much. so that you knew yourself wh
you knew Now, could never ma
up my mind which Of them two DO
was the biggest fool. 1t don't do
blow your own horn too much, and
don't do 10 blow it too little nuth
A feller's got TO show what he is,
other people amt agoin' to take I
trouble to find it out, and it amt alwa
that things is found out by chance, Ii
as when you hook q fish by the tail
cidental. It's all nonsense to make
little Of YOURSELF andl then. ag'in,
just as bad to make too much of 20
self."-Frauk r. Stocton, 81. Nicho
for Sept.