The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-09-21
An Excellent Fish Story.

days every summer with his friend Fer
dinand LeClerc, In Milford, Pike county
Pa. He returned to New York few
days ago from this seasons visit, and as
on other occasions, had some remarkable
experiences to relate when he reached
home.
81 don't think / can ever look at
mink muff again without shedding
tears,' says the Judge. " A party of us
was camped twenty miles from Milford,
in the wilderness. Our tent was pitch
ed near trout stream. We went for
trout and woodcock We had terribly
bad luck, although some of the fellows
with me were about the best sporting
ducks in the country. One day stayed
in camp while the others went fishing
and hunting. l was stretched out on
the grass in front of the tent, when l
saw an animal stick Its head up out of
the creek. 1t looked around cautiously
and then crawled up the bank. 1t was
mink, and steel trap was fast to one
of its fore legs. 1 raised up and the
mink dragged itself right towards me.-
1t stopped every few seconds, laid its
head fiat on the ground, and looked at
me with the most pitiful look 1 ever
saw. 1 first thought I'd shoot the ami
NAL, but changed my mind as 1 want
ed to know what its strange actions
meant. The mink crept up to within
two feet of me, and turning over on its
back held up the paw that had the trap
| on it. There was no need of it saying q
word if 1t could, for the action said as
| plain as words, 4" Please, now, take this
trap off won't you?'' You can bet that
| in less time than it takes to tell it, had
that mink free from its cruel incum-
brance. Its eyes spoke volumes of
thanks and it limped back to the creek
and disappeared.
"The incident slipped my mind in
short time. The boys came in late in
the afternoon. They had about dozen
little trout and three woodcocks. There
wasn't enough to make smell in the
frying pan. We made up our minds
all the trout we'd have for breakfast
would be a hunk of salt pork. We
turned in that night all in low spirits
determined to go home the next day.
" got up early in the morning to get
piece of sunrise in the mountain that
l had read so much about There was
| big flat rock on the outside of the tent,
near the entrance. When / stepped out
and my eyes fell on the rock, L was
| ,,+Io oh "A ,,f
the matter is,we were all afraid of rattle
snakes, and had with us festive demi-
john of Pike county antidote, which we
had now and then tested, and when 1
saw on that rock as plain as day, a pile
of the biggest trout L ever set my eyes
on, L thought maybe my nerves were
| little off. l went back and woke up
Baltus Westbrook and asked him to
come out and see If there wasn'ta bear
track along the edge of the creek
Thinks 1, if Baltus don't see them fish
1 strikes in for Milford anda DOCTOR
When Baltus stepped out of the tent the
first thing he saw was the fish on the
rock. He jumped about ten feet and
fairly yelled:
"Trout, by the living Jingol Where
did you catch 'em judges"
81 was saved, but where the trout
came from was the mystery. suggest
ed Providence, but happened to remem-
Der the section of the country we were
in, and knew that couldn't be. There
wasn't one of the trout that weighed
less thar pound. We didn't let our
speculation as to the source of their sup
ply interfere with our app cities, and
there was no salt pork fried that morn
ing. The episode raised our spirits and
we concluded to stay another day. We
had good luck cunning that day, and
when we found another pile Of big trout
on the rock next morning we made up
our minds that some bark peelers to
whom we had given supplies day or
two before were repaying us with these
delicious surprises. But made up my
mind that would find out for certain.
So that night after the rest had gone to
sleep, crawled up to the door of the
hut and peered out. 1t was bright
moonlight night, and could see almost
as well as if it was day. About mid
night, saw something black emerge
from the creek. 1t came stealthily to-
wards the tent. 1t was small animal,
and as it came near the tent saw 1t was
a mink, and that it limped. In its
mouth was a large trout, which it depos.
tied on the rock and then limped back
to the creek. Everything was as plain