The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-09-23
A Fish Story With Variations.

Thirty years ago was fishing in one
of the shallow parts of Barnegat Bay.
with half dozen other jolly boys. We
hal boat and q big drag-net. Two
little sharks fell into my hands. With
the aid of another boy, who held them
while 1 performed the operation, l dug
hole clear through the gristly part of
tho tail of each shark, avoiding the
spinal column. SO as not to make fatal
wound. There happened to be in the
bOat several feet of copper wire, nearly
as stout as telegraph wire. 1t was q
lucky thing that this wire was there, for
cord or rope would not have answered
the purpose. 1t would have worn out
in q few months and there would have
been nobody to replace it. I thrust the
wire through the holes and wrapped
it loosely around each sharks tail. so
that they could not get apart except by
pulling at least one tail off allowed
ample space for the sharks to grow,
for they were little fellows only about
two feet long. As they were strong
and hearty, and gave promise of being
more so as they grew up l Tapped the
wire round and round several times.
Having wrapped the wire firmly and
literally 1 twisted its ends together Sc
curely. Then we let 60, and you ought
to have seen those little sharks! 1t was
new experience for them to be
hitched together in this manner. One
pulled at the other and the other pulled
at the one. 1t seemed as if they would
tear each others tails off in their eager
thirst for liberty. The little fools. in
stead of swimming off together, wanted
to 60 in opposite directions. They
wriggled and struggled and plunged
their noses into the sand and mud and
stirred up great cloud of dirt Being
of about equal strength it was some time
before they got out of sight.
Yesterday was fishing in the sea off
this place. was in boat, just outside
the surf. For while my companion
and I caught nothing but few black
bass and porgies. Presently shark
came swimming along and gobbled a
porgy which l was about to haul in.
The sight of him animated us with the
desire to catch a shark. So we made
ready two of the largest hooks and lines
we had and baited each with pOrgy,
tying the bait firmly on. We did not
have to wait long. Soon I had q bite,
and a tremendous one it was, dragging.
the boat half over and almost pulling
me out. My companion dropped his
line and sprang to my rescue. o, how
we pulled! and how the shark pulled!
We almost went overheard. We pulled
and pulled until we got that rascaliy
shark to thesnface, and oh. how wicked
he looked! But 10! what did we see?
There was another shark! The two were
violently Hopping about. They were
fastened at the tails! Great jeremiah!
1t was my two sharks that | had mar
ried thirty years ago! They had grown
to be six feet long! The knowled ge of
this fact made me pull all the harder. 1
told my companion about it and it stim-
ulated him with such zeal that l thought
he would push the bottom out of the
boat in his efforts to help the Siamese
sharks on board. There were but few
moments for thought, but those mo-
ments were full of visions of golden
wealth. We would make our fortune
on this pair of sharks exhibiting them
at ten cents head. We would have them
embalmed and take them all around |
the country and make as much fuss over
them as ever was made over Barnum's
Fiji mermaid. All of sudden some
thing dropped, followed by something
else. The first something was myself.
The second something was my compan-
ion. Our hopes were dashed. The visions
of golden wealth had vanished. The
sharks were off. As they went VIC heard
an awful rafting on the port gunwale
of the boat. 1t was my companions
line. The other shark had swallowed
hook and bait, and made off with the
whole thing. Had my hook and line
been provided with a bit of chain we
would have had those twin sharks. The
rascal had bitten my line off. and that
was how he got away. For half an
hour we lay sulky and moody in the
boat, weary with pulling and dazed by
our strange experience. We came
ashore without fishing any more.-Cor.
Times.