The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-07-21

--Htde-A tcdke.
Caught
"You promised to tell us some time
how you got that scar on your forehead,
uncle"
" Yes, boys; but the story is so little to
my credit that / have felt rather inclined
to put it off. However, I'll tell it now !;
perhaps it may do you good-perhaps
not.
"They do say all boys quarrel. IF that
is SO [ don't see why it should be so.
No good comes of it, but harm very
often. I don't believe that all boys do,
but my brother George and I did, or I
should not now be telling you how I got
that scar.
"We lived, you know, on the banks of
the Susquehanna. Do you know the
meaning of that Indian name is wind
ing river? 1t is well named, for beside
its greater winding as shown on the
map, described by school boys of my
day as "a zig-zag line in the form of
the letter N, its whole course is full of
the loveliest little curves and bends,
some gentle, some abrupt, all beautiful
and leading on anA on to new beauties.
have heard old travellers say that
some of its scenery is unsurpassed by
anything in the way of quiet river land
scape.
"Well-the boys who are so fortunate
as to live along such rivers have good
times. There is fishing in all its varie-
ties, with line and with net and with
outline-you don't know what outline
fishing is? We used to take a half-inch
rope which would reach, say, half across
the river. Along this at intervals of
about ten feet were tied pieces of fish
line perhaps two feet long. These were
hooked and baited and then one end Of
the rope, or outline, was fastened at the
shore to some underground branch or
root, the other being anchored as far
out in the river as it would reach. There
was nothing very sportsmanlike in this
style of fishing, but it was by no means
poor fun to go in the early morning in
boat along that line (Which was put
out oyernight) and pull up each short
line with the chance of finding perch,
club, pickerel, or possibly, but not
probably, bass on the end of it. How
good those fish tasted for breakfast.
"Another way was to spear the fish, at
night, with fire of pitch-pine knots
made in an old dripping pan mounted
on pole fixed firmly to the side of the
boat; I don't know whether boys of to-
day use what we did then, kind of
stuff which we bought, in the shape of
small black shells, like cocoa shells, only
larger. These we threw into the river
when we first went out; the fish ate
them eagerly and they had an intoxi-
rush and splash about in the water,
making it easy for us to find them. /
have since thought it was cruel adj
vantage to take Of the poor things who
knew no better than to take that into
Vheir stomachs which would lead them
to ruin unlike beings blessed with
sense-(or have they sense?) who do the
very same thing knowingly!
81 did not, in those days. think much
of the picturesque feature Of this sport,
but we'll remember the glow of the trees
and the CLEAN on the water. 1 think
we might easily have been taken for
some order of ferocious night goblin
in the red glare with our formidable
spears"
"Ah was it one of those gave you the
scar ?"
"No, am coming to that. It came
through much tanner way of fishing.
The long bridge which crossed the river
near my nome was q very old one, the
1171I IN %l.n ri foe
way, not of stone or of heavy open tim
Der work, as we see nowadays, but
more like wooden boxes, pointing, of
course, an inclined plane up stream,
but having the lower end open. They
were partly filed in with loose, rough
stone. These piers were favorite resorts
for a quiet, unambitious fish when we
had nothing more venturesome on hand.
We would row out to one of them, get
inside and fish as long as we could get
good bites, and then move to another.
81 must have been about IL years old
and my brother George two years older,
when we went one morning out to one
of the piers near the middle of the
bridge. George had poor luck and after
while proposed to try some other
place. /, however, was having good
many nibbles, and refused. Then he
wanted me to exchange poles, but /
would do neither.
"' Well, he presently said, you may
stay here if you like, but / shall take the
boat and 60 where can catch some
thing.
"'You may do as you please, said.
Do go with me Benz?
"'No-look there ierked sucker
out of the water and laid him wriggling
on thestones. No trouble about catch
ing fish here I added rather spitefully,
as took him from the hook.
George angrily got in The boat and
rowed away, shouting back to me:
{" You may get home as you best cam
Don't trouble yourself about me,
old cranky / answered. I did not
mind at all being left, for I knew he
would come back for me when he cooled
down. [ fished for an hour or so when
good joke to give him little fright. It
would be quite satisfaction if / could
make him think for a little while that I
had come to some harm through his
leaving me.
told you the piers were boarded up
on the outside. Up near the top of this
one board was gone, decayed away, as
perceived when I got up to it For I
formed the plan of climbing up to this
opening and out upon the inclined plane
to hide from George, for he could not
zee me there when he came to look for
me. Then / would climb down again
when ! had enjoyed his alarm and per
plexity at not finding me.
"No sooner said than done. I found it
rather difficult, for the timbers which
supported the planking were some dis
lance apart, and very weak with age. I
perceived now that the real supports OF
the bridge consisted of strong timber
which had been set up inside, the out
side being now mere useless shell, as I
found to my cost, For as ! climbed