The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-06-11
Forty wears Ago.

Forty Years Ago.
Forty years ago--a big slice of the long
end OF one'slife IL has been n bright day and the
al,ern3on shaaows are oeginnng 10 leng,ne9, Iney
another week drawing TO q close-satutdny night,
homo and rest. 70 others they suggost-well let
with tagged straw hat, WIN crawls out from Of
the Gentle ieto o. the old bridge these shadows Of
are not dnmxed with tho rose hde5 pleasure Of day
well spent Ills thoughts wete bright enough as he
hauled up after him string OF perch as long as his
precious body, and 1T climax TO his magnificent
catch an eel q, least two and half feet long and
thick as his captor's arm What u struggle he had
enjoyed with that eel before lie got II 10 the top NJ the
pier, His hapdllnc was HOPELESS fparli twice lc
had como Within hair breadth Of going otetboatd,
but the unfortunate Gel had succumbed to Juvenile
activity and zeal. What on-yoar-old could boast
comparisons with tho day strophles over his soul
ders Ito ploddcd his way home? lilo felt himself
object OF interest and envy to his follows and told
WITH condensation, not arrogance, his experience
with that eel,
Success win often take an old boy, etalone young
one, on his feeti II sometimes leads 70 indscroton,
and results In worse than failure, a''d again Is the
corner stone Of n noble monument. That boy had
1shcd with success OF that plor than once, but
had kept his ns-polo and left tho evidence Of his dis
obedience ut friendly neighbours. This day he
marched straight home, nst-pole aud all. The sable
ruler OF tho kitchen confirmed, upon sight, tho urk-
Ing approximations that would not down, In spite Of
ooh, honeyl whnr's You bin dis ilvolonr day
Miss Mary's gwro TO give II to You wos bin
hunn' and trapcsin' all obor dis town, and yo' pa,
he was les gwlne'
goddess were cut short by the appearance of Miss
Mary IN person She was stately dame In those
days, with wealth Of dafk hair, and with brown
eyes that hal In tlcui ah, such world OF love for
that barefoot, whlte-hditcd uichn Aud site had,
too, quiet way OF talking that went right Into the
little fellows ears and down about his heart and
fingered there. No need to ask hlrn where he had
been; she only looked at him aud at the ns, q
led him In to the heal of tho family Cont Mt
once convened.
Uwhat SHAH we do with this bcy9"
lie to whom this question addressed took In the
situation ~ glatCe. The glQce was dark one, hut
It quickly showed the syet lluiig.
''Wash hiui and give hitU so,ile tlcnr clo,hcs.n
But - SHE teinoisiatcd, this witlncvcr do; he
viii he drowned SOME day. How often must forbid
you going neat tile rlvergn
+" | dun no, motlcr.'
What Is that round your lcg'
g. An eesltin,N
'Why lid YOU tie 1t there 30
To keep OF cramp.n
keep oil cramp? What does the boy meany'
and Of mcrrimcnt In the gray Tho sable member OF
the court volunteered an explanation and wound up
with the prophecy:
ynn, so long as he wear dat eel skin he'll neber hab
de cramp, an he kin swim; you ha'ar me- Miss
Mary why, bless yo' stars, honey, dat boy done
swn dat riUbet las Saturday, he did hccrd ZEN
tcp' 1t
''liea,d who telling it?' btcke In the president.
"Why, tie chilltin, " course. Dat Buckingham
boy he bantercd do chile an took his close ocr In de
skill, aud Mars Lod, he done ollered, he did, and
The animated aud confident manner of Jane did
not lessen the anxious, even horrined expression In
the brown eyes. but the gray were study as the
owner drew the abaShed urChin TO him With the in-
''Is It true, my boy?"
Yes, father
''Go bring me your fishing taCkc.n
II was sorry-IUoking outnt--a fraction OF n cane
pole about ten feet Of common line, and an indif-
ierent hook oored on the end. The hand line was of
better material, but u wreck-a very Gordian knot.
They were obviously but promptly passed over for In
''rhrow these into the stove--and, Jane, You make
kindllng wood Of this pole, "
eyes filled, hut the owner of the grey eyes gently
held back the appealing hand that would have
Cted the preciOus treasures.
90 Hold on my boy; do not misinderstand; papa
viii trust yot,; you shall have the best tackle in
town.
"why do you deal with the boy in this way - re-
~ cnstratcd the mother.
why" because myself was a hoy once, and
don't want to forget It,
The gray eyes wcro the FIRST TO cluse-it is many
long year sinCe--and tho old boys fl little as
lie revcrcn,ly tlhuks of tlatday.
hut the boy dritted with the tide, over the Blue
Ridge and the Aeghanics, and twenty odd years ago
ho anchored In tho WILDERNESS where Denver now
stands,
DO we have fishing In the Rocky Mountains? Aye,
that we do, and right royal sport 1t Is.
One day, nineteen years ago this summer neigh
bor came into my cabin and wanted to know OF u
young married there II she could not spare her
Benedict for, say three days He was fish hungry,
this neighbour; was going OIL Into the mountains, aud
wanted company. OF she could; was glad to
he rid Of him. Aud so early next morning old Charlie
hitched 10 the blackboard. AT O'Clock that same
day there was n tent pitched In little valley upon
Hear Creek, thlrty-nye miles from home, with two
pairs OF Blankets coffee pot, two tncups, and n
frying-pan; not soul or habitation within twenty
miles of us; n beautiful mountain, stream as clear as
crystal cold as Ice, and teemIng with front What
would you have, money Why bless your soul, money
at discount there were of IL little way
oil, only for the digging.
In those days fishing tackle was scarce and plum
bush rod and linen line were the best in the land
Flies were novelty to me, but my friend had a
more civilized times and that had got out there by
mistake. lie divided with me, told me 10 fastcn one
upon the end OF my line and skitter 1t over the
water. This was my first and only instruction In
trout fishing. Skittering'' was novel TO to
the fsh, but my professor was Cambridge man with
glasses, and did not want him TO feel that my edu
cation had been entirely neglected.
took my pole and instruction in silence, and
walked quarter of a mile mn the creek. Pure In
stinct y Yes walked up stream for the single pur
pose OF fishing down: 1t came Just naturally us
swimming In deep water. | found place clear Of
rectly into my shore and out again. forming eddy
thought II 'llkoly place. | gave that plum
sapllng swing and landed the fly, In which had no
confidence Whatever Just mt the edge OF the swirl 1t
had no touched the water than saw salluon
coored mouth, felt tug, and tho following second
my first trout was lying over my head. deliberately
put down that pole and walked out to investigate
There was no doubt about II; there he lay,
kicking and gasping his life out on tho green grass,
MS bright colos more beautiful by tue contrast He
was near foot long, and 1 put my hand upon him
gently though he had been Immortal first born.
1t was not dream. l strung him upon forked
stick, went back TO the eddy and caught three Others
and wondered If all tho trout In that stream were
twins had already become gentler, too, even with
the unwicldy plum sapling l found their mouths
time had nsIed down to camp, and with my ten
trout felt equal TO tue business of the morrow. My
novltlate, but he compllmcntcd mo in saying that
took to IL naturally. ''--im6rtCdH IRgitr.