The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-07-29
THE STORY OF A SCAR.


. ...
"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 l have felt rather in
clined 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 l don't see aChy it should be so.
No good comes of it, but harm very oft
en-. / don't believe all boys do, but my
brother George and did. or | should
not now be telling you how 1 got that
scar.
We lived, you know, on the banks of
the Susquchanna. Do you know the
meaning OF that Indian name is ''Wind-
ing River?' 1t is well named. for, be-
sides its greater winding as shown on
the map, described by school boys OF
my days 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 and on to new beauties.
l have heard old travellers say that some
of its scenery is unsurpassed by any,
thing 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 vare-
ties, with line and with net and with
outline-you don't know what outline
fishing is? We used to take half-inch
rope whichwould reach, say, half across
ha r.ix A INT L. g
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
overnight) and pull up each short line
with the chance of finding a perch,
"chub," 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 a fire of pitch-pine knots
made in an old dripping-pan mounted
on pole fixed firmly to the side of the
boat; l don't know whether boys of to-
day use what we did then, a 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 Intoxicating
effect on them, for they would rush and
splash about in the water, making it
easy for us to find them. have since
thought it was cruel advantage to take
of the poor things who knew no better
than to take that into their stomachs
which would lead them to ruin-unlike
beings blessed with sense-(or. hare they
sense?) who do the very same thing
knowingly
did not. in those days, think much
of the picturesque feature of this sport,
but well remember the glow on the
trees and the CLEAN on the water.
/ think we might easily have been taken
for some order of ferocious night goblin
in the red glare with our formidable
"Ah! was it one of those gave you
the scarP''
No, l am coming to that. 1t came
through much tanner way of fishing.
The long bridge which crossed the river
near my home was very old one, the
piers being built in the old-fashioned
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 filled 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.
| must have been about eleven 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 a good
many nibbles, and refused Then he
wanted me to exchange poles, but
would not do that either.
"Well," he presently said, "you
may stay here if you like. but / shall
take the boat and go where l can catch
something"
"You may do as you please" said.
"Do 90 with me, Ben
"No-look there" ierked a suck
or out of the water and laid him wr o.
Cling on the stones. "No trouble
about catching fish here" 1 added,
rather spitefully, as l took him from the
hook. t'
George angrily got in the boat and
rowed away, shouting back to me-
"You may get home as you best
can"
Don't trouble yourself about me,
old cranky" | answered. did not
mind at all being left, for 1 knew he
would come back for me when he cooled
! down. fished for an lour or SO when