The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-05-17


my life, and don intend to. But now
begin to understand some extraordi-
nary letters which have received this
morning. Some rascally practical
joker has started the report, | suppose,
to put me to the trouble of contradict
ing it; but | won't give him that salts
faction"
Then you haven't caught big fish
at alp" said my visitor. "Wel, l
thought such feat was hardly in your
line" And he took his leave with q
slightly injured air, as though, 1 had
swindled him out of q congratulation
under false pretenses.
went on with the perusal of my let
tiers and dismissed the matter from my
mind. But it was not to be so easily got
rid of. When | went into the street
every other person | met alluded in
some shape or other to my big pike"
OF course | FASTENED to explain
that the report was groundleSs,
and that | had not caught any pike
at all. But my prOtestations were re-
ceived in q manner (to use familiar
phrase) to make a saint swear. | do
not suppose for q moment that saint
could or would swear, but, if he ever
did, ! cannot conceive any provocation
which would more fully Justify him in
doing so. Where my assurances were
credited, my interlocutors madeit quite
clear that l had gone down fifty per
cent. or so in their estimation, some
even indicating by their manner that
they regarded me as u downright inn
postor, and believed me to have spread
the report myselfin order to gain an I'M
founded reputation for craftsmanship.
Others disregarded my denial, and evil
IDENTIFY believed that | had captured
big fish. but from mean reluctance to
explain how | did it, or some other
nefarious reason, thought proper to dis
own my achievement. Both parties
evidently regarded me as a cOntempti-
bic sort of fellow; the one set for not
having caught the fish, the other for
having caught it, and not sticking to it
like man. At last, so sick was | of
being disbelieved and looked down
upon, or believed and looked down
upon Notwithstanding, that when met
friend Brown in the city one afternoon,
and he began as usual: Il say, old
fellow, what about the big fish? | saw
all about it in the papers, | did
not take the trouble to contradict
him. but YEARLY said: 80 yes, rather
a big thing, wasn't it?" and forthwith
changed the subject to more cOngenial
matters. We parted, and the same
afternoon | ran against Robinson. "Ah,
Jones" he said: Il met our friend
Brown this morning, and he was telling
me all about your big fish. You always
were lucky dog. Such things don't
come in my way" Having allowed
Brown to believe in the legend l could
not very well give him the lie, so to
speak, to Robinson, 50 again acquiesced
in a vague kind of way, and changed
the subject us soon as possible, hoping
to hear no more of the matter But |
was disappointed. Within the next two
or three days | met at least half dozen
friends VINO claimed to have had partic-
lars from either Brown or Robinson,
and, having let the thing 90 so far | had
not the courage to undeceive them. But
Nemesis was beginning to pursue me.
As the poet Justly remarks Il forget for
the moment what poet, or his exact
"OICiS, DuJ ne luuSJ nav e OGtn Il man III
the first rank Of the professionl-
"Ahl what tangled web we weave
When once we venture to deceived"
Remorse had begun to set in. | be-
gan positively to 90 round back streets
in order to avoid meeting friends. l
lived in q morbid dread of the subject
of fish cropping up, as it invariably did
in some shape or other. Even q pair
of soles on the table was enough to de-
stroy all my appetite for dinner. [
dared not now undeceive Brown and
Robinson, who, having related the
story Con my own authorityD to others,
would naturally think that ! had inten-
tionally befooled them. Again | met
Brown, this time in company with
stranger, tall, gentlemanlv man, to
whom he introduced me rs Mr.. Marina
duke H. Jones, the hero of the big
fish" His friend, whom found to be
Sir Lionel Damer, Il noted fisherman,
paid me the usual compliments on my
great catch, and then proceeded to ask
me one or two questions, which would
have been plain sailing enough if had
really caught the fish, but which, as it
was, | answered in such an incOherent
manner that Brown charitably cut
short the interview, saying that we
must talk over details another time.
have since heard that ne apologized
to Sir Lionel for my being "a little
tight" kindly adding that he never
knew me in that condition be-
fore. Never in all my previous
experience had been in so horrible
position. For the first time in my life
| realized what 'cold sweat meant.
If anybody suffers from a colder sweat,
or more of it, than did on that occa-
sion, pity him. And the worst of it
was that | might find myself in the
same position again at any moment.
had hitherto attached so little impor-
lance to the matter that | had never
even seen the paragraph which started
the mischief, nor had taken the trouble
to note the name of the papers in
which it had appeared, though they
had more than once been referred to by
my congratulations. l was pretty sure
that the original statement was in the
FtShtng something or other, but what
the precise name was, or where it was
obtainable, had not the smallest idea.
With feeling as if | was connecting a
bank fraud, and might be ''run in' at
any moment, | began to make inquiries
at news accents and 6Shinr-tac;la deoI