The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-05-14
WHOLE NO. l7l3.

abrupt dismissal, and | went into a
stationer's to buy the A b c Guide.
/ found that Tenbury was in Wor-
cestsrshire, and determined to stick
to that country in answering future
questions. | met three or four more
acquaintance that afternoon. All
of them were full of my big fish, and
showed a disgusting appetite for de-
tails. / answered their queries as
well as | could, but | felt that | was
getting deeper in the mire at every
step, and that | must manage to
acquire little more knowledge on
the subject.
On my way back to the office L
bought two or three treatises on fish
ing but | had barely time to open
them when a valuable countryl eli
ent, Mr.. Culpepper, came in. He
had important business to discuss,
and was compelled to leave town
again the next morning; 80, to econ
omize time, as it was nearly my
hour for going home, | invited him
to dine with me en- tamille. We
walked home together, and dinner
was half over when he suddenly
said:
by the way Jones, that was a
tremendous catch of yours down
Tenbury way-that big pike,
eh ?"
My wife looded surprised, for she
had heard nothing of my aprocry-
phal achievement.
"Oh nothing particular" | said,
trying to turn the conversation ;
"the thing has been much exaggera-
ted. Nothing in it, | assure
you"
"All very well for you, my dear
fellow. | suppose you are such a
sportsman that you make nothing
of a five-and-twenty FOUNDER; but
we outsiders, who don't get such
luck, think a good deal of it, can
tell you. But where was it? The
papers said Tenbury, and Brown
told me the same thing but Philpotts
assured me that he had it from your
own lips that you caught it at Sun
bury, and Tomking was just as GER
tain that it was at Newbury"
"Oh, Philpotts is mistaken, new
told him anything of the sort; and
as for Tomkins, he's-he's lost his
mother-in-law lately and forgets
things. he-he doesn't know what
he's talking about"
At this point my wife struck in.
Mrs. Jones is very charming wo-
man, but the least inclined lher on
ly fault to be jealous, and she has
an exaggerated, not 10 say morbid,
idea of the perfect confidence, or
rather confdentialness, which should
exist between husband and wife. |
don't perceive that she tells me much
but she expects me to tell every
thing. For the last moment or two
she had been looking from me to
Culpepper, and from Culpepper, to
me in a manner which denoted on
the matrimonial barometer, stormy" F"
"Mr. Jones Marmaduke this is
something | am not TO know, sup
pose. What is it all about ?"
Mr. Culpepper put on his blandest
smile.
"Oh you know all about it. my
dear madam. | was only referring
to your husbands great catch-:he
big fish that he hooked at
Tenbury."
Mr.. Jones Tenbury and big
fish. Mr.. Jones hasn't hooked
big fish or any other fish"
Culpepper felt that he had some
how put his foot in it. 1t was obvi-
Gus to him that for some reason or
other Mrs. J. had been kept in igno-
rance of the big fish, and he did his
best to retrieve his error.
Didn't he really Then l must
have been mistaken. Some other
Jones, perhaps. It's not an uncom-
mon name
Now, Mr., Culpepperl It's very
good Ofyou to endeavor to screen
him. 1t is a point of honor among
you men, | believe, to shield each
other: but | am not to be so easily
put off, | can tell you. Mr.. Phillpots
had the particulars from Mr.. Jones's
own lips, you said-consequently
it is clear that Mr.. Jones has caught
a fish, (though | shouldn't have be-
lieved it for him, and that that fish
has been concealed from me-"
Poor Culpepper looked extremely
uncomfortable. As for myself
well, Mr.. Kinglake has recorded
that the late Emperor Napoleon US
ed to turn a pale green when in the
presence of the enemy never be-
Iieved the story until this evening,
but | do now.
But, Maria" l said, ''it is really
nothing to make a fuss about. |
assure you | didn't-no, | mean |
did-catch a fish, but it was quite
an accident, and it shan't occur
again,
"Now, Mr.. Jones, there is mvs-
tery here which | am determined
to fathom. You have caught a fish
"a large fish, it seems, Where is
that fish? Why did You not send it
to your once happy home?"
Mrs. Jones glared at me as if she
thought the fish was at that moment
concealed about my person. | be-
lleve | was about to answer (forgetful
of dimensioDs) that it wasn't worth
bringing home, or that | had eaten
it all my self, when Culpepper came
Unexpectedly to the rescue.
II can relieve your mind on that
score, Mrs. Jones. Mr.. Jones sent it
to his collection at the Fish, ries
Exhibition" ("Good gracious" l
thought, what a liar the man is,
though he means it in kindness, .nO
doubtp' Il saw it there myself
Yesterday
This was the '-lie with a circum-
stance" with vengence, and yet
there the man sat, as cool and collect
ed as if he were repeating the multi
plication table. How | envied his
calm composure But the fend
] a..