The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-10-17
OUR BIG SALMON.
ILondon Society.

It was TO ordinary salmon; rot one of us can speak of 1t even now but with bate3 hreath and tendency to reteil this story Several of cur friends think it time to go the moment that grand fish thrus,s its nose into the conver sa'ion. Lord Duifer even departed n huff yesterday after noon because we persisted in a hnal gos- sip upon the subject; but he is devoid of all sense of either romance or sport, with out which incongruous ingredients our salmon cannot be dished up for conver- sational purposes; or perhaps-as pause the others accept the hypothesis with many-voiced acclamatiopi-he was in love with Ethel himself. She who ought to know best denies this, but her good nature in sheltering rejected lovers from ridicule is proverbial in the family
 Ii is perhaps the most perfect hour of the year, viz, six o'clock on July even . ing. and especially perfect because we are just going to have tea, an event which attains exceptional importance owing to the fact that luncheon at the s'ifing hour of one was farce. We have been out since early morning, state of things which has obtained ever since our arrival in Wales ten days ago. and are grouped in picturesque attitudes, such as girls naturally adopt when in momentary ex- pcctation of the return of the gentlemen, round the head of a rocky pool some miles up the river
 This spot has after an exhaustive ex. animation of the entire neighbofhood, been pronounced by the family the beau ideal ef romantic perfection. The mar mur of the fall soothes our ears Captain Croft calls such music ceaseless din" but men of his stamp have no business outside London in fact his adverse vel dict alone would be enough to decide us in having the afternoon lea here. lt IS pleasant to lie ou the rocks staring down into the glitte:iug blackness of the deep pool, while the presence of the heavy salmon which lives at its lower end, and occasionally staTtlcs Us with loud splash, Is fraught with ceaseless excitement.
 Dick and Captain Croft have often tried him with everything from lock Scott" to :, Silver Doctor," without get ting ,he ghost of an offer from his majesty. They will soon return, surly, after the bootess fatigue of long ~adlng. and, if we know anything of fisherman's nature. try him yet again.
 Meantime, we light fire of dry sticks and arrange everything Tn way calcu- lated to cheer the eyes of disappointed anglers
 We are dsgus,ed to see Captain Crof, returning first, and more still 10 see E hei with him. for Dick has long been he6 slave and we did hope to ind that he and Ethel would be together and that something would occur 10 prevent his threatened departure to morrow morning If this afternoon turns out blank, we give up hope, for Dick IS due in India in October, and will not get another chance with E,hel.
 This morning Captain Croft kill,d two sewin, and Ethel was the only one of us civil enough to congratulate him. Dick appeared at lunch with an empty creel, bror zed and tired, but as usual, cheerful This cheerfulness of his. added to a curious haor-very curious, even unique, considering his sex of thinking of every one else before himself have helped to make us worship Dick as an cider brother.
 "I wish some of you would be shade less sisierly." beard him mutter the other night when E,hel said with guile- less smile, We all look upon you quite as brother. you know, Dick"
 Captain Crof; and Ethel, whom we re- ceive with digni6ed stiffness, throw out strong hints upon the subject of tea, but we request them not to be greedy, which is uncivil, and declare tha, the kettle is not yet boiling, which is untrue. Possibly we rather as.onish Captain Croft with our rudeness, but we are sore about Dick, and our enemy has often enough cisa- vowed all surprise at the vagaries of our sex.
 While the angler, finding us too diff cult for conversation, turns ever the leaves of his fiy-book meditaiively, Ethel re- clines among the sea of brake-fern which envelops our camp. observe her from behind book. and reflect for the thou sapdth time that the multitude of her conquests is not to be wondered at Whe can withstand such blue eyes and soft