Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1885-10-15
OUR BIG SALMON.
A Happy Contamination Brought
About by It's Capture.

1t was no ordinary salmon; not one
of us can speak of it evenn now but with
bated breath and tendency to retell
this story. Several of our friends think
it time to 90 the moment that grand
fish thrusts its nose into the conversa-
ton. Lord Duffer even departed in a
huff yesterday afternoon because we
persisted in final gossip upon the SUBJ
ject; but he is devoid of all sense of
either romance or sport, without which
incongruous ingredients our salmon
can not be dished up for conversational
purposes; or perhaps-as l pause the
Others accept the hypothesis with many
voiced acclamationS She was in love
with Ethel himself! She who ought to
know best denies this, but her good
nature in sheltering rejected lovers
from r.dicule is proverbial in the fam
lily.
1t is perhaps the most perfect hour of
the year. viz, six o'clock on a July
evening. and especially perfect because
We are Just going to have tea, an event
which attans exceptional Importance
owing to the fact that luncheon at the
sitting hour of one was a farce We
have been out since early morning, a
state of things which has obtained ever
since our arrival in Wales ten days ago,
and are grouped in picturesque atti-
tude, such rs girls naturally adopt
when in momentary expectation of the
return of the gentlemen, round the head
of rocky pool some miles up the
river.
This spot has, after an exhaustive ex-
animation of the entire neighborhood,
been pronounced by the family the beau
ideal of romantic perfection. The muir
muir of the fall soothes our ears; Cap
tain Croft calls such music ''ceaseless
din," but men of his stamp have no
business outside London; in fact his
adverse verdict alone would be enough
to decide us in having afternoon tea
here. 1t is pleasant to lie on the rocks
staring down into the glttering black
ness of the deep pool. while the pres
sence of the heavy salmon which lives
at its lower end, and occasionally
startles us with a loud splash, is fraught
with ceaseleSs excitement.
Dick and Captain Croft have often
tried him with everything, from
Jack Scott to .'Silver Doctor"
without getting the, ghost of an offer
from his majesty. They will soon re-
turn, surly, after the bootless fatigue of
long wading, and, if we know anything
of tiSherman's nature, try him yet
again.
Meantime: we light fire of dry
sticks and arrange everything in way
calculated to cheer the eyes of disap-
pointed anglers.
We are disguised to see Captain
Croft returning first and more still to
see Ethel with him. for Dick has long
been her slave, and we did hope to find
that he and Ethel would be together
and that something would occur to pre-
vent his threatened departure to-mor-
row morning II this afternoon turns
out blank. We give up hope, for Dick is
due in India in October. and will not
get another chance with Ethel
This morning Captain Croft killed
two SEWN, and Ethel was the only one
of us civil enough to congratulate him.
Dick appeared at lunch with an empty
creeI, bronzed and tired, but as usual,
cheerful. This cheerfClness of his, adj
ded to q curious habit-very curious,
even unique, considering his sex-of
thinking of every one else before himself
have helped to make us worship Dick
Is an elder brother.
Il wish some of You scoald be q shade