West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-04-03

spear lhiS creates n profound SON
sation, in which the bcat swings into
deep water and the discourse OF the trio
becomes horribly stuffed with epithets
of war. There be many tricks at spear
ING. and now they begin. IL is n dream
of youth that a boy shall see pike or a
bass big enough to break his spear. ii
he ''let the bass have the spear" and il
the floating spear be retrieved with q
large fish fastened i'm the teeth. that
would be coup worth half boys liie
for il would make him famous i'm the
village To this end many small
perch, which might swim between the
tines of this Michigan harpoon. gets
the spear ON the QuiNotic hypothesis
that the fish is a veritable monster
OF the deep, almost ready to leap out
OF the water at the floating bonfire. In
asmuch in turning around TO find the
abandoned spear consumes much time.
and inasmuch as no boy ever yet saw
hSh on the eud of spear which had
been thus thrown, the harpooner soon
fails into disgrace under the loud pro-
teStations which follow each of his de-
liVeries Now the spearer sees fine
pumpkin-seed, straight down. He
sends the spear crunchi He cries:
I've got himl"-and up comes n bull
hcdd foot long. You see the bull-head
was I'm the moss under the pumpkin
sced-one of those chances rs rare as
drawing a capital prize. Now the boat
ghdes along, beautifully inspiring
sight-but the "spearing is not GOOD"
it never could be Good spearinp'
would pile the boat, making Ossa like
wart. Yet there are i'm the boat perch.
fe i.h
heads, and once i'm while a back bass
or pike. As to doglish aud billfsh.
they are never allowed TO contain nate
the boat The boy has a horror of
them which the grown man remembers
in an inquiring spirit.
Now the lake has been circumnavi-
gated. The rest of the wood is taken
on. The mess OF fish is small hut the
boys congratulate themselves that they
all belong in one fam lv. The affair of
the night is no longer sport il is busi-
ness. Care sit upon the troubled
brow of every memb of the party
especially on the paddlcr's He is wet
and hungry. All paddlers are bad.
Some are worse than othcrs Ii /, be-
cause of the bad padding that The luck
OF the evening has not been better And
the spear are dull. All spears are duh.
What time is it? They all agree that
IL must be eleven o'clock. Each pri-
vately believes it is midnight 1t is
really half-past one.
And now the last fire is gone, and
the landing must b. made in the dark.
The fish are gathered in t'c dark The
fence is climbed aud the road is gained
in the dark
Going down the long grade to- the
town, mile ont, at three in the morn
ing, the boy with the jack declares that
he thinks he is the biggest fool who
ever lived in Sturgis." This opens
every ones heart and n solemn VOW is
made that Crossman shall never see
them again. Oh! they are weary, nigh
unto death.
These are sixteen -ycar-old printer
boy. At seven next morn 'ng they arc
hard at work in the office Of the s..
Joseph County JoUrRaL
At noon they get note from Arthur
the fourth lad OF the family-now alb
sent near JOhnson's Lake: ."Send me
my spear sure. We are all going out
tonight in two boats. Send it sure.
Now, although this party, here in the
Office, intend TO never 20 spcaring
again, there is yet cloud on Arthur
title 10 that spear. The messenger can
not wait TO decide quickly nocessi-
tates refusal, Of course. for possession
is nine points of the law The spear
does not 20 to Johnson's Lake.
At two o'clock, p. m, the boy who
carried the jack home dires the other
two boys to go 10 Crossman's Lake to-
night
At 2:30 the financing necessary TO
procure the twenty-five cents for Gross
man is undertaken
At quarter Of four, three boys may
be seen, q mile out OF town. one with n
paddle and a lunch-baskct, one with
two spears, one with Jack
Middle-agcd victims OF overwork.
who oft are punished by days OF suffer
ing for one short hour of indiscrect
labor, look ye back into your boyhood
and marvel at these rebounds from utter
eXhaus ion John Ne GoUern. tu Chtca-
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