Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-05-15

uiciion or " Dan, you Drute.' IL TOOK It's
leave rapidly.
"Weli, It's a pity, SIR" Ronald said
that would have been twenty-four-
pound salmon if he had been down to the
sea-
It's the luck Of this TANNED boat"
Duncan said, gloomily.
But Mr. Hodson could not confess to any
such keen sense of disappointment. He
had never played so big a fish before, and
was rather proud that so slight a grlse-
rod and so slender a line should tof course
with some discretion and careful nursing
on his part have overmastered 40 big IA
beast. Then he did not eat salmon there
was no loss in that direction And as he
had not injured the kelt In any way, he
reflected that he had enjoyed half an
hours excitement without doing harm to
anything or anybody, and he was well
content. SO he paid out the two lines
again, and set the rods. and began to re-
Jew his talk with Ronald touching the
customs connected with the keeping of the
New-Y Year.
After all. it was a picturesque kind of
occupation, kelts or no kelts. Look at the
scene around them the tapping waters of
he lOch. n vivid and brilliant blue when
the skies were shining fair, or black and
stormy again when the clouds were heavy
in the heavens and always the permanent
features of the landscape-the soft yell
lows of the lower straths, where the
wlthered grass was mixed with orange
braCken: the soft russell of the leailesS
birch woods fringing the shores of the
lake; the deep violet shadows of Ben
Clebrig stretching up into the long swathes
of mist and then the far amphitheatre of
hils-Ben IIee, and Ben Hope, and Ben
Loyal-with sunlight and shade inter
mingling thero ethereal tints, but
leaving the snow streaks always spark
ling and clear. He got used to the
mOnotony of the slow circling of the up
per waters of the lake. lie forgot to
asking all kinds Of questions about the
stays and the kinds, about ptarmigan and
white hares and roe, about the price of
sheep, the rents of crofts, the comparative
wages of gilles and shepherds and for
esters and keepers and stalkers, and the
factors. And at length when it came to
lunch-time, and when they landed and
found for him a sheltered place under the
lee of big rock, and when Ronald pointed
out to him grassy bank, and said, rather
/ dtlnna ike to see that place empty,
sir That's where the gentlemen have
the salmon laid out that they may look at
the mat lunch time"
MIR. Hodson, as he opened the little
basket that had been provided for him.
answered, cheerfully enough:
My good friend, don't you imagine that
| feel like giving it up yet: I'm not finish
ed with this lake. and I'll back persever-
ance against luck any day. Seems to me
we've done very well so far; Pm CON
tent"
By-and-by they went back into the coble
again, and resumed their patient pursuit
and there is little doubt that by this tim5
Ronald had come to the conclusion that
this stranger who had come amongst
them was singularly odd and whimsical
person 1t was remarkable enough that
he should have undertaken this long and
solitary Journey in order to fish for salmon
and then show himself quite Indifferent
as to whether he got any or not and il
was scarcely human for any one to betray
no disappointment whatever when the
first fish caught proved to be kelt; but
ii was still stranger that man rich
enough to talk about renting deer forest
should busy himself with the petty affair.
of the very poorest people around. Why
he wanted to know how much Nelly the
house-maid could possibly save on hel
years wages, whether she was supposed
to lay by something as against her wedding
day. or whether any OF the lads abou
would marry her for her pretty face alone
And when he discovered that Mr.. Murray
the innkeeper, was about to give New
Year supper and dance to the lads anC
lasses of the neighborhood, he made NJ
scruple about limiting plainly that HI
would be glad of an invitation to joir
| that festive party.