West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-10-30

cult for conversation, turns over the
leaves of his fly-book meditatively,
Ethel reclines among the sea Of brake
fern which envelopes our camp. / oh
serve her from behind "a book. and re-
hected for the t~housandth time that the
multitude OF her conquests il not TO be
wondered ~ Who can withstand such
blue eyes and soft curly hair and the
dimples which come and 90 as she
speaks? Again, her voice is like the
MARBLE of n nightingale, aud-but sister
Ethel is a theme which, from its exceed
ing attractivenesS, | must label dan
| gerous.'
AS Dick comes in sight. clamboring
over the rocks with his long rod over
his shoulder, | fancy / detect an added
light in her eyes, but she only remarks
casually: Now you girls have got
your hero back again, perhaps YOU will
give us some tea"
"FishP" says Dick; ''not a fin. Might
as well throw "A fly on dry ground as
on this gin-clear water"
He sits down. and we recover our
! spirits aud temper a little. But he Is
not himself, for being really anxious
about him and Ethel. | observe him
closely and note the elaboration OF eff
lOli III MS ullINU.
81 wish he was not so humble.
minded. Probably he will not ever ask
her." so run my thoughts.
After our pa%instaking preparations
tea is not to be dismissed in "A moment.
Our contemplative enjoyment of il,
however, is broken i'm upon by a loud
shout from fourtecn-year- old Bella.
Look, the salmon!' and she points to
the curving eddies which mark the SPOT
where the big fish has risen.
by gum" says Dick, jumping up in
haste, ''it's a regular s~ockdolager.
Take my rod, Croft, and try for it."
mo, no, it's your turn. / had the
last"
But good-naturcd Dick thrusts the
rod into his friends hand and drags off
his w hat 20 examine the flies i'm il.
Our l~oud-tongued entreaties are to
him as the idle wind; but a gentle, low
voiced request from Ethel veers him
round in a moment. He takes the rod
and glides cautiously down TO the wa.
ters edge, crOuchcd behind rocks, and
with beating hearts we watch every
movement of Dicks fingers.
Il shall show him a big dark fly
tirst"-his words scarcely reach us
through the noise of the fall should
never land such a 'whopper' on a small
hook"
He seems IN age afixing that hy and
then wetting il. As he lengthens his
line out n yard or more each cast. and
the black wings and silver body float
nearer and nearer to the spot where
the great fish rose, our excitement
reaches almost to bursting point. and
little Bella has to be held down by
force.
There. it must have been right over
his nose that time! | almost wonder
that Dick has the courage to 90 on
working his fly Mt all. But no ripple
breaks the surface. His majesty gales
unmoved upon the black and silver.
Two or three more throws and Dick
reels up his line.
Try him with a small Jock Scott
now, Captain Croft, caught by the pre-
Yalling excitement, speaks in a solemn
whisper.
'All right. Throw me one over"
Again the wetting process has to be
gone through and again seems more
endless than before.
AT last the brilliant-huOd clock
scott is almost over the big fish. Dick
balances himself carefully for the next
N'"" Iht lOh ChANNS udth, swings IOf-
ward, and the fly, delivered straight
and freely, drops gently on TO the wa
ter n couple OF yards above the salmon.
Hardly has the line sunk an inch be-
low the surface before there is n heav-
ing boil and swirl of water as the great
fish bounds to the surface. There is
not one OF us girls who would not mt
this juncture have thrown the rod down
with a shrek.
In a moment Jack has struck. His
rod is r hoop; the line flashes THROUGH
the water; the whirling reel makes mu-
sic in our ears.
Down to the bottom of the pool
and drive him back if he makes tor the
rapid. We obey Dick like children,
except Ethel. who stands beside him
and news the struggle, so to say, from
the grand stand.
The first rush is straight toward the
dangerous rapid, but a strenuous
splashing from us drives the fish back
in time.
by Jove! that was a near shave
though" and Dick wipes his forehead
hastily.
Both Dick and Captain Croft after
declared that they had never seen
a fish show such sport as this one did.
One grand rash after another seems
TO leave him as fresh as ever. He j.
across the pool, down the pool, under
the white water at the top, and almost
under Dicks fetal i'm "A moment.
Again and again he hurls himself into
the air, and his great silvery side al
mos daIlles our eyes with its glitter.
Little Bella po 'itively cries with ex-
element, and one or two of us would
tain do likewise.
] have that strange feeling anglers
have often described TO me. which
makes the burning reality If the mo-
ment blot out past and future. The
tate Of the universe seems to hang on
thls one fish If he is Orce landed. feel
that the struggle Of life will be- over =
For thirty-eight minutes does thai
hsh keep us p%aipitating round that
pool. then he begins to tire. His PUSHES
are shorter and shorter. Dick is get.
ting him Jon hand.
Ono last effort for freedom. however.
he makes in spite Of q shower Of stones
ron us. and the strain put upon him
ly sixteen feet u grcenhoart. that GAL
liant fish struggles into the head Of the
rapid.
lbck comes running down the bank
losing Zinc oven then. for the current Of
thc narrDws g. furious.
Through the neck at the bottom Of
tl" pool flashes the salmon ike light-
nIng. The sight of powders and broken