New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1886-11-10
soul into all our games and all our

soul into all our games and all oul
schemes.
"Willie," we said; ''will you go q
guddling? We're all going
tTo besureI will, cried Willie, s'and
so will Jock. And I'll put on my best
1 jacket too"
Jock, by-the-way, was q tame heron
ia craigit heron" called from
the length OF his neck, which you could
have tied a knot upon without put
ting the bird to much inconvenience
A long-legged stupid, old bird he was,
! who used to catch minnows and trout
for himself till he muddled all the
stream, then go to sleep for an hour,
with the water up to his knees, till it
| got clear again.
While Willie went away to get Jock
and his best jacket, we stood at the
blacksmith's door and watched the
sturdy burn-the-winds putting red.
hot tire on q new cart wheel, then
pouring a bucket of water over it to
cool it and make it fresh. This was
always great fun to us.
By-and-by, back came Willie, dress
ed for the occasion, and carrying the
great heron, precisely as mother
carries her baby, only he could not
get it to keep it's long legs doubled up,
which made matters look awkward.
Willie put Jock down at his feet, and
took snuff out Of a sheep-horn null,
and handed the box to us, and we all
took snuff.
Our complement was now complete,
so off we all went, whooping for Joy,
along the road that led to the wood
through which the Den burn ran. And
after us-hop-hop-hopping, and
helping himself along with his wings
came daft Willie's heron in the most
ridiculous manner imaginable. No
wonder several people on the road
drew rein to gaze after us; we were a
queer pack Of sportsmen.
That dear old Den burn, as it used
to be in days of yore; fancy lean see
it now, even as write. Alas! thirty
years have fled since the date of this
little sketch, and the romance has fled
from the bonnie burn. Il has been
improved out of all it's beauty.
But then-well, it rose in peat
moss "a marshy, boggy, dismal swamp
through which it flowed silently and
sluggishly, and here we caught many
a lordly eel Escaping at last, it
rushed merrily along the side of a
road, over a sandy, pebbly bottom,
bordered by long slips of watercress;
then it went off to the left. and be.
ethe 'marsh" betwixt my fathers
land and a neighboring farm. And
here even was good guddling ground,
and many a lusty trout have haul
ed to bank from beneath the green
overhanging banks.
The Den burn went whipping away
through haughs and green meadows,
and under many rustic bridge, till it
reached at last the dark and rocky
wooded glen of Maidencraig. Here it's
waters feed those mill-dams, and turn.
ed q monster mill wheel that seemed
always to roll round and round. night
and day; it's black wet sides glanclng
/, in the sunshine, or glittering when the
moon shone. Onward it dashed for
another mile and then flowed sullenly
past the foot Of a gloomy pine-wood,
where, tradition alleged, more than
one farmer had been robbed and killed
while returning late a night from the
market; where a mother had hanged
herself, and where, even in our day,
little Sammie Stuart, henlookingfor
birds nests, found murdered BARN.
Close by this wood was to be our
guddling ground to-day, nevertheless.
Little we cared for tradition. It
was q lovely day-a day that would
have made an old man young again
Spring was on the trees-spring was
everywhere. In the woodland glades
the scented furze was all in COLDER
bloom; the feathery larches were greer
green, and draped with little Grim
son tassels; while pink-white fingers
protruded from the twiglets OF tn,
dark and solemn pines. Spring was
in the hearts Of the birds-the mellow
huting merle, the saucy, knocking ma
Wis, the modest sispin, the bold, bright
chafhe, the bonnie, wee rose-linne
that sang on the thorn.
And spring was in our hearts, ay
even in Jocks though the green heath
er was high enough almost to bur.
him.
But here is the Den burn. It j
bright and clear, and not too full
just in fine condition for guddling.
And now ny English reader will b
! initiated fnto the mystery ofguddlins
that is, if he does not already knol
what guddling is.
u Ofgoes every jacket; then on
sleeves are rolled up to the yer
shoulders, and our trousers high u
over the knees. We are bare-legged
i bare-armed, and ready for actor
We begin by building a strong wall {
green turf, which we tear up from tn
, burns bank at each side OF the strear
/ then we make a heap OF extra bi
turfs close to the burn, and dashin
them and beating them down, speedil
complete our dam.
Hurrah the burn is almost dry bt
meath the dam; only in the pools tn
: water still abides, and into these g
! nearly all the trout. Beautiful yello'
trout, speekled with red!
: We wade in the water; the two Wi
l lies wade, and Davy wades, and Joe
l wades; Jock uses his bill; we thrus
. our bare arms in under the gree
. banks. needless of eel bites, needles