Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-02-24

your hero back again. perhaps You will
give us some tea"
''Fish?" says Dick; ''noi fin. Might
rs well throw a fly on dry ground rs
on this gin-clear water"
He sits down, and we recover our
spirits and temper little. But he Is
not himself, for being really anxious
about him and Ethel. l observe him
closely and note the elaboration of Of
fort in his mirth.
II wish he was not SO humble
minded. Probably he will not even ask
her." so run my thoughts.
After our painstaking preparations
tea is not to be dismissed n nom mt.
Our contemplative en-. oyment OF 1t,
however. Is broken in upon by n loud
shout from fourteen-year old Bella.
Look, the salm )nv' aud she points to
the curving edd es which mark the spot
where the big fish has risen.
"By gum says Dick. jumping up in
haste, sits regular sockdolager.
Take my rod. Croft and try for it"
mo, no, it's your turn. had the
last
But good-natured Dick thrusts the
rod into his trends hand and drags of
his own hat 20 examine tie dies in it.
Our loud-tongued entreaties are to
him as the idle wind; but q gentle, low
voiced request from Etho veers him
round in moment. He takes tho rod
and glides cautiously down to the wa.
ter's edge, crouchcd behind rocks, and
with beating hearts we watch every
movement of Dicks fingers.
81 shall show him a big dark fly
first" his words scarcely reach Ia
through the noise OF the fall should
never land such 'whopper on small
hook
He seems an age affixing that fly and
then wetting it. As no lengthens S
/ ne out 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 DO held down by
force
There, il must have been right over
his nose that time! almost wonder
that Dick has the courage to 90 on
working his fly at all. But no ripple
breaks the surface. His ma ,csty ga es
unmoved upon the black and silver.
Two or three moro throws and Dick
reels up his line.
Try him with small Jock Scott
now," Captain Croft. caught by the pre-
vailing excitement, speaks in a so.emn
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 br,lliant-hued "Jock
Scott" is almost over the big fish. Dick
balances himself carefully for the next
cast. The rod curves back, swings for
ward, and the fly, delivered strai ght
and freely, drops gently on 10 the wa
tor couple OF yards above the salmon.
Hardly has tho line sunk an in. h be-
low the surface before there is 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 at
this iuncture have thrown the rod down
with shrek
In moment Jack has struck. His
rod is a hoop; the line flashes through
the water; the whirling reel makes mu.
| sic in our ears.
"Down TO tho bottom of the pool,
and drive him back if he makes tor the
rapid" We obey ID ok like children,
except Ethel, who stands beside him
and views the struggle, so to say, from
the grand stand.
The first rush is straight toward tho
dangerous rapid, but strenuous
splashing from us drives the ush back
in time.
by Jovc! that was near shave
though" and Dick wipes his forehead
| hastily.
Both Dick and Captain Croft after
ward declared that they had new n seen
a fish show such sport as this one did.
One grand rush after anot or seems
TO leave him as fresh rs ever. He Is
across the pool, down the pool, under
the white water at the top, and almost
under Dicks feet--all in a moment
Again and again he hurls himself into
the air. and his great silvery de al
most dazzles our eyes with its glitter
Little Bella positively cries with ex.
element, and one or two of us woull
fain do likewise.
| have that strange feeling anglers
have often described to me, which
makes the burning reality OF the mo-
ment blot out past and future. Tne
fate of the universe seems TO bang on
this one fish; if he is or &c landed, 1 feel
that the struggle Of life will be over.
For thirty-eight minutes does that
fish keep us palpitating round that
pool, then he begins TO tire His rushes
are shorter and shorter. Dick is get
ting him in hand.
One last effort for freedom, however,
he makes. in spite of shower of stones
from us, and the strain put upon him
by sixteen feet of greenheart, that gal
liant fish struggles into the head OF the
rapid.
Dick comes running down tho bank,
losing line even then, for the current of
the narrows is furious.
Through the neck at tho bottom of
the pool flashes the salmon like light
ming. The sight of powders and broken
water rencws his courage. Dick s
course down stream is arrested by big
rock; his line is run out to the last yard.
This prince of fishes will escape after
all! Dick looks upon the swirling water
and sets his teeth. There is last
chance, but risky one.
Don't, Dick; you would be drowned
10 a certainty" we shout in chorus.
Ethel imporcs him with tears in her
eyes not to risk 1t. lie looks gratefully
at her, but shakes his head. It flashes
across me that if the expression of her
face at this moment does not give him
heart to ask her certain interesting
question on the way home, why, he
doesn't deserve her.
Nothing short of cart ropes would
stop Dick now his blood is up; he steps
into the hurrying water and is taken of
his legs in moment and washed
against arock; now he regains his foot
ing and staggers on ayard or two, now
loses II once more.
'',So fish in the world is worth such
dangerous work as this. What q reck-
less chap il is" thus Captain Croft
anxiously.
While maxine n shori Joto,r ,.o,oJ