Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-07-14
THE DOUBLE CAPTURE.
From the New Moon.

versatlon. Lord Dutierin even departed in
n hun yesterday afternoon because we per.
sisted in final gossip upon the. subject; but
he Is devoid of all sense of either romance or
sport, without which incongruuus ingre.
dients our salmon cannot be dished up for
conversational purposes; or, perhaps-as l
pause the others accept the hypothesis with
many voiced accsmations-he was in love
with Ethel himself She who ought 10 know
best denies this but her good nature in shell
tering rejected lovers from TidCule Is proven
bal in the family.
is, perhaps, the most perfect hour OF the
year, namely, six o'clock on july evening,
and especially perfect because We are Just
going To have tea, an event which atttius eN-
ceptional Importance owing TO the fact that
luncheon at the sitting hour OF one was a
farce. We have been out since early TINS
morning, "A state Of things which has obtained
since our arrival i'll Wales, ten days ago, and
are grouped in picture Sque attitudes such As
girls naturally adopt when i'll momentary eN-
peCtation of the return OF the gentlemen
round the head of a rocky pool some miles
up the river.
This spot has, after All exhaustive examiua-
tion of the entire neghborhood, been pro
nounced 10y the family the beau ideal of rO-
mantle perfection. The murmur of the fall
soothes our ears. Captain Croft calls such
music q "CeaseleSS din -; but men of his
stamp have no business outside OF London
in fact his adverse verdict alone would he
enough TO decide us in having afternoon tea
ing down into the glitteriug blackness OF the
deep pool. while the presence Of the heavy
salmon which lives at its lower end occasion
ally starts with a loud splash, is iraught with
a ceaseless excitement
Dick and Captain Croft have often tried
him with everything from :" Jock Scot" TO
"s silver doctor" without getting ghost OF
an offer for his majesty. They Will soon re-
turn, surely, after the bOOtless fatigue OF long
waiting, and, if we know anything of fish
erman's nature, try him vet again.
Meantime we light a fire of dry sticks, and
arrange everything in way calculated to
cheer the eyes of the disappointed anglers.
We are d!sgusted to see Captain Croft re-
turning, and more still to see Ethel with
him, for Dick has long been her slave, and
we did hope TO find that he and Ethel would
be together, and that something would oc-
cur To prevent his threatened departure to
morrow morning. If this afternoon turns
out blank, we give up hope, for Dick Is due
IN India in October, ana will not get another
chance with Ethel.
This morning Captain Croft killed two
swein, and Ethel was the only one Of US civil
| enough TO congratulate him. Dick appeared
at lunch with All empty creel, brOnZed and
tired, but, as usual, cheerful. This cheerful
ness of his, added to a curious habit-very
curious, even unique, considering his sex
of thinking Of every one else before himself,
have helped 20 make us worship Dick as an
elder brother.
"I wish some OF you would be a shade
night when Ethel said, with a guileless
smile, ave all look on you quito As a
brother, you know, Dick
Captain Croft and Ethel, whom we receive
with dignlhed stiffness, throw out strong
hints upon the subject of tea, but we request
them not to be greedy, which Is uncvil, and
declare that the kettle is not yet boiling,
which is untrue. Possibly we rather astonish
Captain Croft with our rudeness but we are
sore about Dick, and our enemy has often
enough dlsavowed all surprise at the vaga-
rles of our sex,
After our painstaking preparation, tea is
| not to be dismissed in a moment our con-
| templative enjoyment OF it, however, is
broken in upon by loud shout from four
| teen-year-old Bella. "Look, the salmon ~
| and she points TO the curying eddIes which
mark the spot where the big fish has risen.
"By gum :" says Dick, jumping up in haste,
| "its a regular sockdolOger. Take my rod,
| Croft, and try for it,
| 'No, no it's your turn. / had the last"
But good-natured Dick thrusts the rod in tC
| his friends hands and drags oil his own hat t.
| examine the flies IN it.
| Our loud-tCngued entreaties are TO him a.
the idle wind but a gentle, lOw-voic ed
request from Ethel veers him round in q
moment. He takes the rod and glides
cautiously down to the waters edge.
CrOuched behind rocks and with beating
hearts we watch every movement OF Dicks
| fingers
II shall show them big fly flrst'-his
| "bIuS stdIttlN EtdGu US through lDt noise bl
| the fall-"l should never land such a whOpper
| on a small hook"
| He seems an age aftiXing that fly and
then wetting it. As he lengthens his line out
| yard or more at each cast, and the black
| wings and silver body float 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 4! | wonder that Dick has the
| pOnrapa working his "A z at al Rut
| no ripple breaks the surface. His majesty
gazes unmoved on the black and silver
| Two or three more throws, and Dick reels
| up his line.
"Try him with a small Jock Scott nowr
Captain Croft caught by the prevailing ex
element, speaks IN solemn whisper,
| "All right Throw me one over"
Again the wetting process has to be gone
| through, and again seems to bs more endless
than before.
At last the brillianthued Jock
Scott Is almost over the big fish
Dick balances himself for the mex
| cast The rod curves back, swings forward
and the fly, delivered straight and freely
| drops on the water couple OF yards above
the salmon. Hardly has the line sunk al
| inch below the surface before there is a heay
ing boil and swirl OF the water, the grea
| hsh bounds TO the surface There is not Ont
| OF us girls who would not at this juncturt
have thrown the rod down with a shrek.
| In moment Dick has struck. His rod is
| hoopi the lines Hash through the water the
whrltng reel makes music in our ears.
| "Down to the bottom of the pool, and drive
| him back If he make for the rapidw W,
| obey DICK like children, except Ethel, whC
stands beside him and views the struggle, Sc
to say, from the grand stand
| The first rush is straight toward the dan
| gerous rapid, but strenuous splashing from
us drives him back In time.
| "By Jove! that was near shave though
and Dick wipes his forehead hastily
a
cIared that they had never seen a fish show
any such sport as this one did.
| one grand rush after another seems Il
leave hin as fresh as ever He is across tn,
pool, down the pool, under the white watel
at the top, and almost under Dicks feet, al
IN moment. Again and again he hurli
himself into the air, and his great silvery sid,
almost daZZled our eyes with its glitter
Little Bella positively cries with excite
| ment, and one or two of us would fain d,
| likewise.
| l have that strange feeling anglers bay,
4 often described TO me, which max es the burn
| ing reality OF the moment blot out the pas
and future The fate of the universe seem
| to hang ON this one fish, If he is once landed
leel that the struggle OF life will he over.
| For thirty-eight minutes does that fish kee
| US palpitatlng round that pool then he begin
70 tre Ills rushes are shorter and shorter
Dick is getting him in hand.
One last effort tor freedom, howeyer. n
makes In spite OF shower OF 81 lnes from
us, and the strain put upon him by sixteel
!eet OF green heart that gallant fish struggle
INTO the head of the rapid.
DICK comes running down the bank, Ioos
| ing line even then, for the rurrant NJ tha m