The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-01-16
The Travelling GrOceryman.

Another funny thing happened to
me the other day, this time up at Lack
AWAKEN, said John Gilbert, the travel
ing groceryman. Il was waiting there
for a train. That's about all people do
there. Every time I've been to Lacka-
waxen the whole town seemed to be
out waiting for train. When the train
comes they wait until it goes away, and
then they go home again and stay until
it is almost time for the next train,
when they come back and wait for that
train. 1t may be four hours late, but
the town doesn't leave the depot until
it comes.
well, l was waiting for a'train this
day, and as by no way that I could fig
ure it could it get there under three
hours, l concluded to take walk over
by the river. That is one thing up at
Lackawaxen that won't wait for train
or anything else. 1t is the Delaware
River, and it keeps going right on to-
ward the sea. I always like to look at
river that keeps rolling along on its
way toward the sea, and so | walk over
to gaze on the Delaware. strolled up
and down the river bank while, and
then noticed a canal that crossed the
river by big viaduct. | walked up
the canal bank and watched the boats
60 by. They were loaded with coal.
Thirsting for information, finally said
to a boy who came along on mule,
wearing his fathers trousers rolled up
to his knees:
"'Where is this coal going to, my
little man?'
s'To market, pop!' he replied.
Then | watched more boats, and,
not being able still to my longing for
knowledge, by and by l said to man who
was working the tiller of one of the
boats:
''How many tons do you carry9'
"As nanny, begorra, as amy boat
that rooms the detch !!
'Surfeited with information, l return
ed to the river. walked up and down,
and presently saw pine peg, which
was driven in the sand near the water.
There was a string to it.
''Wonder what that is?' l said to
myself.
Not being able to answer the ques-
ton, l went and pulled the peg out of
the sand. The string came out of the
water pretty hard, and l found that
three big black bass had got fast on it
in some way through the gills. There
was no mistake about it. There was
the peg, there was the string, and there
were the bass, alive and kicking.
"Well, 1 says, that's certainly the
funniest thing ever did see.'
Il had heard of eels travelling over
land from one pond to another; perch
that climb trees were old acquaintance
of mine; catfish that swear at you like
troopers when you take them from the
hook I had seen and heard. But bass
that could come out of the water, string
themselves like these, shove the peg in
the sand, and get back in the water
again, was more than l could explain.
when I 60 back home and tell this, |
says, people won't believe me, and
then I'll feel bad
$50 l looked around to see if there
was any one near that could enlighten
me on this curious circumstance. l saw
no one but pious-looking old gentle
man, who was fishing along the river
quite a way below. AS he was SO in
tent on his sport that he seemed obllv-
ious to all around him. l didn't like
to disturb him in his gentle recreation,
and so walked back to the hotel and
told the landlord that he might cook
the bass for my supper. He did, and
they were good. After supper went
down to get the train. There was a
pious-looking, white-haired old gentle
man there, with fish-pole on his shoul-
der. He seemed to be very mad. AS
l got on the train l heard him say:
eyes, sir, by the jumping jimminy
Three old seekers, and I'll give So to
know what in - became of 'em!
''That man amt as pious as he
looks, I said as the train pulled out.
And then the thing struck me all OF
a sudden, and 1 said I'd bet anything
that the white-haired old man had found
some bass that had strung themselves
lust as mine had, and that then he'd
gone and lost 'em some way or other.
Say, don't it beat the Old Harry
how these funny things will keep hap