Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-07-06
A FISH STORY.

When the Old Settler stepped into the
tavern the other day he found the SQUIRE
and the boys in ecstasies over basket of
trout that one Of them had just brought
In. and after the savory fish, in the gar.
nishing OF ferns, had been sufficiently ad
mired and commented upon, and their
fragrance somewhat modified by the
aroma OF several samples of assorted
goods. the Old Settler sat down and said:
The bes' trout fisher | ever know d
were HANK fellrack O. Sugar Swamp.
An the bigges' trout ever know'd were
oil hedtail the Ripper o the same dees.
trio. An he want only the bigges'
trout, but he were the knowin'est. He
lived In McGonigle's Run. an even wen
the rust settler in the Sugar Swamp Gees.
trio. which were Honey McGonigle his.
self. shucked his fust wolf on the banks
o that run Redtail the Ripper want no
yeariin'. not by ez much ez thirty years,
ez nigh ez Honey McGonigle could figure,
an he could figure ye up the age Of the
oldest crow to within an hour o. its
hatchin'. II y'd unly jis' give him one of
its tail feathers to git his bearin's from;
an ye know crows is hundred years old
fore they've hardly begun to cut their
milk teeth yit.
Honey McGonigle lived In Sugar
Swamp deestric' nine year fore he were
crowded by neighbors much, the nearest
ones bein' 'Riar Snort bore's family, ez
lived ten miled f'm Honey's cabin. an off
an on fer them nine year Honey fished
an fished an fshed fer Redtsil the Ripper
thout ever gittin' ez much satisfaction
outen the SLY oil mossback ez the losin of
hook in his jaw. The trout were bout
the size Of nice fat baby, even in Honey
McGonigle's day. an the name o. Redtail
the Ripper were give to him cause his
tail were bout the color O. robins chist.
an cause he were ripper, an no mis-
take. An SO Honey fished an fished till
the day he were gethered to his fathers,
an the Ripper KEEP on a CROWN bigger
an knowiner. an q waxin fatter an
fatter. Then new gin'rations o. fishers
tried their hans on him. an fshed high
an low an deep an shaller fer him.
trailin' flies an sinkin' bugs, an coaxin
of him with all sorts O traps an contriv
ances an snares fer the wary an the on.
wary; but ol' Redtail the Ripper unly laid
back an larfed in his sleeve. an showed
hisself here an thar an now an then in
McGonigle's Run. jist to keep the ball
rollin'.
Fifty year arter the days O. Honey Nc
Gonigle fust see the Ripper, an folks
was a-fshin fer him yit. Gin'ratious had
kim an gin'rations had gone. bgosh..
an still oil Redtail the Ripper were on
deck. fat an sassy, but a showin' of his
years a leetle Then Hank Yellrack
'peared on the scene Hank could ketch
trout wuther the water were high or it
were low. or wuther it were muddier tn n
a gutter OF clearer thin Jar O. strained
honey. But ol' Redtail the Ripper larfed
at Hank, an dared him to ketch him, list
the same ez he bad the heaps an heaps O.
ordin'ry trout fishers. w'ich had kim up
like flower in the mornin', so to speak,
an been cut down in the evenin', b'gosh,
like jimson weed, and had left the Gid
in waters o McGonigle's Run, fer the
rollin' tides O. Jurdan. The impotence O.
the Ripper. an the way he had o euchrein'
Hank, no matter how cute an cunnin' he
played his hand. tore Hank all up. but he
KEEP follerin that trout up an down the
Run, year in an year out. fer fifteen year.
cause he'd took a oath to capture ol' Red
tail the Ripper or perish in the tempt
At the end O that time Hank were shrunk
a'most to shadder. His eyes were sot
back In his head SOS they looked like
green marbles in holes in the ground, an
he hadn't no more appetite thin dead
calf.
But never mind, Hank usety say
I'm jist o savin' o my appetite fer the
day TIT yank ol Redtail outen his hole.
SOS / kin bev 1t all in one heap, an jist
set 1t to workin' ON his contrary carcase,
billed, fried an Drilled, an fatten up on
him like goose in a cellar crammed with
meal. an come out sassy an clipper ez
fghtip' cock
AN Hank KEEP on fishin,
"Ye mowt naturally s'pose tht durin'
the hunderd year er SO th't the Ripper
had knocked around in McGonigle's run
he orter be gittin' leetle old hisself,
an yed s'pose right. Time th't Hank
Yellrack fust begun to try an sarcumvent
Of Redtail, ez tor ye, the fish had begun
to show his age consid able, an at the end
o Hanks fifteen year fight agin him he'd
failed most ez bad ez Hank he'd One eye
had took to lookin' ez If it'd been changed
fer one th't blonged to dead mack rails;
his shoulder blades begun to hist their
sells up inter unpleasant lookin' ridges.
an tn was q couple O hollers behind 'em
III . y0 COulu uu sOt leACupS Ill Inc
Redtail Ripper's ribs showed up tol able
plain. too, an his gin'ral build O carcass
were setch tht it didn't hol' out much in.
ducement fer Hanks saved up appetite,
an ruther made folks think th't if Hank
should happen to hook onter the Ripper
it'd be a bad thing fer him arter all. ez
he'd starve to death. sure. vile he were
huntin' fer the Ripper's meat. Hank nor
nobody else couldn't understap' wat
made the cunnin' ol' fish fall away SO an
git SO lank. till one day Hank see the
Ripper trayelin' up stream lords Biler's
dam. an whsnged away at him with load
O. buckshot. Redtail stopped an listened,
an then riz hisself up to the top o the
water, stuck his head out. an kinder
cooked his eye round to see W at the dis
turbance were. In dom of it he throwed
his mouth open. an Hank see tht tn
want much left in his mouth but gums
an few or wuthless snags.
That settles itr says Hank or
Redtail Ripper can't chaw no more.
s'render I'm now on. says Hank. i don't
angle for no trout this half blind. an
has to pend on spoon victuals. says he
81 s'pose my of nanny. squire, were
one O. the high steppinest women tht
ever b1onged to sciety in Sugar Swamp.
But she were 'commodatin', an a neigh