Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-07-07
A FISH STORY

a{lQ the DOyS III eCStaSIeS over q odShet Ol
trout that one Of them had just brought
in. and after the savory dsh. 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 Yellrack o Sugar Swamp.
AN the bigges' trout ever know'd were
Of Redtail the Ripper o the same dees-
trio An he want only the bigges
trout, but be were the KNOWN est He
lived in McGonigle's Run. an even wen
the fust settler in the Sugar Swamp dees
trio, which were Honey McGonigle his
self, shucked his fus. wolf on the banks
o that run Redtal the Ripper want no
yearlin' not by ez much e. thirty years,
ez nigh ez Honey McGonigie could figure,
an be could figure ye up the age Of the
oldest crow to within an hour o its
hatchin', if va unly jis give him one of
it's tail feathers to git his bearins from,
an ye know crows is hundred years Did
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 Snortbore family, ez
lived ten miled I'm Honey's cabin. an off
an on fer them nine year Honey Gshed
an fshed an fshed fer Redtan the Ripper.
thOut ever gittin ez much satisfaction
outen the sly Oh 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. robin s chist,
an cause he were a ripper, an no mis-
take. An SO Honey ished an fshed till
the day he were gethered to his fathers.
an the Ripper KEEP on CROWN bigger
an knowiner. an a waxin fatter al
fatter. Then new gin 'rations O fishers
tried their hans Oh him, an fished high
an low en- deep an Smaller fer him.
trailin flies an sinkin' bugs. an coaxin'
of him with all sorts O traps an contriv
ances an SHARES fer the wary an the on
wary: but Of Redtail the Ripper unly laid
back an larfed in his sleeve, an showed
hisself here an thar an now an then in
McGonigles Run, jist to keep the ball q
rollin'
Fifty year arter the days O Honey No
Gonigle fust see the Ripper, an folks
was a-fshin fer him yit. Gin 'ratious had
kim an carnations had gone. b'gosh.
an still Of Redtail the Ripper were on
deck. fat an sassy, but shown of his
years q 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
q gutter or clearer TIM a jar o strained
honey. But Oh Redtal the Ripper larfed
at Hank, an dared him to ketch him, jist
the same ez he bad the heaps an heaps o
ordin'ry trout fishers, witch had kim up
like flower in the mornin', SO to speak.
en- been cut down in the evenin', b'gosh.
like jimson weed, and had left the Gid
in waters O. McGonigles Run. fer the
roIlin' 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 oath TO capture oil Red
tail the Ripper or perish In the tempt.
At the end O. that time Hank were shrunk
Almost to shadder. His eyes were sot
back in his head SOS they looked Ike
green marbles In holes in the ground, an
he hadn't no moro appetite thu dead
calf.
"'But never mind Hank usety say
I'm jist o savin' O my appetite fer the
Day th't yank Of Redtan outen his hole,
SOS l kin hev it 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 cellar crammed with
meal. an come out sassy an' clipper ez a
fghtin cock
AN Hank KEEP on fshin'.
eye 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' a leetle old hisself.
an ye'd s'pose right. Time th't Hank
Yellrack fust begun to try an sarcumvent
oil Redtail, ez toll We, the fish had begun
to show his age consid able, an ct 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 tht blonged to dead mack raj 8;
his shoulder blades begun to hist their
sells up inter unpleasant lookin' ridges,
an tn was a couple O hollers behind EN-
tht We could ha' sot teacups in The
Redtail Ripper's ribs showed up toI'able
plain. too. an his gin raj build o carcass
were setch th't 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, ed
he'd starve to death. sure. vile be were
huntin' fer the Rpper's meat Hank nor
nobody else couldn't understan' wat
made the cunnin' Of fish fall away so an
git SO lank, till one day Hank see the
Ripper travelin' up stream lords Buer's
dam. an whalged 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 wat the dis
turbance were. II dom of il he throved
his mouth open. an Hank see tint tn
want much left in his mouth but gums
az few Of wuthless snags.
THAT settles itP says Hank. or
RedtaIl Ripper can't chaw no more.
s'render I'm now on. says Hank. i don't
angle for 10 trout this half blind. an
has to pend on spoon victuals.' says he.
Il s'pose my Of nanny, squire, were
one o the high steppinest women th't
ever blonged to s'ciety in Sugar Swamp.
But she were 'commodatin', an neigh
Dor setch ez tn want unly few Ike.
Our mex door neighbors lived two miled
sn' half over toards Sprouts Cearin',
an their names was Buzzer- Betsey BuI-
ger were cortior fer bo-ryin' things, an
tn want day passed th't she didn't sen
down TO our clear;n' fer suupia', vutner
twere the auiltin' frames. or kittle O
soap, or mans specs, or side o pork, or
" st II mcwt De. Oh she sllus got it. Nam
allus sould dress up IN style an look
pleasin. an sc one dsy she made up her
mind that she'd sit rid o three O. four