The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-06-09
JIM,
The old Fi,herman Of Pass christian.

< = SupkoSO yOV AuOWs HIN III II
1ou have ever fshsd in the bayou
,ack ofthe Pass you must have seen
lim, Bent and ragged figure in bat
cred old pirogue anchored at the
spoies, "or patiently waiting for bite
At the croaker hole. One could hardly
6sh anywhere in the network of bay.
ous that thread the marshes there
without neetlpg him sometimes with
q striDg Of shining croakers, sometimes
with a bunch of iridescent green trout
and holding the light in the
bow of the boat, often with nothing
Whatever to show for his day 8 sport or
work bnt however luck may vary
Jim is always the, same-caim, smii
ing, impertusbable, a philosopher who
takes tifeas he finds it, with fish or
without.
But remember, as il it had been
yesterday, the first time I ever saw
him. For several days the wind had
been blowing in strong aud steadily
from the gull, laying the waves before
itin great swaths of foam like the ripe
wheat falls before the scythes Of the
mowers. The lake bad been very
rough, the ships had scuddedN along
with close reefed sails, and the boats at
their moorings near the shore had tug
ged and strained at their anchors as #
they ionged to spread their white
wings and fly like a bird before the
gale. Somebody said that the rough
weather was driving the fish back into
the bayeus, and Jack and I had
tramped back TO the nearest bayou,
fishing, along the pretty path where
the water lilies starred the hitch on
either side, and bright patches 0: ye-
low and brown "negro heads danced
in the sun, and the latauier lifted
skeleton hands in warnipg fron the
marsh.
We pushed out III our skiff II little
way in the dark and solemn stream,
and Jack showed the how to work
the "block and tickle" Arrangement; OF
a reel and how to throw out the line
without Tapping him IN ,he face often
or than the exigencies OF the situation
demanded, with the shrimp bait,
which certainly did feel a little clammy
and creepy when you touckcd il. Al
together we got along very well at
first, but no fish bit and, as the novel
lists say, "timc passed." and I began
to reflect that if the rough weather
had driven the fish into the bayou
they must have come thele to fast and
not to prey. hate TO fish anyway,
and was wishing that had stayed
nj home and invented perpetual mo-
ton or squared the circle, or used in
some other way the patience and in-
genuity I was expanding trying TO
move shrimp through the water in
realistic enough way to deceive a
suspicious fish, when suddenly our
boat drif,ed down behind clurnp of
sedge grass and alm6s. rubbed bows
against the pirogun in which Jim sat :,
a queer little old-fashioped darby, III
clothes that were perfect marvels of
patches and with such battered old
hat on his head-oh, he might have
been painted as the typical fisherman
Of the stream.
Now as for me, l dearly love ne,
gro. Not the coiored srs end madains
who have views on higher education
and who wear pinchbeck jeWelry and
gaudy finery but the old-time darkies
like my old nanny was, who tied up
her head in a bandanna to the day OF
her death, and whose bosom was the
tenderest pillow on which childhood
ever wept itself to sleep. Somehow
jim reminded me of her, and even
before his ragged hat was off his head
or he had said 'sarvant, sab !" in
greeting, had forgotten that l was
hot and tired and that an adventurous
bug had gotten inside my collar and
was installing my neck for race
course, and l was talking TO him rs j.
had known him always.
"Uncle," 1 said, pointing TO hi:
empty boat, styou nave no better tucE
than we have. How is it you have
patience to fish on when there's moth
ing biting ?"
"Well," Jim said slowly, "hits de:
lax dis, you see, misiiss." He stoopcC
and lifted his ragged old coat from III,
bottom OF the boat aud took from
mysterious pocket a little flask o
whisky. "Hits DIES lax dis: When
comes out here in de mawnin / dc;
turns dis here up and takes u drap OF
two, en- den filings my hook in de wa
ter, en- den l waits awhile en- eft dt
fish don't bite takes anuthcr mouth.
full or two en- den l gins EN- anuthel
chance, en- eff dey DONE bite l takes
anuther dram en- by dat lime L DON
keer whether dey bites or no, dey ker
des please deyso'fs bout dat"
He turned and gave me smile tina,
showed his white teeth cleaning like
ivory against his dusty skin, aud then
with halt apologize air of comrade
ship he passed the fat little black bot
tie across the boat TO me.
"Fishin's nightly lax courtin emmy,
how" he went on, after l had dufy