San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-07-19
A FISH STORY.

When the Old Settler stepped into the
tavern the other day he found the Squirt
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 Yellrack O. Sugar Swamp
An the bigges trout ever know'd were
oil Redtail the Ripper o the same dees
trio An he want only the bigges'
trout, but he were the KNOWN est He
the fust settler in the Sugar Swamp dees
trio. which were Honey McGonigle his
self, shuckeG his fust wolf on the banks
o that run Redtail the Ripper want no
yearlin'. not by ez much ez thirty years
ez nigh ez Honey McGonigle could figure,
an be could figure ye up the age of the
oldest crow to within an hour o its
hatchin'. If I'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 bores family, ez
lived ten miled FIN Honey's cabin. an of
an on fer them nine year Honey fshed
an 6shed an fshed fer Redtail the Ripper
thout ever gittin' ez much satisfaction
he eli pI horH he NJ
a hook in his Jaw The trout were bout
the size of nice fat baby. even in Honey
McGonigles day. an the name o Redtail
the Ripper were give to him cause his
tail were bout the color O a robins chist.
take An SO Honey ished an 6shed till
the day he were gethered h his fathers
an the Ripper KEEP on a GROWN bigger
an knowiner. an waxin fatter an
fatter Then new gin 'rations o fishers
tried their hans CD him, an ished high
an low an deep an SMALLER 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 Of 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 a
rouin'
Fifty year arter the days o Honey Nc
Gonigle | tust see the Ripper, an folks
was a-fishin fer him yit Gin 'ratious had
kim an gin 'raNons had gone. b'gosh
an still Of Redtail the Ripper were on
deck, fat an sassy, but a shown of his
years a leetle Then Hank Yellrack
peared on the scene Hank could ketch
hon hn nh or
were low, or wuther it were muddier tn n
a gutter or clearer thin jar o strained
honey But oil Redtail the Ripper larfed
at Hank. an dared him to ketch him. jist
the same ez he had the heaps an heaps O
ordin'ry trout fishers. witch had kim up
like flower in the mornin'. 80 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 be
KEEP follerin that trout up an down the
Run. year in an year out. fer fifteen year
cause he'd took oath to capture Of Bed
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 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 th't yank OIL Redtail outen his hole
SOS kin hev it all in one heap, an jist
set it to workin' on his contrary carcase,
cd wi hr laI foff M
him like a goose In cellar cFammed with
meal, an come out sassy an clipper ez a
fghtin' cock.
IAN Hank KEEP on fishin'
I've 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 | tol 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 loekin' ez If it d been changed
fer one tht b'pnged to dead mack raj s
his shoulder blades begun to hist their
sells up inter unpleasant lookin' ridges
an tn was q couple o hollers behind 'em
tht ye could ha sot teacups in. The
Redtail Ripper's ribs showed up tol'able
plain. too, an his gin raj build o carcass
were setch th't it didn't hoi out much in
ducement fer Hanks saved up appetite
san ruther made folks think th't if Hank
should happen to hook onter the Ripper
it'd be bad thing fer him arter all, e7
he'd starve to death. sure. vile he were
huntin' fer the Ripper's meat. Hank mol