Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-06-24
A PlckeREL STORY.

So Wonderful That the Two Men Who
Know It's True Don't Dare Tell It.
OF all the numerous guides and oarsmen at
Greenwood lake, Young Tom Garrison is one
OF the most industrious and the most patient
under misfortunes and adverse circumstances
Tom never has been lucky for himself. He
has had "bad leg" for several years, and
last summer his grandfather died and left
$4,000 to Toms younger brother, locally
known as Snapper, since the jockey of that
name became famous
Tom struggled through last season with his
bad leg incased in six yards of elastic rubber,
and did not make much money because the
season was short and the fishing rather I'M
satisfactory, for what reason nobody knows
In previous years Tom was enabled to make
considerable money by plotting unsuspecting
anglers to a little lake on top of the mount
ain, inducing them to tramp there with him
by means of the alluring story that the lake
was so full of bass that another one could
not be put in without two being crowded out
on shore. The crop of the strangers was not
large last year, and the story had become too
threadbare for the frequent visitors
Late last fall Tom and Frank Hazen went
out after rabbits. single shot from Hazen's
gun glanced from stone and put out Toms
right eye. This was the worst luck Tom ever
had, worse even than missing share of his
grandfather's inheritance; but it did not pre-
vent him being one of the most skilful oars
men and anglers at the lake. He procured
perfect counterpart of his good eye in glass,
and, while it was a hollow sham for all prac-
teal optical use, it certainly served the out
ward purposes of the eye he lost in the woods,
and II it had not been for the fact that the
70, -.
was constantly suffused, Tom would not have
minded 1t much. 1t was hollow shell of
cunningly blown and coored glass, and be-
haved well, inasmuch as it stayed straight in
its socket and did not make him appear ridicu-
lous by trying to turn into the corners. Tom,
while out fishing few weeks ago, took his
eye out to wash it in the lake, and as he was
rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger
1t popped out of his hand and fell in twelve
feet OF water. Tom spent two hours looking
for it, and was finally compelled to sadly turn
away and contemplate the necessity of spend
ing large sum for a new eye.
A day or two later he took Charles Mock
ridge, of Soho, out after pickerel, and they
caught lis fair sized fish before turning the
bow Of the boat toward the Lakeside hotel.
When they landed at the wharf Tom called
MIR. De Graw's attention to the fact that he
had recovered his eye and was wearing it.
"How did you get its" asked De Graw, and
right there Tom became silent Since then
he has said that rather than lose the respect
of his patrons, who have always believed
what he said, he would never tell how he re-
covered the eye Among the fish which he
displayed was the largest pickerel that has
been caught in Greenwood lake in several
years 1t was a six FOUNDER and had only
one eye, the other having evidently been
eaten out by the deadly ''eye pincher," as the
guides call sort of water beetle which at
lacks the eyes of all fishes in the lake. Mr.
Mockridge was almost as reticent as Tom,
but he admitted that the recovery of the eye
was so singular that he would not have be-
heved it If he had not witnessed it. He
finally and reluctantly said-it was as much
as he dared say at the time-that the eye was
disgorged in the fish well of the boat by the
big pickerel. Afterward, however In a
moment of confidence, he told Newark
friend that when the big pickerel was pulled
In 1t wore in its vacant eye socket the glass
eye which Garrison dropped overheard a
day or two before. He now absolutely re-
fuses to say anything about the matter, but
he has the dried head of the pickerel and
Tom Garrison has the glass eye.-Warwick
Woodlands On. " Letter.