Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-07-12
AeulLeLEss FISHERMAN.
How Ben Did Frank Up-But When Did
They Reside I'm the Windy city?
tn...n... I,-.Nunnf


II was evening and no one had spoken
for several consecutive minutes.
"Itl soon be time FOX some pilgrim
coming here TO rest while telling hsh
stories" said one Of the members.
Were You here IN the old daysG" asked
D brother, venerable IN experience and
ripe IN results. The other member said he
was not.
Then YOU have lived in vain. ! reckon
YOU know Ben August! Nou know FRANK
Cunningham, Of course you do; everybody
knows Frank. August and Cunningham
and two or three other cronies were great
fishers, and the Government per was their
resort, and the rising of the sun was the
nour when they baited their hooks, cast
them into the beaded waters, hung their
LEGS oyer the pier and said nothing but
lust fished only occasionally.
"One morning. rs the old crowd took ITS
place on the pier, Ben August said:
49, The man who catches the fewest hsh
pays for the breakfast for the party"
The bows agreed TO this, Frank Cun-
bingham coming into the compact some
what reluctantly, cause Frank was not a
successful fisherman.
There was a long silence, and then 1t
vas broken by Frank Cunningham, who
shouted Two" That meant that he had
landed two perch. They weren't much
bigger than minnOws, but that made no
difference. Nothing had been said about
SIZE. At the time Frank Cunningham
rasped the air with his shout OF triumph
Ben. August had one perch by ms SIDE.
While Frank Cunningham was batting hls
hook August put his perch back on MS
hook. cast il into the water, and after tug
ing at the line a moment he jerked the
same perch into the air, took 1t OF the
hook. and shouted Two and That
meant no had as many as Cunningham;
Then he kept his eye on Cunningham until
Gun. had turned his back. SEEING the
same perch again and putting 1t on ms
hook. he cast it into the lake again, pulled
in the line. and again ne threw the slisten-
ing beauty in the air, released 1t and
shouted Three /"
Cunningham's gaze was on the waters
and his sinker bObbed lust trlhe. August
again hitched his perch TO his hook, slipped
the line into the water and waited. Three
minutes passed and again the poor little
perch was suatched back from the waters,
thrown through the air, and Augustus
voice rung out, clear and triumphant,
'fOurp
Not TO worry you with too long fish
story al this season Of the year, for we are
lust on the fishing vacation, August had
kept this ND until he had counted It eleven
times. Poor Cunningham never raised
more than his two.
But he paid for the breakfast like q
man, and, mind you, il was no small sum
that breakfast for such a party as that
cost. August could eat a 80 breakfast
himself at that time. After the re-
past was over and Frank Cunning
ham was talking about his poor sue
cess as a fisherman. saying that he could
catch more on land than he could on
water-whieh saying We all understood
Ben. August told him that there were
poorer fishermen than he, and Frank said
he didn't know about that. Then Ben.
told him that he had counted one perch
eleven times. But Cunningham never went
out on the pier again to fish"