The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-12-22
BROTHER GARDNER ON FISHING.

BROTHER GARDNER ON FISHING.
The Reasonable Fisherman Need Never BE
Disappointed.
s'Yea knows dat sartin people goes
a-fishin an nebber has any luck" said
Brother Gardner in the Limekiln club
library the other afternoon, "but /
reckon it's DER own fault Gwine a.
fishin am jest like gwine a-courtin or
anything else--you's got to be guided
by certain rules. TIE knowed men who
would tramp twenty-seven miles arter
rabbit an not say a word if dey missed
him, but de VERY same men will git
mad If dey doan catch q fish widin five
minits of de time dev frow in hook.
I'm de fust place, when I has made
up my mind to go a-fishin', Igoes out in
de garden arter supper an digs de bait.
While am diggin' spits ober my left
shoulder and keeps de right eye little
squinted up l does dat fur luck. l
puts dat bait away under a cherry tree
fur de night In case yo' hain't dun got
no cherry tree, den put it in de shadder
of de smokehouse or under de con crib.
AFTER gifts to bed dat night tries to
reeckolect all de mean things cher did,
an hope shall be forgiben fur 'em. II
Ize had jaw wild de ole woman,
sorter crawfish an let her know dat rze
sorry.
"When gits up In de mawnin'
takes keer TO git out o. bed wild de right
fut first II TIE got hole In de heel Of
one Of my stockin's pulls dat one on
fust Some folks puts piece Of red
rag In each shoe, but I dunno n dat
does any perticltler good. AFTER break
fas' ] kiss dc ole woman good-by,
whistle to de dawg, and sot out fur de
creek, carryin' my fishpole on my right
shoulder an kccpin' de left eye squinted
up. When ! reaches de creek takes
OFF my coat, bitches up my suspcnders
an places de bottle o. cold tea in de
shade. Den l rubs de fishhook wild
wishbone toolxen from do breast OF
black rooster. Den puts on de bait,
spits on it TO times, an de fishin' begins.
IAN yo' catches whopper," said
Pickles Smith, who was an attentive
listener.
boy, doan yo' be in hurry" chided
the old man. Nobody should be in
hurry when he goes a-fishin. OATS de
reason folks doan cotch mo- fsh-dey
am in too great a hurry. trow in my
line wild sort o silent prayer dat I
may cotch de biggest fish cher pulled
outer dat creek. l doan 'spect he's
right dar waitin to bite. wait about
half an hour an den pull up de hook to
see il de bait am all right Sometimes
pull it an spit on it agin. An hour
goes by"
"An' yo' hain't dun got no bitter"
queried Pickles
boy, does yo' think dem fish was
lot of idiots? Reckon dey am gwine to
gobble dat bait right down afore dey
swim around an looks at it an makes
up DER minds? Not much! Fish hain't
erected dat way. An hour goes by"
can no bite!"
"An hour goes by. l embellish my
self wild some cold tea an den takes q
smoke. Plenty of small fry around the
hook. but dey knows what Pze arter
an doan bodder me. Two hours goes
by"
IAN no bite yiti"
1.-Two hours goes by. Dat big fish I
wants is down de creek to see his rela-
shuns Mo cold tea; mo- smolxin. I
begins to feel sleepy. spits on de bait
ag'in, an rubs a buckeye on de line.
Three hours goes by"
Fur de lands sakev' gasped Pickles
boy. you has got to curb dat inn
patience or yo'll neber cotch no fish,"
replied the old man as he turned on
him. go hours goes by. l splits on
dc bait ag'in an rubs de pole wild rab-
bits fut Den falls asleep wild my
arm around de pole. Dat was bout
noon. When opens my eyes ag'in it
was jest SHUTDOWN"
"Hu! An bout de fish,"
wasn't nary fish on de hook"
IAN yo' didn't dun cotch any?"
boy, yo' am de moas' aggravatin'
pusson ! cher did see! In de fust place,
dar was only one big fish in dat creek.
In dc second place, he was gone away.
I reckon he cum back long in de AFTER
noon, but was asleep an he wouldn't
take advantage of me. No, / didn't
cotch no fish, didn't chen git nibble."
"Den--den"-
"Den what? doan see anythin' so
mighty strange bout dat Nobody dun
goes fishin' to cotch fish. He jest goes
to enjoy hisself an recuperate de sys-
tenn. Somebody look in de jug an see
If dar am any mo- of dat root beer left"