The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-08-15

DdHkludu WAS 6bATIlC0 IIOn d
meditation on the particularly fastid-
ious tastes of a big sucker" which
could only be persuaded to nibble, by
| the noise of a small landslide behind
him, that brought several pebbles fly
ing about his ears. With a grunt of
disapproval at the interruption, he
turned again to his fishing apparatus,
adjusted with the utmost scientific care
and dRxterity an alluring bait, and was
about to cast it in just the eddy under
which the twenty-incher was lurking,
when he stopped and looked around
again. Then he scrambled to his feet,
and, calling Flip off from his fsvorite
task of keeping the fish on the bank
from getting back into the water, the
two scrambled up in the direction / had
taken.
Fetch i'm, Flipp urged Mr.. Bank
man, in a tone that made Flip under
stand at once that there was important
business on hand-perhaps evena coon.
He priclxed up his ears and scurried
along the bank until he found my
tracks Away he yelped on them, his
master following after, but they had
not gone ten yards before the footprints
stopped in the fresh sand and gravel
that had just slid down from the bank
above. Down went Mr.. Bankman on
his knees, digging with his stick and
then with his hands, while Flip sent
the earth flying behind him with fore
and hind paws flying like mad. Mr.
Banlxman called out loud; no answer.
They found the location of the king
fishers hole, but the front had caved
in with the slide, and the diggers could
not make much Roadway. Mr.. Bank
man called again; still no answer. His
hands were bleeding. After moments
hesitation he ran out of the ravine
across into a field and up to farm
house.
1t did not take long for Mr.. Gardner
and his hired man to dig me out. The
first | knew of it was when the cold
rain in my face and some hot whisky in
my throat brought me ITO" on the way
to the farmhouse. | looked around
from my position in the hired mans
big arms, and saw over his shoulder
with some discomfort, that Mr.. Bank
man was walking behind with the
farmer But then began to grow
sleepy again; and for what turned out
to be several days l INDUCED in very
curious adventures at one time, as
well as | can remember, even going to
the length of trying to catch kingtish-
ers with Mr.. Bankman for q bart, while
Flip kept Mr.. Gardner and the hired man
from jumping into the creek
When did get out of the infrmary,
the first place l visited was the little
island in Painters swamp where Mr..
Bankman's shanty of saplings and
brush and grapevines was built. He
was not there; and my heart fell as
saw the fishing lines and hooks lying
about. He had not been back since we
had left on that last fishing trip. While
/ was eagerly hunting about for some
thing to show that was wrong in this
impression, in bounced Flip, looking
very hungry and ragged. At first he
made savage dive for me, but recog-
nized friend before my trousers had
suffered, and we had as jolly meeting
as could be expected under the depress-
ing circumstances. AS | was examin-
ing some rents in Flip's hide that
seemed to betoken recent experience
with canine enemies, | noticed strip
of old cloth tied to his collar. On in
vestigation 1t showed small piece torn
from the margin Of newspaper with
this legend scrawled out:
pleEe tax keer OF nip thay wont let me keap
no dog hear witch 1t is i'm in isle
Taking care of Flip was much easier
said than done, for he insisted on max
ing at least three journeys day be-
between the shanty in the swamp and
the village, four miles away.
AS for me, ! made up my mind thatit
would do no harm to make clean
breast of the thing to the colonel, and
see if l could not enlist his sympathies
for Mr.. Banl0man. In l marched to
him at the first opportunity; and, If |
did not tell quite the whole truth, |
came away with the half-comforting
conviction that had at least told moth
ing but the truth. Some time after he
sent for me and said that Mr.. Bank
mans case had come up at the county
town. and that the old man had only
been put in the poorhouse, where he
would be taken care of, with the un-
derstanding that If he tried to leave he
should be put into jail for thieving.
1t was half-holiday with us, and l
at once decided to go to the poorhouse.