The morning call., 1894-04-08

dlSem OaTra5S himself OF the pleasing load,
which the angler of average industry
nearly always bears In the shape of we'll
filed basket, and rest from their whole
some tire his strong and sinewy limbs.
One of the most skillful and at the same
time most ardent anglers of the period and
the place was Harlow. s. Love. father Of
John Lord Love, ex-Attorney-G General of
this State. Mr.. Love often made Dough-
erty's coy little inn on the banks of the
Purisima his home for month or two in
the open season. lie was lawyer of
much reputation in that day, as his son is
at present, and conducted The CALL as
the earliest legal adviser or It's then pro-
prietors through many perplexing and
tortuous lawsuits. Mr.. Love in his Wal
tonian pursuit treated the elusive trout
pretty much as in court he did the
wary witnesses lie examin ed-he had them
in the creel, as the Scotchman calls our
trout basket, almost before they felt they
were hooked. 1t was sight 10 see this
lover Of rod and reel. in his fishing equip
ment. pushing on through clumps of
shrubbery, regardless of poison oak or any
other baneful plant To reach quiet pool
under gnarled root that jutted out over
the stream from an ancient redwood. and
where he generally basketed a couple of
Founders. He was model American dis
cple of old Izaak, fully able to cope with
the rOugher conditions under which the
'Rentl6 art mas 10 U6 pllcu III SdllOTHId.
Gideon j. Denny, the painter, was
an other of those sport-loving cts who was
often beside this stream; but much as he
loved trout-fishing he loved his pictorial
art more. Like Alfred Jingle, the poet,
who, when hunting. varied his banging of
the ieldpiecs by twanging the Tyre, Gid"
as his familiars used to call him, dropped
his rod for asketch when good bit of land
scape caught his eye, pretty swirl in the
water of the creek, or knot of cattle off
in the meadow that reminded HIM of
Cuyp he had seen somewhere. He was
marine painter, as general proposition,
and many Of his sea pictures are yet on
the walls of private dwellings and public
places in this city, but he had painters
eye for the beautiful IN nature on land as
well as on sea. He never made good
showing as an angler; he was not indus
triOus enough. Where he shOne brightest
was in the great room of the D0ugherty
inn when the ''e'en had brought a .hame,"
and the anglers, the fagellants of the
brook, narrated their adventures of day.
Gid never boosted OF his basket, nor
mentioned any striking work by the
brookside; but he had experiences in other
directions that were equally interesting,
and he told them racily, like the man of
the world he was.
On one occasion member OF the fishing
party caught a three-p0und trout-said TO
D0 Inc ldTR6bt ISL ldkcu uub Va tuo uEi-
sima's waters since the American occupa-
ton, or in the memory of the Oldest in
habitant. There was a howl of disgust
when the fortunate angler exhibited his
priZe to the assembled fishermen in the
evening, and decided doubts were eX-
pressed that it was ever caught by hook
and line.
Some chap has trout preserve on the
creek, and that fish was caught with a
silver hook. How much did you pay Tor
it?" Such was the kind of Chatting that
passed round the circle.
Gid saw a chance for his pencil. The
big trout was laid out TO the best advaD-
tage, aud measured IS inches from tip TO
tip; then he made handsome drawing of
it, which was hung up in the barroom of
the inn. with all the data connected with
its capture. Everybody living in the cOun-
tryslde round about came TO see the pic
ture of the great trout, to talk about
1t in way more or less nODSeDSlcal. The
main point was that there was good deal
of whisky drunk 10y the visitors during
the debate, and it is said the landlord de-
rived enough money from this source to
pay his taxes for that year. 1t is needless
TO say Gid was made free of the bar while
his picture was on exhibition. The fish It.
self was speedily transferred to the hands
of the best cook in San Francisco, who
served it up gu gratiD. the mushrooms aud
a
more material way by two or three cpl
cures of The fishing party. who bathed its
firm, pinky fakes in choice Sauterne.
Many other names occur to the writer,
and he turns with sigh from the recOllec-
ton, for they are all dead, while La Pu-
risima is still singing Tennys0n's song Of
the brook, MEN may come and men may
go. but go on forever"
There are several mesa-like islets lying
a short distance off shore in the vicinity
Of Dougherty's inn that were objects of
great interest to visitors thirty years ago,
and are so yet, probably. When evening
drew on all the space on their surface
many acres in area, was covered by enor-
nous sea-lions, packed as closely toge Their
as sardlnes are In box, and they fought
for their respective places all the live
long night and roared so loudly that the
com bined noise reached the inmates Of the
inn like the sound of many waters" or of
a Niagara in the distance. At one time
these animals were killed for their oil, and
the beach would be lined with monstrous
specimens of dead phocae some weighing
upward of thousand pounds. The slaugh-
ter, however, proved Improbable ana
was finally discontinued.
The pursuit of the California black fish
was also made a business by Buzzell, the
predecessor of Dougherty. 1t was hazard
GUS and he lost his life By l.. He didn't
happen to have good boat-steerer with
him at the time he was fastened to
fish, and when it f1uked and stove the boat
IN he old man. even while his people were
looking on from the shore, sank out of
sight into the ocean with bubbling
grOan. b.