The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-05-21
"G. WHILLlkENS.
An Ardent Angler Gets Up at Mid
night TO Capture a Big Trout.

Walton Jones, q smart city boy and 8
great fisherman, is shown a giant
trout, named &c. Whillikens," by the
country boys in the village where he
Is staying. He goes to bed with his
mind full Of thoughts Of the fish. Mr..
Barnes goes on with the story as fol-
lows:
How long he slept Walton did not
know. But he awoke and found him.
sef leaning over the foot-board, gazing
down where moment before he
thought he had seen the great form
OF G. Whillikens swimming over
stream bed Of rag carpet
Il was dreaming" said Master
| Zones, shutting his eyes, and preparing
to thrust his sturdy legs under the bed
clothes again. 1t was just at this mo-
ment that he noticed that 1t was broad
| moonlight outside; 80 he Jumped to
the floor, and raising the curtain, he
gazed out Of the half-opened window.
The whole landscape was aglow with
the soft gray light. He could see the
! shadows Of the honeysuckle vines
weaving across the floor Of the piazza
The next house stood out clear and
plain amid the surrounding trees, and
lie could catch even the tintS Of the
lollyhocks and the white points Of the
bachele,: 's-buttons growing along the
plcket-fence. Far away the course Of
the stream was marked by the line Of
pearly mist that hunS at the foot o!
the soft blue hills A few bright stars
blazed and sparkled overhead. 4
fisherman is one-third poet, and Wal
ton knelt and leaned both elbows or
the window-sill.
Suddenly a sentence he had read
| In one Of his fathers books came into
his mind: Trout often feed on mooD
light nights"
Silently he stood up and commenced
70 dress himself; his hands trembled
Us he put the fybook in his pocket and
! reached in the corner for the Oryis rod.
Then he climbed quietly out Of the
Understanding over baby car
riage and boys velocipede; and
scrambling over the fence, he found
himself in the village street
1t was silent and deserted as he
| hurried down toward the old red
bridge, trotting now and then, and
looking back as if he expected at any
moment to hear his mothers voice cal
walton! Walton"
But there was no sound, and he saw
no sign Of life or movement He fell
as if he were walking through a pic
tUre.
AS he lodged under the fence a
sleepy bird fluttered in tho -bushes.-ft
startled him and Ais-hocrt began 10
beat fast and loud. The meadow grass
soaked him to the waist with dew.
Soon be lost the path, and tore his
way through the tangled hardhacks
to the little clearing about the ruined
MILL Here he paused and united the
gray cloth cover Of the bamboo rod.
1t glimmered, and the reel buzzed like
great insect as he threaded the line
through the metal guides. Walton
had to stop now and then to take deep
'png breaths.
At last the line was stretched, and
with chilled fingers trembling from
excitement he selected from the fly"
book three dainty tempting flies-one
silver hackle," "white miller" and
4 "royal coachman." He moistened
them with his lips, stretching the tight,
coilcd smells before he attached them
to the leader" When all was right,
be balanced the supple rod in his ner-
vous hands and stole toward the bank,
where il shelved away to the silent,
swirling pool beneath the outlet OF
the sluice.
He stood there for moment with
olt moving. The water dripping from
The dam seemed to beat regular tat
too; q dog howled, back there in the
village, and q fox prowling about the
lower pond yapped derisively. AS he
watched the dimpling, shifting surface
beneath him, suddenly he started;
there could be no doubt about it-that
rush and plash and ripple meant 8
rise!
G. Whillikens was feedingl
Wslton's heart seemed to be jump
ng back Of his throat and eyes as he
raised the rod, gathered some slack
from the slow clicking reel, and cast
put to the middle Of the pool. Too
quick at that time; he must let 1t float
longer with the current-let it sink an
Inch or so-and draw it slowly. He
had been too quick entirely.
! Another cast Flash! chug! whip.
6hir! He had him! Boys and girls
and fsherman!--he had him! The
line cut the pool from right to left, the
rod bent to the shape Of fishhook.
What did the boy care for noise or
caution now? He stumbled over the
loose planks; he groaned when the
line came toward him, and he could
not gather it in fast enough as tho
great trout made for the opening Of
the sluice-way. Stop him he must.
, With the line twisted and snarled
about his fingers he swung the rod
sharply to the left. as If G. Whillikens
had been a miDnow. No rod Of seven
ounces could have stood the strain.
There was a snap-the tip had broken
short at the ferule, and the city boy
gave way to one wild sob. Despair
ingly ne followed the slackened line
with his eye-and there the shallow
right beneath him lay the huge fish,
swaying from side to side. his back
Tin out Of water. He had turned him!