St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1895-07-27
THE PHANTOM TROUT

THE PHANTOM TROUT
BY A. LIVINGSTONE
"The lst Of April has for untold ages
been the Day Of Fools. Why. no one in
particular seems to know. There are
patron saints for everyone from the
prelate to the thief. bnt who is the
saint of All-Fools?" Thus spoke Tom
Marks, one of merry trio of trout
fishers who had jonrneyed up into
Sullivan county, New York state, to
fish on the lst of April. only to find
trict could not lawfully he fished until
the 18th of the month. and that they
must journey many a weary mile
across country before they reached a
district where the open season began
on All-Foofs day. The change of loca-
tion was not accomplished until late
in the evening and. although hopes
were bright for the next days sport,
there was considerable grumbling at
lost time.
The party had gathered around the
fire enjoying that peace which a pipe
brings after a good supper. when
Toms question was asked. In the
corner of the fireplace was the oldest
member of the party tying flies. He
looked up: well. you boys knew all
about it, and l left it to you until we
were on the cars. but as soon as you
said 'Sunnyside' I said to myself:
'Hocdoo,' and, mind YOU, l had my rea-
sons"
what were they?" chorused the
other two.
"a story now is as good as at any
other time. and As we are properly
April fools this time (Heaven forbid
that the boys ever hear of IT'D. I'll tell
you a story of twenty years ago. when
I was fishing in this very county. /
hired a man to show me the good
spots, and he was worth his hire. for
there was less open water than there
is now, and did not care for bait fish
ing. The next morning saw us of for
the stream, and very good sport we
had.
MY guide proved to lie a quaint,
garrulous fellow. who had lived up in
those tangles for about sixty years,
and remembered plenty of strange hap
penings and changes / drew many q
warn out of him at lunch and at nights.
One day ! was casting down by a curl
ous old piece of ruined brickwork that
looked as if it might have been built by
Chris. Column and had been there
ever since. Pat. the man, had
gone into the woods to try and locate
a patch of water he had lost track Of,
and l was to keep up stream until he
overlook me-. When he came along
and found me seated on that brick
wall he nearly dropped, and begged
me to come away, adding that he had
no idea I would get up so far or he
would have been back sooner. Then he
cussed at great rate.
I'VE turned off to lunch, and this
was the yarn he told me. The wall
was part of very old brick house.
built during the British occu-
pancy by an English gentleman. Pats
father. then not long over from Erin,
had acted as river warden. keeper.
fisherman, etc, to the Englishman,
who was always fishing, never weary
ing of it as long as the fish were in sea
son. What made both of them mad
was that they always had to 60 some
distance from the house to catch fish,
for never a one was there in the pool OPP
posite the lower garden wall. They
put down two net dams. and put fish
in between the two dams; but it was
no use. not fish could they catch.
One day the Englishman got mad. and
swore by the equivalent to the Great
Horn Spoon that he would get fish
out OF there if he fished until his arms
fell off. and to that end he gave him.
self strength by loading up fairly well
with whisky.
1T was up the stream and down the
stream. the owner and his man, first
one and then the other. and as one bot
tie was emptied the servant fetched an
other. and no doubt took a sly nip on
the way. and the Englishman's eye the
WAS wall-eyedl seemed to glow with
fire and obstinacy the more he drank.
but otherwise he was rs sober as 4
Judge. Night fell. and still they were
fighting the blank stream. The gen.
tleman had fires built on the bank and
made night Of it. notwithstanding
that his good lady came down and
begged him to come home. as a decent
fisherman should: and there he fished
until the dawn, while Pats fathers
legs were like to drop off him with
fatigue, or. more likely, to give way
under him with the whisky.
..Still the Briton fished, until at last
with a terrible oath he stood on the
wall. Just where I had been standing.
and swore again that he would drain
the blankety blank stream but what
he would get a fish, and just then he
had magnificent strike and a run
which made the reel buzz again. He
was Just commencing to play the big
fish, for big it was, two or three pounds
at least. when tso Pats father swore
ON the Good Book out Of the water
rose a beautiful lady with pro-
rouuced HiberniaE accent. and said: i
charg We on yer p'ril to 60 long outer
dis, The fishes in dis water is mine, an,
we've no roight en- loife ter em. an,
YER wall-eyed blayguard nv de wurruld.
Sit out av me soight. or its not tellin'
ve I'll be- and then she dived into the
water. The Englishman turned lit
tie pale. but he kept on playing the
Ash. took another drink with one hand.
and cursed Pats father that he did not
bring the net quick enough, and just
then his feet slipped on the wall. and
tr he went, down, down. down. into
that deep hole. They dragged the
-.ter with rakes and hooks, but they
,..ver found the body. The lady shut
rn the house. went away. and all the
nrorerty went to. rack, ruin and
Saaeled scrue'
a5Fs,l, shAs's : erest ghost stosy"