The Forrest City times., 1895-06-07
FORkEST CITY, ARK. FRIDAY AFTERNOON JUNE Z 1895

hopper, and as the hook hadn't hurt it
much put it in a pail of water and got
1t home alive and active. / put it in
| the spring and it lived and thrived A
funny thing was that the grasshopper
L caught the trout with wasn't killed
by the trout nor by the hook. Being
through fishing, took the grasshopper
off the hook and tossed it on the
ground. 1t moved away, but was
minus one leg. Its eyes were just as
bright as ever, though, and as / re-
member it now, it kind o. shook it's
head and looked volumes as it limped
away, headed straight for my place. /
don't know where that crippled grass
| hopper wintered, but when warm
weather came next year l give you my
word that grasshopper was the first |
saw on my place. 1t was perched on
saw horse in my back yard. l recog-
nized it at once, and it seemed to rec
ognize me, for it shook its head and
had queer look in its eye as it limped
on one leg along the saw horse, tum-
bled off and stumped away.
AS long as I've got place. said
that grasshopper has claim on it, and
anyone that hurts that grasshopper
must settle with mel
We'll, sir, that grasshopper hung
around the place, and hobbled about
in melancholy sort of way. but al
ways with that queer look in it's eyes.
| Every time it met me it settled down
and shook its head, spit tobacco juice,
as grasshoppers will, and stumped on
its way. i know now that that grass
hopper had vengeance on it's mind, and
was only biding its time.
This was the season l got the
artificial grasspopper. 1 frequently
saw the crippled real one sitting on
the fiat stone over the spring where
my pet trout was, glaring down at the
! trout and shaking its head in a start
ling way. The grasshopper remem-
bered that this was the trout that had
crippled it, and it went to the spring
to glare at the trout and show its hate.
l used to tremble for it, for my trout
| just dotted on grasshoppers, and was
fearful lest this poor crippled one
might tumble in the spring and thus
give up the rest of itself to the foe that
had bereft it of its leg.
Zone day had been fishing with my
artificial grasshopper. l came in, took
the leader off my line, with the imita-
tion grasshopper on it, and laid it on
the back stoop, being called away for
something or other. When 1 went to
get the leader ten or fifteen minutes
later it was gone. / looked around,
but couldn't find it. Some time after
ward started for the spring to get a
pail of water, and as l drew near l saw
the crippled grasshopper dragging
itself up on the fat stone that covered,
or half covered, the spring. stopped.
and then saw that the grasshopper
was dragging something up along
with it. l started when l saw that it
was my missing leader. My first i'm
pulse was to go and recover my prop
erty, but on second thought didn't.
"'This unfortunate grasshopper,'
reasoned, has some purpose in view.
Let us see what it may be-.
II soon saw. Growing near the fiat
stone over the spring was currant
bush. With great deliberation the
crippled grasshopper took one end of
nv leader in it's mouth and hobbled
round and round the bush, winding, as
/ could see, the leader about it. rhe
artificial grasshopper had been hauled
up on the stone and lay there in full
view. Having taken firm hitch with
the leader about the stem of the cur
rant bush, the vengeful crippled grass
hopper pushed its counterpart present
h. - he
stone, and when it reached there,
showed it over. The artificial grass
hopper fell, and there was leader
enough left to let it just touch the
water lightly. There was flash and
a splash in the water, and the next in
slant my pet trout was dashing wildly
about in the spring, hooked on the
deadly lure and played by the timber
currant bush. OH but it was stroke
of genius! The crippled grasshopper
stood on the edge of a stone, looking
over at the vengeance 1T had wrought,
elaring savagely and gloating. / could
easily have saved the trout.
"'But nor said. 1t is but retribu-
tive Justice! Let it stand?
'sIn a short time the trout was dead.
The crippled grasshopper hobbled off
of the stone and disappeared. / never
saw it again. win somebody give me
an inl1ling of what there is in that
! Sinnemahone atmosphere that makes
things have so much more snap in them
there than things have anywhere else
on top of earth? Even grasshoppers.
VIII some one simply give me an ink
ling?"
Not even the man in the red, blue,
pink, yellow, green and purple mack
inaw Jacket seemed capable of utter