The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1896-10-23
By ED MOTT.

/ do indeed. l suppose that IL my
father had been telling about snakes
that lived anywhere else except on tne ,
Sinnemahone spread could have re-
membered everything. But, LORD! ~
would take man with nine memories,
every one of 'em phenomenal, to re-
member even little bit OF what them
Sinnemahoning snakes did, because
they did SO much. They were always
doing something, and doing 1t well.
wish somebody would simply give me
an inkling of what there is in that SIN
nemahone atmosphere that makes
things have so much more snap IN
them than things have anywhere
else on top of earth. Even grasshop-
pers. Now, l know heaps OF places
where there is twenty times more grass
than is on the Sinnemahone. AS for
that. Sinnemahone doesn't run partlcu-
larly to grass. We slash out good
many hoop poles, and we peel consider
able of bark. We do a little in the
maple sugar way, and our 'taters amt
few to the hill. But we don't brag on
our grass. Then why should grass
hoppers seem to like to settle down
with us so much, and get to be so over
powering smart among us? ! give it
up. / don't know. But TO prove to
you that they do, I'll tell you some
thing | don't pretend to explain these
things, mind you. simply give you
the facts.
dAou know, of course, that there
amt any better bait for trout along
late in the season than grasshoppers.
Our Sinnemahone grasshoppers know
that we'll, and / want to tell you that
it's hard matter to run one down and
catch him when you want to go fish
ing But used to manage, by various
slick bits of strategy, to get enough to
fish with, but it was hard work, and so
was delighted one day, being over to
the county seat, to see in store an
artificial grasshopper, with hook
concealed about it. The grasshopper
was as natural as life, and | saw at
once that there wasn't any use of my
pitting myself any longer against our
smart Sinnemahone grasshoppers to
get bait, when could use the artificial
grasshopper to fool the trout with, and
l bought it. 1t worked to a charm. |
think the trout went for it better than
they did for the real thing, for / have
an idea that they knew how smart our
Sinnemahonc grasshoppers were, and
were kind O fraid Of 'em. used that
imitation grasshopper with great sue
cess,
VI had q tame trout in q spring near
my house. 1t had been in the spring
year. 1t was big one. / had caught
it one day on Sinnemahone grass
hopper, and as the hook hadn't hurt it
much put il in a pail of water and got
it home alive and active. put IL in
the spring and it lived and thrived. A
funny thing was that the grasshopper
| caught the trout with wasn't killed
by the trout nor by the hook Being
~, - - :. - :. ling, uooh the grassnopper
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 rs it limped
away, headed straight for my place. /
don't know where that crippled grass
hopper wintered, but when warm
weather came next year 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 1t seemed to rec
ognize me, for it shook its head and
had u 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 n place, said I,
that grasshopper has claim on it, and
anyone That hurts that grasshopper
must settle with me!'
"Well, sir, that grasshopper hung
around the place, and hobbled about
in melancholy sort of way, but al
ways with that queer look in its eyes.
Every time 1t met me it settled down
and shook its head, spit tobacco juice,
as grasshoppers will, and stumped on
its way. / know now that that grass
hopper had vengeance on its mind, and
was only biding its time.
''This was the season / got the
artificial grasspopper. l 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 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.
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 il of its leg.
Zone day had been fishing with my
artificial grasshopper. came in, took
the leader off my line, with the imita.
ton grnsshopper on it, and laid II on
the back stoop, being called away for
{ something or other. When l went to
get the leader ten or fifteen minutes
later it was gone. l looked around,
but couldn't hnd it. Some time after
ward started for the spring to get a
pail of water, and as drew near | saw
the crippled grasshopper dragging
etSSAA AH VA Vic llttb SNOlkS NildC covered.
or half covered, the spring. stopped,
and then saw that the grasshopper
was dragging something up along
with it. started when saw that it
was my missing leader. My first inn
pulse was to go aud recover my prop
erty, but on second thought didn't.
""rhis unfortunate grasshopper,' |
reasoned, has some purpose in view.
Let us sec what it may be-,
II soon saw. Growing near the flat
stone over the spring was currant
bush. With great deliberation tho
crippled grassnopper took one end of
my leader in ats mouth and hobbled
round and round the ,eush, winding, as
could see, the leaaer about it. The
artificial rrnsshenaer Ind heeu hauled
~ "a s..s ,4-s.4a .~,