The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-09-04

swelled the sum to an even six dollars
AIter this Rutherford was taken an5
soio back every year or two though
Aep never received so much for him a.
any one time as he did in 1881. Prices
varied according to the season and a.
p,en1iIulness of salmon, but averaged
ABOUT 20 cents pound, taking one wear
win another. Though Rutherford was
Ieu well, Zeb knew that his fish was
shrinking In weight every year. Be-
tween 1881 and 1890 he had gone down
from 70 to IL pounds, despite the best
OF care. He was not sick or mechanically
at any time, but the fountains of life
were slowly wasting away under the
combined influence of much MOVING
and old age.
During the financial panic of 1899 zeb
felt considerably encouraged. In 1892
be had sold Rutherford, who weighed
ten pounds, for IS cents a pound. re-
celving with the bounty $3.50. A year
later he took Rutherford to Mr.. Buck
and got $3.50 for him. Rutherford's
weight had not changed an ounce, but
the price of salmon had gone up three
cents on the pound. This gave Zeb
great hopes for the future. Fish we're
long lived, and it was possible that
Rutherford having reached the turning
point, would now fat up and earn more
money. He was doomed to bitter dis
appointments, for when he sold him in
1894 the scales could not be induced to
tip beyond the nine-pound notch.
Tempting foods were brought to him
6urInO Of
month or more he seemed to rally, but
with the advent of warm weather came
a relapse that reduced his weight to
eight pounds, when Mr.. Buck bought
him for the 18th time.
Zeb allowed Rutherford to remain in
the pond until the day previous to turn
ing all the old fish loose into the sea
before he took him home in the autumn
of 1895, hoping that the change would
cheer him up and prolong his days. For
awhile he seemed better, although his
appetite was gone and dainty frogs
brought from other springs at the
mountains base disported themselves
about him daily, apparently knowing
that rutherford couldd them no harm.
During the cold of winter he stirred
about very little. Selecting a spot
where the water constantly dubbed up,
he lay in a shower of golden mica scales,
seemingly obli7ious to everything. To-
ward summer, when the carly mosqui-
toes laid their boat loads of fresh eggs,
he fed nparingly upon the tender wig
glers and then moved away to the
shades of an oyerhanging elm root, as if
the sunlight made him weary. For a
1uonth he remained here, refusing to
come when Zeb called him and taking
no heed of the throbbing new life which
June had engendered. Then came the
end. Early in July Zeb went to the
spring to get water for his morning
coffee, and saw Rutherford floating on
top of the water. Zeb picked him up
carefully and found he had been dead
several hours.
Zeb put the body on the scales for the
last time, and discovered that Ruther-
ford had shrupk away to less than three
pounds. Then he wrapped him in
cloth and buried him in the garden
among the sweet peas. Later, with the
aid of chalk and single, he added up
Rutherford's earnings, and learned that
by selling him 10 times to the same
man he had obtained $5206, which is
probably a larger amount than ever was
paid for any other salmon.-Bangor
Noxuc