The Mena weekly star., 1896-09-16

ask him if the name of the seller was on this book, and when Mir. Buck said such records were unnecessary his heart turned somersaults of gladness inside of his ribs. Rutherford had gained con siderably in the time, and now weighed 8 pounds. Feb got $4.60 for the fish, live weight, and received one dollar extra as bounty on the tag, and went home feeling uncommonly we'll.
 "If you ever catch him again. said Mir. Buck, "nnd the tag is still on him, bring him here and I'll give you the highest market price and another dol lar in bounty"
 The boiling spring above the barn was empty until December. By this time Feb and his wife grew so lone some that he made another unlawful journey to the hatchery pond. For two years Rutherford was undisturbed. Tn June, 1881, Feb felt the need of new having tools so keenly that Mir. Buck bought Rutherford again. He weighed 20 pounds, which, at 25 cents pound, yielded five dollars, and the bounty swelied the sum to an even six dollars. After this Rutherford was taken and sold back every year or two though Feb never received so much for him at any one time as he did in 1881. Prices varied according to the season and the plentifulness of salmon, but averaged about 90 cents pound, taking one year with another. Though Rutherford was fed we'll. Zeb knew that his fish was shrinking in weight every year. Be tween 1881 and 1890 he had gone down from 20 to 12 pounds, despite the best of care. He was not sick or melancholy 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 1893 Feb felt considerably encouraged. In 1899 he had sold Rutherford who weighed ten pounds, for 15 cents a pound, re- ceiving with the bounty $2.50. A year later he took Rutherford to Mir. Buck and got $2S0 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 were 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 appointment, 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 during the winter of 1s94-o5, and for month or more he seemed to rally, but with the advent of warm weather came q relapse that reduced his weight to eight pounds, when Mir. Buck bought him for the 18th time.
 l Feb 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 i appetite was gone and dainty frogs brought from other springs at the
 mountains base disported themselves about him daily, apparently knowing that Rutherford coulddo them no harm. During the cold of winter he stirred about very little. Selecting a spot where the water constantly habbled up, ie lay in shower of golden mica scales, seemingly oblivious to everything. To ward summer, when the early mosqui- toes laid their boat loads of fresh eggs, he fed sparingly upon the tender wig glers and then moved away to the shades of an overhanging elm root, as if the sunlight made him weary. For a month he remained here, refusing to come when Zeb called him and taking no heed of the throbbing new life which June had cngendered. Then came the end. Early in July Feb went to the 1 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 shrunk away to less than three pounds. Then he wrapped him in a cloth and buried him in the garden among the sweet peas. Later, with the aid of chalk and shingle, he added up Rutherford's earnings, and learned that l by selling him 13 times to the same man he had obtained S52.06, which is | probably larger amount than ever was paid for any other salmon.-Bangor | News.
 | some Iseresford Stories.