Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-15
MR. BROWNS LOST CREEL.

fnrsly Revelation Of the Facts About
the LOss of Fourteen Pounds Of Trout.
From the New York sun
Il lost a borrowed trout reel once" said
Banana Bob Brown. the cigar man. land
was so mad at myself for not following it
up ard recovering it that 1 never told the
owner how / came TO lose it, but bcuSht
MIN another. and never said word. This
happened up in Sullivan county
The creel was a fifteen-pound one and
the morning 1 strapped it on. ready to
start out after the fifteen pounds of trout
necessary to fill 1t. the landlord of the
house where 1 was stopping said:
here are you going, Mir. Brown
mere am going?' l replied. little
ruffled. After trout. of course. Do [ look
as If l was going after whales
asked you where you were going
said the landlord. L didn't ask you what
you Were going after
Oh. said l. I'm going to Jumping
creek Trout there. amt there?'
Ought to be. said the landlord. If the
bears haven't fished 'em all out
Bears I said. and I had to laugh
That's right said the landlord. Sure.
Bears can beat water snakes catching
trout. Water snakes can beat coons. and
coons can beat the best trout fisherman
that ever went out carrying his fly hook
where every one can see il and his bait
box hid in his pocket,
fuOSe. L SAID, ana went my
Il had great luck that day. The creel I
carried belonged to a man who lived i'm
the village. l borrowed it because l was
afraid my own creel was too small. 1t held
only ten pounds | had almost filed the
fifteen pound creel. l only lacked two
pounds. came to a pool where | knew |
could get the needed two pounds of trout.
and at first thought 1 would make short
work of it by killing a two-oounder. but
afterward made uD my mind that 1t would
be more sport XIII 10 IN
l prepared to do that. I had to Chamber
down steep. rocky place to get to the
pool, and l took Off my crcel and left il at
the top fearing that l might slip and fall
and spill the trout and lose EN- in the
creek. L got down all right, and soon had
a pound trout hooked. Away he went with
a rush down stream, and L gave him line.
He went hundred feet before he stopoed
and then stopped right where a tremen-
dous big bear stood in the creek. doing as
sure as you live. little fishing for him.
self. Before 1 could reel my trout away
from that spot the bear reached out and
put the hooks OF his big claw in my trout
and yanked it out of the water, grabbing
my leader at the same time and breaking
1t. Then that aggravating and impudent
bear held UP the trout for me to look at
Strapped his jaws at me i'm a way that
made my dander raise right up and wal
died out of the creek into the bushes TAX
ing my trout along. l can't remember
when I had been SO mad as l was to see
that bear walk away with my prize.
Not If l know it, you don't get away
with that fish" l hoilered. and Skinned up
that rock to head the bear off and make
him stand and deliver w that trout or
take the consequences. When 1 got back
to the top Of the rock l discovered that
my creel of trout wasn't where l had left
1t. looked all around, but 1t was no.
where to be seen. I hurried to the bushes
pushed them aside. and there, making for
the woods, l saw two bear cubs walking
off with my basket of fish. carrying II be-
tween them! l was simply domfounded,
and while 1 gael after those audacious
young thieves they were joined by the old
bear that had caught my big trout down
the creek. and away the trio went. show
ing every evidence Of hilarity over the way
they had tricked me. Instead of bounding
after that robber bear family. recovering
the property they had looted me Of and
administering them such punishment as
they richly deserved, l was so taken aback
that l stood there like chump and let
them escape. When 1 came to some de-
gree of reason / was mad at myself
that / went horne. ashamed to tell how 1
really had lost the creel and faxed up
some story about its having tu.nbled into
the creek and been washed away. This is
the first time I ever gave away the truth
about losing that creel, and 1 feel better
for it,