Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-08-11
Been Fishing.


feel once more as if life was worth
living. As you know well. the last
moon and this present moon were
what. in old Zines. called dry moons.
But IN my hunting days. while / was
taking lessons in hunting from my old
tutor. he always cautioned ne against
making my camp in the creek bottoms
He always said. Never build a fire to
sleep bv where the high water ever
comes, for YOU don't know what hour
one Of those rains may come that II
few hours time swell a dry creek into
a river No, sir, don't ever make your
camp in the bottom for you may get
washed away" l said, Cant We tell
what the weather is going to be by the
noon?" No, sir, it rains in this
country just when it takes notion,
and rains Just as long as it's a mind to.
1t don't ask any odds of the moon or
any ybody else" And l have, in a life
OF sixty years in this lovely Valley,
found il as he said. Ii rains when ii
gets ready and as long as its mind
TO, and. like Madam Brown, when they
got their old horse mill grinding. She
said, we don't ak no odds Of the
govner- We can grind when We
please"
Well. you know what wet time we
have had the last two moons. In the
last moon at the time Of the big fresh
ct, l sat on the bluff on Stout's creek
and saw the water Just come right up
from dry stream to a raging river,
and as / sat and watched the logs,
rails. trees. brush come floating down
/ could tell Just where some Of the
things came from. Here came timber
after timber from Mr.. William Fetch
er's levy he had built along his field,
and don't you think those logs fioated
right over the top Of Fred's fence at
the bottom field and lodged way in the
middle of his cornfeld, and that was
the same time Timothy Hay spoke
of in the last REGISTER, where he says
he would like to have seen it and so
would l. and would like TO see Il good
photo OF the scene.
Well, after the water had gone down
the boys took the mule team and a
number went TO the Shut-In and caught
a good lot OF fish. and it brought back
a strong desire to 60 fishing once more.
So this last fresbet We had, the fore
part of this present week, Fred said
las it's too wet to do anything / am
going down TO Sam Thompson's to see
what be is about" After he had gone
John said, .'As soon as the water be-
gins to fall, will be a good time to
catch perch and goggle-eyes.n So he
went to getting grub worms to bait
them. You see we did not expect to
catch bass for a bass loves live bait
He is no bug eater if he does now and
then grab up a grub worm. Now,
my old tutor had always taught me to
see that had everything that 1 would
need in my hunt Or fishing.
When you take your gun down from
the hooks, take it to the door and fire
it of if it has been loaded over night,
for it will gather dampness and hang
FIRE when you go to shoot something.
Wipe 1t out and load ii afresh; look to
see if you have plenty Of powder IN
your horn; see if you have plenty OF
bullets, caps and patching cut, and on
the string. See that you have your
flint and steel and a good supply OF
punk. Never go until everything Is
in good shape Then you can hunt
without feeling there is something
wrong, and l never but once in all OF
my hunting days made such mistake
1t was in my best hunting days. Word
came to me that the deer were thick as
grasshoppers out at Tip Top. So l
told my wife / was going the next
morning, but | must do certain things
before ] went.
So, after had got everything ready,
l took ''Old Betsy" from her resting
place and saw that she was clean in
side and out and everything in first
rate order. l started to 60 and my
wife said, .sHave you done something?"
l don't just remember what it was. !
SAID. No. l have not, but / must go
and do it before l GO So / took my
pouch and hurg it on a chair and set
the gun up and went and did what was
TO have been done. and as I was in a
hurry took the gun and started.
When l got way out to where the
deep cut Is at Tip Top killed a fine
deer; and as put my hand to my side
tc get load to load ny gun. there
was no podch. o. but wasn't / mad?
that ] had in my haste gone and left
the pouch with all my stuff hanging
on the chair. o. l was just to9 mad to
see. There / was with a deer dead
and not even q knife TO stick it with.
Well, just went TO that deer and tied
nv handkerchief around one of its front