The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-25
Mr.. RHODES HARD LUCK
Misfortune Always Attends Him
When He Goes Fishing.
HIS ADVENTURES SUNDAY
They Were Not Quite So Terrible, How
ever. as Those He Experienced One
Time Some Years Ago - The
Camp at Flathead Lake.

when Mr.. Rhodes goes fishing some
thing happens, and Sunday was no ex-
ception to the rule. He received the in
vitation to go with a friend Saturday
morning. He said that he would go If
he could find his outfit; that he had
loaned 1t to a friend year ago and
had not seen it since. About midnight
he found 1T and he stopped at the
Standard office at that hour to inquire
for his fishing companion. He had his
boots and his basket and his fly book
and was ready for an early start Sun
day morning. He had not looked over
his fishing outfit, but he assumed that
it was all right. That assumption was
what caused all his trouble. The wa
ter in the Rattlesnake is the coolest
there is this side of the Arctic ocean,
and Mr.. Rhodes relied u~on his big
boots to keep him dry and warm as he
waded over the rocky bottom in his en-
deavor to secure the evasive trout
He found good place and cast his fly
There was a good rise and he had
glimpse of big fellow turning over as
he drew in his line. Another cast and
another turnover. A third and
fourth with the same result. Then he
examined his fly and hook The fly
was all right, but the barb was gone
from the hook and the fish refused to
hang onto the fly with their teeth and
be drawn out. Then another hook was
substituted and another cast was made.
This was more successful and Gilbert
thought that his luck had turned But
as he landed his first fish, he felt his
feet getting cold and proceeded to in
vestigate this dilemma. His boots had
a hon thaNr Il
the soles had rotted from the uppers,
leaving long CASH through which the
water poured and the gravel entered
without difficulty. His feet We're so
cold that he decided to fish from the
bank. When he walked upon dry land
the gravel hurt his feet so that he pre-
ferred the cold water. Then he went
back to the water and his feet We're so
cold that he tried the bank again. This
alternating of systems took him three
miles from his camp and secured for
him no fish. That was hard luck, but
there was worse in store for him. He
had finally found a place where it did
not hurt him to stand and had made a
cast, which was successful when his
pole broke. Then his placid DISPOSE
ton was ruffled. He had to tramp back
with his boots full of gravel for three
miles to get another pole. BY that
time he was too tired to fish, so he
rested. 1t was not till near night that
he essayed to fish again, and he did
bring home enough to prove to his wife
that he had been fishing. But that was
all.
The rule of Mr. Rhodes hard luck
was established several years ago when
he started out up the Bitter Root with
j. l.. Hodge. They had a camping out
fit and a dog and were planning to fish
for several days. Mr.. Hodge had ar
ranged the trip and Mr.. Rhodes sub
mitted himself to the guidance with
that implicit confidence that has so of
ten resulted in disaster for him. The
plan was to get off the train at Nc
keen's old spur and the train did not
stop there. The conductor, however.
agreed to slow up so that they could
get off the train, and they We're to
throw their dog and outfit out of the
baggage car door. AS has been said.
Mr.. Rhodes was then a stranger in thu
Bitter Root and did not know where
Mckeen's was any more than he knew
where the Jesuit fathers established
st. Mary's mission. So, when the train
flashed past a pile of lumber and his
companion announced that that was
Mckeen's he believed him and rushed
to the baggage car. There was not much
time to be lost. so he seized the dog and
fired him out of the car door. Then
followed the camp equipage and then
Mr.. Rhodes was preparing to jump as
soon as the train slowed up. He had
been in such hurry that he had not
heard the baggageman say that they
mad not reached Mckeen's, but when he
paused before his jump, he was made
to understand that this was the case.
Then he sized up the situation The
baSgageman had tied the dog to a
heavy trunk with a long rope and the
an nj n oil tl,n
that he ever made before or after.
along the side of the baggage car. just
touching the high places now and then,
and whenever he was bounced high
enough to loosen the cinch on his col
lar he howled like Bedlam. The camp
ing outfit was strewn along the track
for a distance of half a mile and Nc
Keen's was miles away. There was no
such thing as stopping the train. and
legend has it that Mr.. Rhodes used
some blue language. He would not be
blamed if he did When McKeen's was
finally reached, the dog was cut down
and negotiations We're entered into
which resulted in the chartering of a
ranch wagon to go back down the track
and. for the sum of So. pick up the
scattered impedimenta. That was the
experience that established Mr.. Rhodes
reputation for luck and has chung to
him ever since.
There has been a pious expression on
lot of faces to-day where it has seem
ed unnatural. There We're men who at
tended church last night to listen to
Bishop futile who have not been to
church for a long. long time. 1t is to
be hoped that they will not let ii be as
long again before they go. 1t makes it
hard for the regular attendants, who
have to find the Psalms and responses
for these strangers. The audience that
greeted the bishop last night was am
pie evidence of the high esteem in
which he is held. There were Jew and
gentle; Catholic and Protestant: men
religious and men without any profess
ed religion. But all We're anxious to
grasp the hand of the man whom they
had known and learned to love in the
early days. The meetings between
these people and the bishop were af-
fecting and his sermon at the evening
service showed how much the bishop
appreciated his reception. His tribute
to Father Ravalli was espec ally touch
ing.