Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-06-21
A FISH STORY.


tout with ity
"Out with what?" asked the silent one,
knocking the ashes out of his pipe
"Out with fish storyl'' we chorused.
'Oh, is that all?" quoth Billings, re-
filling his pipe.
But remember it must be true, and
there must be something piscatorial about
it, cautioned Jones
After the story you've told 1 think
the less you brag about truth the better
you will sound, " retorted Billings. GAS
for the fish part of it, notice you told a
story about whalep'
And why not?" asked Jones.
"A whale is not a fish, announced the
sententious Billings, whereat the loqua-
cious Jones was silent.
"A few years ago." began the slow
speaking story teller, 81 dropped into Las
Vegas, n. NJ There was great excitement
there about an alleged discovery of free
gold in the mesa sand east and north of
the town. The stories about rich placer
mining possibilities were flying so thick
and strong that j determined to do little
prospecting for my own sake"
SIS this to be fish story, Billp' asked
Tomkins, yawning.
my partner and l made camp some
where between Watrous and Wagon
Mound few days later" continued Bill
lings stoically. Il had wasted considera
BILE time tramping over the blazing table
lands and foothills without finding the
eI; Of l,,% 7
to make one more tour in the region in
dictated My partner was Disguised with
me, but he agreed to keep camp for me
for two days, so we pitched it near a wa
ter tank ON the Santa Fe road where we
felt sure of food and water at any rate.
1T was midsummer, and there wasn't
drop of water in sight. The alkali bot
toms of dried up ponds were like powdered
sugar, blowing away with every breeze in
clouds of binding white; the dusty bitches
fairly sizzled in the sun, the weeds and
stunted underbrush by the margin of wa
terless river beds cracked and disintegrat-
ed in the drought. Except the evergreens,
90 miles away upon the mountain sides,
there was not a patch of green in all the
dreary waste of sand and stone and shin
ing alkali."
''That's bad start for fish storyl' said
Tomkins, looking angry "How could
you fish without water?"
"Waterl There wasn't a drop within
ten miles, except in that railroad tank,
and the first morning we were there the
section boss came down from Trinidad and
told us that we couldn't have any more
water. The supply was short all along
the line, and we must either go without
water or move. My partner wanted to
move at once, but persuaded him to stick
ont one more day. To make matters
worse, we had no meat but salt bacon,
and that made us so thirsty that we needed
more water than ever Well, by the way
will you please hand me q glass of beer
Tomkins?"
Il don't see why you didn't start your
blooming story near pond, anyhow"
said Tomkins, handing him schooner"
"Dryp' continued Billings. 1T was SO
dry that we couldn't spit tobacco juice
We were so thirsty that we couldn' eat
and so hungry for fresh meat that when
we saw two mallards flying across camp it
didn't even make my mouth water.
Those two birds were evidently long
way from free water, for they circled
around the railroad tank a few times and
then flew off toward the mesa little west
of our camp. 1 intended to prospect in
that direction, so / took my gnn in the
hope that 1 might bag the two ducks and
provide a dinner of fresh meat instead of
bacon"
st begins to sound like a hunting story
now" growled Tomkins sullenly.
well, gentlemen" resumed Billings,
81 started out after those ducks, determin-
ed that this would be my last day of pros
pecting in simmering desert of sand,
where water was certainly worth more
than its weight of all the gold in the
country. My route lay close along a level
plain, through the center of which ran q
shallow gully which might have served
for an irrigating ditch if there had been
any water within riding distance of the
place where / was. But the meandering
trench gave no sign of recent vegetation
1t seemed to come out of an eventless vista
of staring yellow sand and disappeared in
a haze of dusty air which trembled with
the scorching heat.
Suddenly l saw a strange creature
which seemed to be writhing in this ditch.
To my excited fancy it seemed at first to
be snake"
"Been drinking much booze?" suggest
ed Tomkins.
''Then thought it must DO prairie
dog dying from thirst. leveled my gun,
but remembered suddenly that prairie
dogs can live a year without water. I
looked again and doubted my own senses
as l saw alive and wriggling in the burn
ing sands a fish.
"Ratsr' said Jones disgustedly.
Been raining fish while you weren't
looking?" sneered Tomkins
Remember, Billings, it's against the
rules to tell an untrue fish story" warned
Smith.
II dropped my gun and rushed to the
spot, and what do you suppose picked
up?'
An empty bottle" said one of the
knockers.
"A five pound carp" said Billings, ig-
noring the taunts of his critics 81 slipped
my finger into his gill and felt him all
over, so incredulous l was. But there
was my carp very much alive, in good
summing himself upon the dry
SAID, don't know how many miles from
water That's my story and not word
of exaggeration about it..
do you mean itY'
Thus queried Robinson, the president
of the George Washington Fishing club,
to Peter Billings, the suspected tale teller
81 swear nv tho mnmorv IF Izank Wal.