The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-27

Al Hnsesrn renAss1sss's ExDsost IN
P1yaIsep nivsH.
James F. Merriam IN Springfield tMass,
Republican
During all our previous explorations.
this masserfui Ar. H had dtscoursed on
the subject Of salmon. bitterly disap-
pointed. he professed himself that II was
not the salmon season. and that. conse-
uuensiy. such salmon as had been served
us had been unpaiatabfe. and. In fzct, UNI
wholesome He went 30 Tar even - To
confiee 70 the rest OF Us that he had told
his friends az home In New York that ne
was not coUing back from hts trip WITH
cut catching salmon But as the days
went by. and va reached the very last,
when we made the trip up tina Puyaiiup
valley, he seemed destined to go back
East empty handed. and wholly confuted
as TO his promised achievement In the
character OF q great fisherman But al
ter leaving our freight train-we had cons
up to examine an incipient coal mime
we found ourselves at q spot where the
water Of the Puyallup river spreads IT
SELF In comparatively shallow bed
And I'm the middle OF the stream-at was
not over thirty feet wide-we suddenly
saw the Ans of two salmon scuiitng their
way along mp stream In search OF still
colder temperatures II was HIS one.
and in fact only. chance. Sooner than II
takes TO tell IL. and amid Jeers OF all the
rest OF the party. he had rolled mp his
pantaIoons TO the knees. seized the brok-
en-on branch OF fir tree and plunged
into the ice-eoId water. In hot chase OF
those fish. II ever in this world there
was a FOOLS exploit. this. surely. seemed
the most complete But II. Was no fool.
With simply astonishing Quickness (con-
sidering be was In Is inches of water). he
managed to oyertake and brighten into
retreat these two astonished salmon. One
Of them made good his escape; the other
our friend succeeded In driving into q
comparatively shallow pool close to the
shore, where the entrapped and enraGed
fish churned the water like the paddle
wheel OF steamboat. dashing hither
and thither. showing his cleaning pink
sides. turning and twisting, a very con-
vulsion OF desperate surprise. There stood
H.. brandishing his branch and heading
on all attempts TO get back into the
stream. Will he succeed? We shout our
encouragement as the contest grows dra-
matte. At last Master Salmon makes one
last, desperate dive for the deeper water.
III drops his stick, makes quick scoop
with his hands. aiming with such unerr-
ing dexterity that he gets the great
Wondering. Happy body by the gilis. and
bearing triumphantly ashore a fish weigh
ing at a very moderate estimate q mat
ter of nine pounds.
wal" said bystander who had Joined
the group--a Yankee from "'way down
East and freight conductor on the
Northern Pacific-"wal. I have seen fish
ketched In almost every way you can
imagine-speared and shared, and hooked
but I never see nothing to equal this
here fishing. Guess you're from the East,
strangerT'
On being assured that he was. he re-
marked: Wal. these galoots out here are
all right In their way. bur when want a
real. regular. quick, slap-up. unusual, Pc
cuiiar. out-and-out smart chap. give me
a tenderfoot from the East-every times'
/ end my little tale with this well-de-
served encomium. and the further obvious
remark that the glacial streams Of Mt.
Rainier have almost as varied interest as
do its scenic charms