St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1899-11-04
An Amazing Fish
How Daniel Lost the Job as
Town Constable.
NSzESE ~ ~ ~ ~ zENE7

III " to"h hiSStih oAsNA
the votes was counted said the
man from the Knob country, Eli
came in.
"'Danl,' says lie. 1T was the picker'l
that done it. i know'd it would. You'd
orto said you speared it, says he. The
picker'ls what done it. says he.
"There mowt been bigger picker
ketched in the Knob country some time
or other than that one was, but never
heerd on it. Leastways, Ill bet farm
a tougher or ferociouser or voraciouser
pickerl never was ketched nowhere.
When l seen it, more'n hundred foot
up in the air, wigglin and squirmin'
and a fightin', by JOSH says, you're
an amaZin' fish, but I'm thinkin' that
your sands of life is runnin' toFable
skeerce at last!' / says. 1t amt in
natur', you know! 1 says. But that
picker'l must had sands o. life enough
to fill peck measure.
".Danl,' says young Eph, over to the
Eddy, one day, there's feiler here
from New York or some'rs that's pinin'
for few poun's or so o. frogs legs.
Is the frog crop promisin' in the Knob
country waters?'
".Never better says. How many
poun's does he want?' says.
"'Oh, fetch over eight or ten poun's,,
says Eph.
so went over to the pont and gath
cred in couple O. dozen o frogs and
skun their saddles out. / strung 'em
up nice, and darned if they didn't size
up like ten-pound hunk O. pork. 1
was giyin' 'em a dip or two in the wa
ter. 'longside the boat, to kind O. clean
'em up, when suddenly sl-l-lwosh!
came something again 'em, and the
water flew around so that 1 couldn't
have been any wetter if I'd tumbled in
the pond. The big lot O. frogs legs was
snatched away from me SO quick l
couldn't think, and l seen 'em going
off into the weeds nigh the shore in the
jaws of big picker'l. The water was
shaller, and the picker'l stopped at the
edge of the weeds, turned his amazing
snout square around so / could see the
hull performance, and then gobbled
them frogs legs in less time than it
would take me to swaller a jigger of
apple. and that's doin' of things about
as hasty as they kin be did. And glare!
Why, darn if that picker'rs eyes didn't
look like couple O blazin Goals, down
there 'mongs. them weeds!
".By Josh!' says. Guess I'll go
home and rig up for pickerl!' l says.
sd ruther git that feller than wagon
load q frogs legs I says.
so 1 rowed away and went home. /
rigged up for pickerI.
~ must land that picker'l fore town
meetin' day. says. Cause then I'll
be elected constable, and / won't have
no time for picker1, even fer as amazin'
one as that ferocious and voracious
feller that snatched and gobbled my ten
pound o frogs legs l says. 'Consta-
bles is bein' KEEP consarned busy in the
Knob country these days says.
MY fel1er citizens had put me up fer
constable and was rallyin' round me as
one man. Beezer was runnin' ag'in me.
and Beezer, SO folks said, had been
weighed in the balance and found
wantin', OWN to a few hoss trades he
had made and to an idee that had took
hold o folks that three loads o. rail-
road ties Beezer got out and sold. over
70 the Eddy. had growed on land he
didn't hold the deed fer.
1T won't never, never do!' my feller
citizens said. 1t won't never do to let
Beezer git in as constable. We must
rally roun' Danl as one man. they
says. and give Beezer belix!'
$50 they was rallyin'. and as conse-
kently I wouldn't have no time for
pickerl after town meetin'. OWN to
bcin' elected constable, / sot out to
land that amazin' chap somehow. fore
that day came round. / tried all the
ways l knowed, but tha, p;ckerl
wouldn't be landed. / knowed he was
there, cause / could see him. Town
meetin' was only three DAYS off, an
something had to be did If got that
pickerl, so / jedged I'd better take nv
gun over and see how a dose O. lead
mowt set on him. l loaded her heavy
and rowed over to where the picker1
KEEP himself 'mongst the weeds. There
he was. and when he sees me comm
you otto see him glare. Ipulled up and
whanged away at him. The water was
h'isted up as if a rock had fell in it.
When it quieted down, up riz the pick
er'l 20 the top, with his belly turned to
the sun. and he lay there as stiff as a
post. just riz one yoop.
"'Hooray!' yooped. Now let town
meetin' come and go. This'll be some
thin to talk about as make my rounds
as constable!'
"Irowed over, scooped tie carcass up.
chuoked it in the boat and started for
home. 1 hadn't gone more'n ten rod
when I heerd a tremendous rumpus in
the beat. / looked around. The con-
sarned picker'l had come to and was
humpin' himself and tossln' about fierce
% . wildcat. As riz up he made .