The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-29
CHASE OF THE DOUBLE DEER
IFrom the New YORK sun

west shore. A line Of tangled 1ily-pads
ran out to meet it and ten feet under the
surface grew masses of weeds. The sun
was setting behind the solid wall of
balsam pines, hemlocks and spruce trees
and all the lake was under a blue-tinged
shadow A bass hole had been found.
The other man sat in the stern, a frog
bucket between his knees As he was
hooking. fighting and detaching his own
fish, putting on the frogs Tor hiInSeII
and in all ways dispensing with the ser
vices of the guide. Fergy rested on his
oars. There being not a breath of wind,
the boat remained nearly stationary. 1t
was turned here and there by the racing
of the four-pound bass against the
strain of the rod and line, but kept
pretty much to one position. Fergy look
ed. on pnilosophically, not speaking
word of encOura cement when some I'M
usually game fighter was lifted in nor
uttering one of blame when bass leap
ed three seet in air, obtained a little
slack and shook the hook free from its
mouth Finally he allowed the oars to
hang idly in the water, reached into one
pocket and distracted a cOrncob pipe
blackened with age and usage, from an
other pocket took a handful of tobacco
which looked like dried yellow moss,
struck a match, drew in a deep inspira-
ton and poisoned the air Round about
the little craft fiOated a smell composed
of burning straw, hair from old mat
tresses, horn buttons and something in
distinguishable- The other man, being
used to it, went on fishing.
That's genuine" said Fergy in refer
ence to the tobacco. Some fellers puts
it up in Milwaukee. It's good OF, sweet
OF Wisconsin terbacker an it COSTS
laid down at FifieP 80 cents a pOun.
You smoke some of it an you won't
never smoke nothin' else
The other man, reeling steadily in on
a three-pound fish, remarked briefly: I
believe you 1t would kill at this dis
tance if I didn't have bad cold.''
''Yass." said Fergy, you gotter be a
man to smoke this here, but wen you
gifts to be man an tries it, it's good.
One time a, St. Looey Teller come up to
Fooly's- He had valise full O. ST
Looey seegyars an a trunk full o. bot
tied beer. He drinked tn beer all day
an wen half o. it was gone he went
upstairs to bed. 1t was arter II o'clock
at night. slep' down in tn guide house,
eight rod away, an bimeby begin to
dream bout a glue fact'ry / seen onst
in Canady. TIL glue fact'ry We're on
fire an I'd jus climbed up nine ladders
an reskied a red headed gal I ulster
know, wen I hear 'Firei F'ire!' an mex
mint I'm up to tn hotel ready to do
bizness.
I'm front is the Teller fom St Looey,
barefooted an wearin' a pair O. pyjam-
mys, OF man Feely in a nightshirt rip
ped half off'n him, four Servint gals in
curl papers screamin' like loon with a
musky a-holt o. his hipper an out in tn
yard, lynn on tn groun', long, crooked
black thing with fire on tn eend O. it
that smelt-Lord, Lord how it smelt!
TIL feller'd got into bed bout II, arter
knocxin' the souls out'n four more bot
ties. an lit tn stinkydoory. or man
Feely, thinkin' tn house afire an
trailin' tn scent of this felleTss room.
had a-knOcked on tn door an a-1amded
on tn door an finerly kicked tn door in.
berry by that time, grabbed him wen
he broke in an it was they two to tn
floor. They rolled downstairs together
an out on tn front gallery, Were Feely,
c7n i'm ha
gyar out'n his foeman's mouth an
chucked it away. 1t was tn servint
gals as did tn 'Fire! hollerin'- Say 1
hadder laugh. Mex day Feely took the
beer away f'om tn Teller an drunk it
hisself to keep it fom doin' any more
harm, an he toP tn Teller to smoke
guides terbacker ur walk twenty-five
miles into Fifel' an take tn fust south
boun freight wat come long. He lef'
there ten days arterward, smol1in' this
sort o. terbaclSer an feelin' fine. / guess
he's smolxin' it vet We buried tn box o.
seegyars whole
The other man, his thoughts appar-
emily a thousand miles away, fixed the
single hook behind his No. spoon
through the lips of a large green frog
ard, with a quick sway of the steel
rod sent it hurting forty feet away.
1t struck the water with a splash close
to a single pad that grew far out from
it's fellows. At the instant a muskal-
longe Of fifteen pounds sprang savage
ly upward, rolled heavily over the frog
Damn hint" said Fergy apathet-
ically. He didn't have no idee of
snatchin' that frog. He JUS wants to
skeer way all o. tn bass. I'd like to
shoot him with 1O-gauge shotgun load
ed with rusty nail heads
The other man reeled in swiftly, the
crank of the neutrality-suspicious.
fairly Jerking the bait through the still
water, and cast again in another direc-
ton. A large-mouth bass struck instant
ly and the line began to sing. while the
slender rod tip bent to the surface and
dipped under. The fish captured, the
other man lit cigar and idly examined
his bait to see the damage done to its
tender flesh by the teeth of the cap
tive. On the far edge of the lake, half
mile away, three brown spots showed
suddenly. Instantly the guide became
interested and pointed them out to his
companion. The other man sat with
the frog held loosely in his fingers and
gazed. A doe and two half-grown
fawns had come down for the sunset
drink. a meal on the lily lads and
half hour of play in the twilight Too
far away to fear danger they raced
along the waters edge, the fawns easily
outstripping the mother, leaped high in
succession and came down belly deep
in the clear lake, browsed awhile, then
raced madly in circles, springing the
one over the other, pretending to fall.
springing up again with the rapidity OF
lightning, indulging in a thousand
graceful antics, wild, unfettered, instinct
with the joy of living. The fish were
forgotten by the human pair, but it
was Fergy who broke the spell. No
sight or sound of nature could keep him
silent for long.
ssThey's a-many deer in this country"
he began softly, but they's jus ord
nary deer like them yonder. Mos times
one deer is like ernuther, but now an
then you acrost one out O tn
common. Ten year ago. wen no fores'
fires had been through here an the
woods was a heap thicker'n an green
er'n wat they be now. there was a deer
used roun' Letourneau lake as was a
wonder. Nobody knowed We're he
come fom. ur JUS wen he come
| warrant guidin, then but was helpin' to