Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1900-01-11
''KAH-PEE-KOG" CLUB.
by WIGHT A. PATTERSON.
"nO YOU realize. gentlemen" said
u Smith, as the members of the kah

W 1OU real1He, gentlemen" sale
II Smith, as the members of the kah
pee-kog club gathered around the evenin,
lire, that this is to 1e our last evening to
| gether IN these woods for at least q year
Tomorrow our vacation in the Muskoka lake
district ends, and by tomorrow evening, il
nothing unlocked for happens, we will have
nalled up the door OF the clubhouse, reelec
III our lines for the last time this year, stored
Our boats, and the night train on the Gran {
trunk Will be carrying us swiftly back &c
the states and to our various vocasions.
| Without going into particulars, or men
tlonlng names, 1t has seemed to me that nx
would be an excellent time to confess III,
prevarications so that we may quit this beau.
tltul spot with clear conscience. | would
suggest"
ITO what do you refer, Brother Smit /? 90
asked the Pastor.
ITO put it in plain English" said Smith
Il think we have all lied more or less, and
that now would be good time to tell the
truth"
Il presume that you realize that there
are exceptions to that statement OF ali.
Brother Smith," said the Pastor. Now,
l."
Il made no exceptions, and intended
none, said Smith. LAS for myself, am here
TO state now that | have lied; lied as big
as | knew how ard still make it a he that
might believed, and | guess you fellows
swallowed it without much guestie n"
Il have not believed single thing YOU
nave said about fish s,nee YOU have been
here" said the Pastor.
Nor |. echoed the Others
The biggest lie that have told since
have baen here was that one about the
number OF bass Yorker and | caught in
Healey lake. We We're trying Guido the
Pastor, and did SO far as the lie was con-
cerned, and if he did not belae, our story,
1T was because bis own was not true. What
We"
II shall have to refer this matter to the
congregation WI en- we reach home, Brother
Smith, put in the Pastor.
Il would advise you not to-" replied
Smith, 'but as | was going to say, what
we did catch that day was all IN the boat
when we returned, and, as several members
OF this club counted them, it will not be dis
puted when l say there were l3S bass OF
over the legal length"
ut was only 1913, for counted them to-
gether with Husky Bill, said lice
w AoI 10 t4e AldlleI Ol ten gaSS more or
less, anyway" replied Smith. But there,
gentlemen, In my confession, 1873 bass in
steae OF the We or SIN hundred that told
ABOUT and I eca.S'fe that every one viii feel
better Il they follow my example"
- believe that the advice Smith gives us
IS good, said Yorker, and | realize now as
never did before the enormity of the lie
.old IN reference to the muskellunge caught
in Crane lake"
Y gu don't need TO make any confession
OF that, said the Pastor, for everybody
knew that 1T was a lie when you to!o it,"
1T seems to me that remember distinct
~ OF your going to Crane lake to fish for
muskellunge on the strength of that story"
replied Yorker, land it was not as bad as
your Crown island bass story at that"
My veracity is not in question at the
present time, replied the Pastor.
NO, we will hear from you later said
1orker, provided, of course, your con.
science is not too elastic. But to return to
my Crane lake story, simply wish to say
that l did catch a muskellunge, and tlat it
DID upset our boat, but that was due to our
aWkwardness, rather than the size of the
hsf, tor when we got it on shore, which we
finally did, it only weighed - pounds"
You told me the truth of that Crane
lake story the day we were at Healy lake
said Smith, ''and you said it only
weighed 81 pounds"
What is a matter of five pounds more or
less IN the SIZE of a muskellunge?" said York
er, and Bill Reeves nudged Husky Bill when |
Smith did not reply.
have told SO many different tales re-
sardlng the size and weight of fish that l |
have caught in these Ontario lakes and
rivers" said lice, that | hardly know
where to begin my confession'
why not straighten out the Moon river
story of 80 muskellunge, 70 bass ard 100
trout 10 ten hours!" asked Husky Bill.
That might be good place to begin at,
Is That story was exaggerated somewhat.
The truth is that | only caught 81 mlskel-
unge, 90 bass and no trout at all, or l
I'D not fish Tor them. There are any num-
Der OF trout in that stream and its ,ribu-
ares, however, and do not doubt lat it
would be quite possible for man to catch
Is Is many fish as | said ! had caught IL the
loon river in the length of time claimed
@ have fshed. In reality l only fshee nine
hours and three-quarte1s. As for the other
tories have told about fishing in Kah-
oee-kog and the surrounding lakes, can
over all of them with the single statement
hat l never caught more than llo bass
n any one day in any of these lakes, but
hat, l imagine, is better than any Of the
est of you ever did, if the whole truth was
,nown."
Gentlemen" began the P;stor, "when
Brother Smith started this lite experience
meeting, | did not realize the good that it
'as to accomplish. In fact, was afraid it
would result in more harm thin good, and
hat the prevarications-I canlot bring my
elf to the point CT calling tn IN Ees-thau
ave been told by several of 20, around these
venng fires would only be again exag-
Grated, and that some of you least would !,
eturn to your homes with an added weight
pom your conscience. 1t 5 pleased me S
realty to listen to such conf .sions as have s
cen made this evening, AMI | AM sure {
hat you feel tie better for having made I
hem. There is one thing 70, which | am {
orry, and that is that Brother Barnes is =
OF here to retract the story he ted of =
atchlng more fish than ] caught at Crown is L
nd several years ago. am SURF that had l
rother Barnes been with us tonight he j