The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-05-03

ketch nothing, an you drop in hi.
line an ketches fish right off the
bat. Aw, say, you make me sick
Why don't you lie like you knew the
business?"
"Thas right" said the stereopticor
man. "The boy didn't just want tc
gimme the line, but he give it t. me
just to change hiA luck, and see il
l could ketch fish, an / ketches one
right away"
big fish, s'pose?" sneered the gas
man.
Well" said the stereopticon man
diffidently, "it wasn't n big fish. But
it was "A fish all right, all right.
didn't contract with the boy to ketch
no shark"
Bout four inches long, I s'pose?'
said the gas man, with another sheer.
well, p'r'aps, about four inches.
But il was fish"
Jaw, fish," exclaimed the gas man.
'Tell fish story about a fish four
inches long! Why couldn't you say
four feet? Say, you'd drive man
to drink wood alcohol. A fish story
about fish four inches long!"
This story amt about a fish," said
the stereopticon man. Its about
swimmin'!"
"Aw. g'wan!"
"Well, / don't mind sayin'," admit
ted the stereopticon man, that /
was pretty much s'prised myself at
ketchin' this fish, for | never was no
fisherman"
man. you wasn't never nothin' but
a cold bluff-a four-inch bluff" 2
~ never was no fisherman contin-
ucd the stereopticon man. I'm fact,
| hadn't never caught fish. So, you
bet, / was pretty chesty bout ketch-
in this one"
-Four inches!" jibed the gas man.
"Well, he was fish, said the stere-
opticon man. AN / guess a fish is
fish if he amt on'y one inch long.
And, anyhow, / was up on myself,
cause | got a fish hot off the bat,
when this here kid, what had been
ishin' all day, couldn't ketch none.
SO I makes the kid put on a new
grasshoppcr, an gets ready to ketch
another.
well, as says, was feelin' pretty
chesty, an up on myself, long of
ketchin' this fish, so l waves the lath
around my head and shouts: See
me get another"
AN then, somehow, with the swing
Of the lath ! loses me balance an goes
hoofs over elbows, kerplunk! into the
Maumce river"
"Haw! haw! haw haw! haw! haw!
wow-w-w-w!" roared the gas man.
That's great G'wan!"
"Well, sir, / went in with n splash
like barl of salt droppin' into the
North river. | could feel the dirty
water runnin' into me mouth an ears,
an my heart went bang like a cannon,
cause / couldn't swim a stroke, An
/ guess the water looked 40 feet deep.
Well, sir, for a second l didn't know
whether | was alive or dead, an then
when | come to my senses | found
myself hangin' to the side of the
scow. There was little square bit
of plank bolted onto the sidc-a
patch, | guess-an' / had caught it
with the fingers of both hands. Say
wasn't that awful?'
"Why didn't you call the boy?"
asked the gas man, coldly.
"Say, what sort Of "A lobster are you,
anyway" asked the stcreopticon man,
n little impatiently. "Say, you must
be off your dot. What could that boy
do? He couldn't no more pull me
out than baby couldn't raise Spite
driver. But there was a little punt
close by an ! shouts to he
kid:
"Boy, for the love OF heaven, git
into that punt and shove her over
Jaw, swim out says the boy, an
bring my fish line"
claw. haw, haw, haw, haw, wow
w-w-ww!" screamed the gas man.
THAT boy was a peach
A dangerous look crept into the
stercopticon mans eyes, but he went
on patiently:
az can't swim says I.
"'Thcn / guess I'll lose my fishline,'
says the boy. Il can't swim, neither
he says.
"'My boy, can't you see I'm drown
ing?' ! shouts. shove over the boat
and help me-
"Wcll, the boy bundles into the boat
and shoves il over, but it's no use. She
don't come within six feet Of me.
81 thinks I'm dead 'un for fair,
an then | sees a pair of new suspend
crs on the kid an | shouts:
Boy, for the love of~heaven tie
them suspcnders round my wrists an
make EN- fast TO the sCow.
"But the kid only looks mad. Say |
be says, that's a pretty smoky notion.
Thcm's my new gailuscs,'"
"Haw, haw, haw, wow-w-w-w! |
laughed the gas man. Wasn't that kid |
SMOOTH" and the light in the store
optcon mans eyes grew deeper, but
he went on:
""Ihcn find "A biz Of rome | shouts |