The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-29

They caught thousands of fish in this gay
before anything was done about ii, and all
the fish were in danger of being caught and
eaten. The fish asked King Neptune what
they were to do about it, but Neptune only
said that any fish that was so foolish as to
get caught by little piece of wire deserved
it, and that the rest were well rid of him.
lone day Neptune was asleep in his ham
mock in the back yard of his palace, when
man who was in a boat above, on the top Of
the water let down his wire with the moose
and caught Neptune on the big toe. The
first thing Neptune knew about it he was
being ierked up through the water lickety-
split. and his big toe was stretching like
piece of warm molasses candy. Neptune
fopped around like patent churn and made
more noise than four crowds at four base
ball games, but he went up and up, and
there is no telling what might have hap
pened If the wire had not broken and let
him down again. He came down hard
enough to break every bone in his body, but
he happened to land on Mrs. Neptune, who
had come outdoors to see what the fuss was
about. She had on her best bonnet, and
Neptune squashed it all out of shape. and
she told him he ought to be ashamed of
himself to be cutting such capers, and at
his age, tool
Neptune went into the house to put a
bandage on his big toe, and then he sent
for all the most prominent fish in great
hurry. They all came at once, and Nep-
tune received them in the front parlor.
He told them what had happened and
- canadians
Now. see here, said Neptune. This
wire slip moose business has got to stop,
and don't want to see any of you grin
like that again, either"
Then they talked about ways to stop
the men fishing, but they could not think
of any good ones The fishes who were
good to eat proposed that the fishes that
were not good to eat get caught so that
the men would get disgusted and stop
fishing, but they said that they felt they
were really needed at home, and could
not be spared, and proposed that the
fishes who were good to eat get caught,
lust as fast as the men could pull them
up, so the men would all get dyspepsia
and stop eating fish but these said they
were afraid their families would be lonesome
without them, and refused. Then the flying
fishes said that if the trunk fishes would aid
them they would try to help the matter, and
Neptune said that if the trunk fishes refused
to help they had better not let him hear of it.
Then the trunk fishes said they would only
be too delighted.
''As soon as it was dark the flying fishes
all assembled in front Of Neptune's palace
and met the trunk fishes, who were wait
ing for them. They swan to the top of
the water and each flying fish took a trunk
fish on his back and flew into the sky.
When they got there each trunk fish took
a piece of the blue sky and put it into his
trunk. Then the flying fishes flew down
again to the water and they all swan
down in Neptunes palace They got there
lust as Neptune was finishing breakfast.
He came out at once and as each trunk
fish took piece of blue sky out of
his trunk Neptune stirred it up until it
mixed with the water By the time the
last piece of blue sky was well stirred the
water had lost its clearness and trans
parency and had become blue just like the
skv. and no one could see through it
from above as before. The blue spread
all over the ocean and even up the rivers
and now all water is blue. Men stin
catch fish when they can, but it is much
harder for them than it used to be-"
nv the time the teacher had finished the
story Coralie was ready to drop, and if the
story had lasted much longer she would have
heen talked to death. She did not ask a
single question, but thanked the old herring
and as soon as she was able started back to
her home, thinking very hard.