River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-07-24


"Then the squire hurried home to
git gun.
Prudence says he, 'fishin' don't
seem to be jest what it's cracked up
to be. Eels interferes with it and
makes it wearin' on the nerves. So
I'm goin' a-huntin',' gays he.
"'Be you, squire?' says Prudence.
And what shall / fix the oven up fer
to COOKE says she.
"Ts roast crane anyways good?'
says the squire.
"T've heerd so,' says Prudence.
"Then git your oven ready to roast
a crane says the squire, and he went
a-huntin'.
when he got back to the river,
where he seen the crane, there it
was yet. standin' on one leg, waitin'
fer fish to come along and be took.
"Tt's goin' to be onfortunit for
you that you didn't go a-huntin' in
Std o. goin' a-fshin',' says the
squire, lookin' at the crane, but I'll
rid you of your Disappointment says
| he, and for doin' it I'll take my
thanks out in roastin' you.' says he.
''The squire sneaked up behind the
| bushes till he was pretty close to the
crane, and he blazed away. The
crane turned round and looked to'rd
the bushes where the squire was
scoorchin'. 1t seemed to be surprised
a little, and it riz up and sailed away
down the creek, slow and easy.
! ITO make this huntin' life what
il ought to be-, says the squire, gaz-
| in after the crane and griffin his
teeth, 4 s'pose I ought to take up
the trail o that crane and run down
! and plug him, but / amt a-goin' to.
I'm goin' home,' he says, and I'm go
in to fine myself three dollars for
contempt o. court, and stand com
mitted till it's paid!' he says.
"And the squire shouldered his gun
| and started home. Before he got
there he met Sile. Sile was on his
way to put out set line in the river.
"T've an idee,' says Sile to the
squire, that I kin git mebbe a
couple or three snappin' tortles on it
tonight says he, and there amt
nothin' that grows that's better than
snappin' tortle stew says he.
So I've heerd,' says the squire.
and he went home ponderin', and
| concluded to suspend sentence on
himself for awhile
Prudence says he, the sign
don't seem to be sot in the right
place to-day for roast crane, and so
I'm goin' to see what ] kin do by
| * oY in - 49,
line.
Bright and early next mornin' he
got up and went to the river to take
in the line and gether his snappin'
/ tortles. He want eXpectin' to see
what he did see, so he was most
knocked endways when he seen it.
! 'Danl,' says Ellis Sam, what the
! Squire seen was a big, long-legged
crane standing nigh the edge o. the
water, jest where the set line was
sOt.'
go, you pshaw!' says I to Ellis
Sam. Not the same crane?' / says.
Well says Ellis Sam, it amt me
that says it was or it wasn't. But
you kin listen to what the Squire
says, 'cordin' to what I heerd, and
then ledge fer yourself says he.
''When the Squire seen the big,
long-legged crane standin' there, so
Ellis Sam went on and told me, Con
sarn you'll he says to the crane,
'ain't you got enough yit of the
wearyin' disappointments O. fshin'?'
he says.
1.-THE crane didn't say whether it
had or not, but it riz up as if it was
goin' away, but came plunkin' back
into the water ag'in.
What's ailin' of you, anyhow
says the Squire, gittin' mad. 60
way and let me pull in them snappin'
tortles O mine!' he says.
"The crane riz up ag'in, but came
pIunl<in' back into the water, kerr
souse! Then the Squire picked up a
club. He whaclled the crane over the
head with it and laid the big bird
low.
"'Well,' says the Squire, 'the sign
for roast crane seems 10 be sot a
leetle better to-day than it was yis-
terday,' says he; but it's snappin'
tortle stew, not roast crane, that I'm
after now he says.
But he took hold of the crane and
went to pullin' it to the shore and
then he was jest more than fabber-
gasted The crane had swallowed
one o. the Squire's hooks, and the
reason it had swallowed the hook
was that a twopound eel was fast
| to the hook!
"And in the cells jaw was the hook
and piece O. fish line the eel had took
away from the Squire the day before.
And the reason the eel had gobbled
the set line hook that had give the
long-legged crane the chance to COB
BILE the eel was that big club had
gobbled the set line look first, and
then the eel had gobbled the club.
"'There right before the Squire's
eyes, says Ellis Sam, was the fool
club that had got away from him the
day before, and there was the un--
mitigated eel that had clum all over
him, tried to chaw him up and then
stole his hook and line And there
was the long-legged crane that had
jumped out o the way o. the Squire's
gun-all ketched on one hook.
"'There, DAHL says Ellis Sam.
The Squire has established a per-
cedent now, take it! Hain't hep
81 pondered a spell, and then l saws
to Ellis Sam:
~ don't know. Sam says /. I'll
have to see the Squire first and ask
him.
II amt seen the Squire yit. so /