Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-03-10
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
A HINT TO
A BOASTER
IOriGinal.l


between him and his frieDds but Dicks
experiencesOvertoppe those of any 9th
er one of the party. At gathering ono
evening he told how he had during the
previous summer taken more weakfish
on the New Jersey coast than any man
of his party and during the autumn
following had killed more deer in the
Adirondacks than any of his fellow
companions.
What can we do to stop this boast
ing?" said Stephen Burd to Phil Went
worth, Il Cornell man who was fitting
himself to be Il mechanical and cleo
trical engineer.
81 think 1 have n plan" replied
Wentworth. Leave him to me.
Dick" he said. H'did you ever fish for
piclerel in Amber lake,"
Ibid L? Last summer l landed fifty
pounds in an.hour and forty-three min
utes.''
They're gamy. You can't land all
you take"
81 can land five out of every six get
on my hook"
That's a big average. 1 think 1 can
do pretty well at landing picl;erel, but
don't know that 1 could average up
to that"
Wentworth winked at Burd. who
plainly understood that he was 10 trap
| Spier into n contest.
"Dick," said Burd. "I'll bet you n
cent that Phil Wentworth can land
more pickerel on Amber lake I'm given
space of time than you can"
why not make it champagne sup
PERI" said Spier.
I'm opposed to betting for stakes of
value"
The next Saturday afternoon the par
" were in a fishing boat on Amber
lake. They began at . o'clock, and the
match was to last till 4. The man who
lost the most fish off his line was to be
the loser. Spier caught three fish and
landed them all. Then he hooked a
pickerel and lost it Wentworth hooked
one and landed it. About this time the
pickerel came in such quantities that
either of the contestants had but to
throw in his line to hook a fish. Spier
lost one out of every three. while
Wentworth landed every fish he HOOK
ed. The fish fought nobly for their
| lives, but just as those on Wentworth's
hook seemed about TO get away they
would suddenly turn over and cease to
struggle.
Whats the matter with you, Dick ?"
cried Burd. Seems to me you're not
handling them with your usual skill.
You're not going to land fifty pounds
in an hour and forty-three minutes this
time"
I'm landing enc in six now, and any
expert fisherman will tell you that's
first rate average"
But Phil is landing every one he
hooks. How do you do it, Phil?"
Science" replied Wentworth.
'Science!" exclaimed his disgruntled
opponent. 81 believe you haye some
way of bewitching the fish,
What kind of reel is that you're
using, Wentworth" asked one of the
party.
lone of my own invention"
As he spoke a pickerel took his hook
and ran away with it, bending the pole
to letter U.
That's n strong line of yours" said
Spier. disappointed that it did not
break.
The fish struggled fiercely and at last
broke the pole, the only weak part of
the tackle. All expected to see him get
away, when suddenly, like his brothers,
he was landed.
"Give it up, Dick said Burd.
you've lost five fish, and Wentworth
hasn't lost one"
I've landed the average, and Went
worth has worked a miracle. However,
I'm beaten. and / insist ON paying for
the supper"
You haven't lost supper" put in
Wentworth.
"All want to know" said Spicr, sis
whether you landed those picllerel sci
entifically or whether there was some
trick about it,"
Il give you my word it was by pure
science
The party retired to the Rod and Gun
club. where supper was ordered, it
being agreed that which of the contest
ants should pay for it was to be decid-
ed by vote of the party. When the fes-
tivities were at their height, Burd rap
ped for silence and asked Wentworth
how he managed to land so many pick
erel
"'If Spier will consent to play fish,"
replied Wentworth. "I'll give him q
practical demonstration"
''AlI right" said Spier. go ahead"
Calling for his rod and line. Went
worth filed the point of the hook blunt
and tossed the hook across the table
to Spier.
Put it in your mouth" he said.
Spier did us he was bid. Wentworth
pressed his thumb on certain spot of |
the pole just below the reel. whereupon
Spier gave yell. seized the hook and
took il out of his mouth in hurry.
What does 1T all meanT' cried sever
al at once.
1T means this" said Wentworth. !
''This reel contains a galvanic battery. |
My line is Il fine steel wire, very fieXi-
BILE and strong enough to bear a twenty |
pound Jerk Whom I GOT my fish hOOlS-