The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-03-15
The Joys Of BOyhOOd.
lie Caught the Trout and Lost It.
Thea Cried When He Found It.



oia-time newspaper man Just two. The
Hirst was when I caught the big brook
trout i had been after nearly all one
spring and lost il. Tae second was when
1 found 10 again. l think / cried harder
When fOuuG IL than when / lost IT,
" hen / was lV the Ioiks Wno had the
marking out or my destiny resolved that
the future would be OF small use TO ma
unless | was bound ont 10 learn the
printfrs trade. and bound out / WIS.
The printing office of which / thus be-
came an appu-teuance was IN way back
COUNTY seat town. wncrc there were trOut
streams and pbeasauts. as We called the
ruItlcd grouse iu those days. and rabbits,
and in rho spring and fall. pigeons SO
many that a hos who Couidn fetch IN
q back load Oft tne hucSwheat stumble IT
out Oi the beech woods any day during a
llEnt WASH considered OF much account
And if there was one thing / liked bet
ter tnan another IL was trout fishing.
IneTe was fun. Of course, setting your
RABBIT snares of an evening, aud suea6ing
I'D early IN the frosty November morn
lnRs. 20 see what the twitch-up on the
EoX-trdp had caught. and there was run
goinE cut with the old shotgun 20 catch
"a Pheasant on log, or to Dark MIN up
q tree bN Initiating dog or FOX. and
then popping nm over, or IN hlClng on the
CQEe Of the old bUCkwheat field and wait
Ing tor the Hook of wild pigeons. sitting
on the dead limb OF the old pine or hem
lock tree. 10 drOp down and huddte to-
EJthCr at their feeding i'm the stU5ble. and
then raking them lore and ara with the
zig charge OF bird shot. rammed hard,
so Il would scatter But to go out with
toe chestnut pole and the horse hair line,
and the tn mustard box OF tlsh worms
and seek the brook where the trout lurkeJ
that was the best Of all
AS a printers apprentice ] had thc
care OF the editorial baby, of which there
was ALWAYS one IN the house. the editorial
coW. aud the editorial horse. also
made the editorial garden in the spring,
weeded &C. and noed 1t during the summer.
and dug the potatoes, cut the cabbage AID
pulled the Deets ana tuTuius in the fail.
Besides incidentally seeing that the hired
gIrl had plenty OF water on wash days,
which said water 7 lifted from well
eighty feet deep with the help Of an Old
OaEen bucket and a winGl2ss-
The editor also had a small farm
couple OF miles from town where /
I dropped corn and covered II in the plant
ing season. helped put in the potatoes, and
I during harvest carried the jug for the
/ harvest hands / likewise gathered the
apples in the fan and helped tnresh the
b.u.kWheat. Evenings by the light OF two
| toliow candles l distributed ri ana washed
of and pLt away the wood type they had
| been using during the day at the Office
printing vendue bills.
These daily and evening Dastimes Of
mine the editor ard his FAMILY held were
recreation quite sufficient for me, having
QQt IeE4IA ana Stttt.lAAtttE lNi IVY itaealNti
and so If I ever got into the woods or on
the rabbit barrens or along the trout
brock l had simply 20 DEFY All conse-
quences and set there against orders
NO matter how fI1e q string or trout
l brought H. or Whatever OF a Deg OF
phcasants. pigeons or rabbits [ turned up
at home with, ! invariably got my jacket
well warmed by the no means light
editorial hand. or by the hand Of Mrs.
Editor. But they always ate the trout
and the game.
There was one thing I loved that
editorial farm for. and that was because
Z the best trout streams that ever lay out
J doors ran through IT, I am keeping TAR
/ within bounds when / say that 1 never
went dragging nome in those bOyho0d
/ DAYS. after a day Of stolen pleasure on
that stream. with X string OF trout thdt
/ had not twO-pcunders more than one.
/ upOn it, and a pound trout was no more
I for that brook in those days than quar-
ter pound one would be now in the best
( streams I know of.
But one spring 7 got hold Of trout
I that was bigger Yet than any trout mad
ever caught or seen even in that rare
I brook He got away. but / knew where
/ he lived. / knew that be would not Tor
sake that deep hole in the shadow of the
/ old log bridge. into which the brook
/ brought constantly from above the nest
/ Of dainties for that big trout, and plenty
/ of them. So I kept mum and campaigned
I for that boss OF the brook.
/ Weeks went by and I had passed un-
/ der the Christening rod at home many
/ times for being absent on eTrandS con
/ nected with the possible undOing OF that
/ trout but still ne defied me. I had tried
everything in the way of bats known
| and had essayed to tempt the old fellow
I by new and unheard of lures. But ne
/ laughed me to Sc0rn.
.'The log bridge crossed the creek in q
meadow. and the deep hole in which the
| big trout lived was at the upper side OF It.
I large rock breaking the current OF tde
( brook lust above and forcing the water
around II in swirl that left an ever
I present crest of foam on the pool, cream
/ colored and moving here and there on
| the surface as the water eddled or
/ whirled.
zone day. after a long siege Of the trout.
I was walking away heartsore and de
I spondent and had stepped upon the
I bridge. when a little green snake, so lit
/ tie in fact. that it was not much larger
Z than some OF the fish worms I had in my
! mustard box. went wriggling along Tie
guard log OF the bridge An idea came
Here was morsel for the most cpl
/ curean trout. I would try It on the veE-
/ atfOus and obstinate big fellow that lay
] beneath there in that fOam-CreStcd pool
/ I captured the little snake. went back
! to the bank of the creek ana placed the
/ novel bait carefully and artistically on
/ my hook. The pole 1 had was a stiff
!
/ hair the hairs for which I had twitched
/ out Of the editorial horses tail and braid
! ed myself.
with wildly beating heart and a
4 trembling hand ] dropped that wiggling,
! comforting bait lightly upon the tossing
( foam. Instantly that crest of foam was
! broken into a hundred bits that went
: flying in all directions over the pool until
Z il was flecked thick with them. The
1 green snake mad beguiled the wise Old
! trout, and my hook was in his Jaw al
I last.
"Wildly and without delay. so com
I pletely had I lost my head, I gave yanB
I that would have lifted sturgeon from
/ the deep. The stiff pole and the stout
/ line responded to the yank. and the trout
I big as he was. came out OF the water
{ with n swish and went sailing away
through the air behind me, Tar back III
! the meadow where the grass was knee
/ deep and thick as the wool on a sheep
/ back. The force of my effort expended
itself on me, and 1 tumbled backward tc
the ground.
! no time in hurrying back 90 secure my
I prize. so long sought and mine at last
/ But 1 couldn't find it. I hunted every
! where about in that lush grass, but tbs
/ trout vas lost.
at was then I gave my heart 10 lam.
! entation. I lay down and cried and
/ s0bbed and cried until every foUnt was
Z dry. and l moved my steps homewarc
/ the most wretched mortal that ever lived
I l guess.
.5Bayonet points thrust into me as pun
Z ishment that day couldn't have hurt me
I ] was past ali hurting. But I tod the
| editor what I had caught and lost. and
Mr.. Editor gave ne on extra warning
/ for lying.
we never cut our hay in that part OF
/ the country until late in the summer
! sometimes as late as the end of August
/ and we went at ii unusually late thai
| season. / was toting the jug to a mowel
I who had come to a bunch in the meadow
I that was thicker and taller and greeDeI
I than the grass was anywhere else in tbs
[ field.
He Was wondering what could nave
I caused it a. I came up with the pig. auC
he swung his scythe through Che notice
I able bunch Of grass. and there at thu
! rnats Of N laE !. narracr sEelarnn ~ z