Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1902-07-12
HOOKING
THE VETERAN
~ HE coming Of Mr.. Wyndham
to Terraceport made quite a

sOTteTS, tlreu OIL tue uuDUy COIupduy
IF the half-baked men, whom they out
numbered, as usual, would have
have p0unced upon Wyndham in a
body, but he had an air of genial
aloofness that stopped while 1t fascin-
ated them. Then he had boy--a big.
eyed. silent. old-fashicned lad Of ten,
who followed him like a spaniel and
avoided the other children Of the re-
sort. The pretty women Of marriage
able age and tendency decided that
Wyndham was married man. No
widower, they thought, could have re.
sisted them for whole week. But no.
body knew anything about him. He
was an enthusiastic fisherman, and at
,un-up each morning the boy and he
were down by the river for the early
BASS.
Old Mrs. Dawson, whose daughter
Chloe was the leading spirit Of the lit
lie community, being up with the rheu-
natism too early one morning, met him
and his boy in the orchard with their
:ackle and luncheon en- route to the
water.
Good mornin, sir" she said. "You're
aot going fishing?"
Eyes, Mrs. DAWSON" he said, with
,ut pausing, "we'll try it. anyway"
"But you won't catch anything, sir.
The men all tried for the first week,
sut they didn't have anything to show
'or their trouble"
"Oh, we'll do better than that,
na'am," he said, passing down the hill
with, "Shall send you bass for
oreakfast"
Eyes, Mr.. Wyndham, dare you"
And at breakfast an hour later she
told the story of Wyndham's vain jour.
ney. The men laughed and agreed
there were no fish in the Beechy River.
md that the newcomer would have his
sarly breakfast and his trouble for a
reward. But presently Bertha, the
waitress. brought in a smoking hot.
brOiled bass, and said:
'Thls is for you and your daughter,
Mrs. Dawson"
"For us?" cried Chloe, widening her
great blue eyes as she gazed ut the
beautiful dish, land did he bring 1t
Up himself?"
Nom. He sent Ernest, his boy. It's
the biggest ones been ketched here for
Jour summers, ever since l come"
And the men about who had whipped
he waters of the Beechy looked envi-
,usly at the three-pounder which Miss
Chloe apportioned for herself, her
mother and the ladies at table.
"This man Wyndham must be a fish,
.rman."
mo. no. Fishermen never have such
luck"
Hell quit when he finds that he
:aught the Oldest inhabitant."
"I'll bet his first shall be his last"
And they made light Of the stranger's
prowess because they didn't want to
see spoils laid like a trophy upon
Chloe's plate.
The next morning while Wyndham
and his boy were away Mrs. DAWSON
wandering about among the little
group Of cottages, saw that the stran.
gers screen door was ajar and the door
Itself wide open. I'll close 1t before
the flies swarm In" she thought. But
when she was at the threshold she
saw an empty envelope on the floor
She had no trouble in reading the ad
dress. 1t was Graham Wyndham
s51 Park Terrace. Town." Inside of q
week Mrs. Dawson knew all about
him; and so did Chloe. Being a self
confident, artless, garrulous girl, she
told everybody else and Wyndham's
popularity increased apace. He might
have been left to bis boy and his fish
Ing and his peace Of mind If he had
been married, OF poor or less handsome
to behold. But he was a widower
with but one child, great wealth and
surprising pulchrtude. Therefore
there were lawn fetes fixed up, picnics
planned and dozen less pretentious
feminine traps laid for his wary heart
But the handsome widower evaded
all these designing decoys. He spent
bis mornings by the river. read his
books and smoked in the solitudes al
afternoon, and went to bed with hi
son each night at .. He declined al
Invitations with impartial courtesy
until the women talked openly Of thell
mutual disappointments regarding him
He was so clocklke in his regularity
that the men began to sneer at hin
and lay wagers about his fishing ex
ploits. In two weeks including Sun
days, for he changed not his habit.
even then, he had never failed to pro
vide the late breakfasters with at leas
one fish. So that 1t became a practic,
Of the boarders to SO regard Wyndhan
that the men bet on the yield Of hi.
skill with the rod and the women mad,
sort of future book" on thell
chances Of booking his arst appearance,
In the little society circle Of Terrace
port.
He was knee deep in the water on,
morning, ready for far cast. when b,
heard Ernest, who was catching frog,
among the weeds, say "Mornin', Mis-
Chloe" and looking up. he saw on tn,
brink above him Miss Dawson her
self, her face like wild rose and he
hafr like a wild-blown aureole Of gold
What luck. Mr.. Wyndham?" Sh,
smiled as she said It. and he paused
gazing with astonlshed pleasure q
her radiant beauty.
mo luck till this instant, Miss Davl
son." he answered. CALAMITY. Z"
haven't had strike yet. You're dowl
early. aren't y0u?'
Eyes. early for me. But came dow
to tell you that Tompkins and Mr.. Ell
bridge have got big bet on you thi
morning. They're getting excited he
cause you haven't sent fish up yet
Mr.. Tompkins has. bet $40 that 70,
don't make good as he calls It. thi
morning, and the other man thinks yo,