River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-07-24
The Sqtaire's
Fish Story X
n I OW," said the man from the
~ Knob country. IF there was one

right from the shoulder, and jest MADE
percedents as he wanted 'em. So L
thought maybe the squire had been
dealin' out a little jestice to ELS Sam.
and as like as not maxim a new per-
cedent, and that Els Sam had thunk
up a yarn about the squire, and was
peddIin' it for spite. When he come
in and sort O. begun to interdoce it to
me, was all took back, and says:
Sam L says, you don't mean to
say sou
II had a pitcher o. cider on the table
pretty nigh the last o. the bari, but II
had wintered well and was partl lar
nice and snappy, and Ellis Sam had
come in and looked so pleadin' to,rd
the pitcher that / told him to soothe
himself with a little of what was IN
it, and he did.
Then he says to me that he s'posed
I'd heerd about the squire.
"'The squire?' l says.
ELLIS Sam says to me: Yes the
squire
81 says to him hadn't heerd nothln'
aboutthe squire. Whatwas there about
him?' / says, and Eli's Sam says:
'''He's been a-fishin'!'
"'Not the squirrel l says.
eyes, the squire, says ELS sam
And a-huntin', tool he says.
II was so took back that Els Sam
had most emptied the pitcher o cider
fore l come to.
eyes, / do mean to say SOL says
Ellis Sam, and he went on and told
me some o. the most amazin' doln's
that ever was done in the Knob coun-
try, and the squire the doer OF EN-,
at that.
"'Cordin' to the way it come to me
from Ellis Sam, the squire got up from
breakfast and says to his wife:
Prudence he says, I'm goin'
a-fshin''
prudence was jest turnin' pam
cake on the griddle, bakin' it for the
hired man, and she stood there, holdin'
it in the air on the turner, she was so
surprised, and she says;
"'A-fshin'? Why, what fer3 she
says.
"Fer fish, says the squire. That's
what folks goes a-fshin' fer, so I've
heerd,' says he.
There warn't no more said. The
sources wife went on with her pam
cake balxin'. The squire went over to
the river a-fshin',
"He fished and lie fished, but nOthin'
came along that way to bite at his
bait. The squire began to git consid-
cradle worked up, and he was on the
pint o. takin' himself into custody
goin' back and openin' court, and
he got a bite and hooked fish. 1t
was n big club.
1.-The club got loose as the squire
was raisin' it from the water, and it
dropped back in.
"The squire spit on his hook and
throwed in ag'in, because, from what
he had heerd about them durn fool
clubs, so Ellis Sam was tellin' me,
that un would more than likely grab
right holt of the hoog ag'in, and the
squire would yank him out sure next
time. The bait hadn't hardly sunk
down when the squire got another
slammin' good bite. He yanked and
socked the hook way into the bitter.
"'Any inconsider't' club that fools
with my hook twice. says he, is Jest
as good as sizzlin' in my fryin' pan!'
says be.
And then he yanked the fish out o.
the water.
"'He yanked it out, DanI,' says
Ellis Sam, tellin' me about it, and
he seen to wunst that it want the
club. The squire had ketched a two
pound eel
"Then, 'cordin' to Ellis Sam, the
squire sot his heart ag'in clubs, and
he says:
THAT'S the way to fish, he says.
You don't ketch me- he says, 'foolin'
my time away on no leather-snooted
clubs when 1 kin set and haul out
eels!' he says.
''Then the squire pulled in the
wrigglin' and squirmin' eel, and lift
in it out o the water, made a grab
fer its neck. He ketched it Jest be-
hind the ears, but before he could
exactly figger out how it was done.
the eel had clum up his arm and
made a twist or two around his neck,
and then went slidin' down his leg,
round and round it.
ut only stopped long enough to
sock a couple O. teeth into the
squire's thumb as he made another
grab fer it, and then wiggled back
into the river, takin' half o. the
squire's line along with him, the
half that had the hook onto it.
1.-The squire sot and pondered a
spell, and wrapped his han'kercher
round his thumb, which was hurtin
like Sam Hill. He was het up consid.
er'ble, and after ponderin' awhile he
got up and started home, dead sol
on openin' court and comm to iedg
ment on himself and establishin' 4
percedent that'd be percedent anC
no mistake, when what should he see
but a big, long-legged crane standin
in the water on one leg. watchin' fe1
a fish to come along and be took
The squire stopped and looked at the
crane a spell, and then he says tc
himself:
THAT crane is a-fishin', and fish
in is q delusion and a SNARE he says
That crane is bound to suffer weary
in Disappointment if it has sot out
to fish he says, and [ guess I'll &C
and git a gun and come back and put
the crane out o. the way O. the mis-
cry that's sure to be layin' in wait
for him if he's dependin' on fish.
I'D ought to gone a-huntin', any
GENTI EMANLY SPORT In 100