Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-10-16
Two Pickerel
Stories
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

would be willing to bet quite a little
that nobody had ever known or heard
Of such pckerel fishing through the ice
as his lake was just then turning out;
and Mike pendy, tintinnabulator of
the bell on the Rowland house cash
register took day off and went up to
Glenmere to- see whether it would be
safe o take Genes bet.
lie found that ii would not, and when
he came back he had such n mess of big
pickerel that if old Izaak Walton could
have seen it he would forthwith have
added chapter TO his book that would
have seemed exceedingly like a fish
story.
Farmer Fill Leonard, who lives OPP
posite Goose Pond mountain. and
knows when to swop horses and when
not to. counted the pickercl. Sixty
three. Pound and a half up to three
pounds they weighed out.
"Nicc lot" said Farmer Leonard.
Real nice lot. Fact is. if there was only
about n dozen more Of 'e1n. and they
ran from two pounds and a quarter to
five pounds and six ounces. they'd come
in pretty close second TO mess I
caught once in Niger pond"
Mike Pendy put his fish in the icebox
and slammed the door.
81 don't see what was to hinder you
going mp to Glenmere yourself and
taking Gene Cables bet!" said he
Didn't want his money" said Farm
er Leonard. THAT pound-anda-
ho1 of, inc ol
an appetite on him worse than hired
mans.
at was cold day, and was stamp
ing around on the ice to keep my feet
warm, when, dip down went one of
my tip-ups with so much vim that
knew we'd have % use the biggest drip
ping pan we had at home when we
baked the pickerel that was monkeying
with that line. and wasn't more than
the smallest space Of a stop-watch get
ting to that hole in the ice.
But before | got to it, zip, another
tiprup, not far from the first one, left
It's feet. and right after it third one
went up in the air.
'Ringbones a-humpin'n said I. IF
] land all three o. them piclerel I'll
have enough fish meat to last till
spring.
IL Crabbe the first line, and had a
fight, ! tell you. to land the pickcrel
that tuQeed at the other end of il, but
hauled him ND through the hole after
awhile. and ne came up fierce as an ALI
gator, and So big he actually scared me.
] didn't stopto size him mp, though, but
chuclief him on the ice and scooted for
the second hole.
II had a longer fish fight at that
hole to land my fish than had at the
first one, but he wasn't an inch bigger
THAI the other pickerel, so far as |
G. I'D see. in my haste TO get TO the
hind tir-up ard save that pickerel. too.
] + Id har Ter fight vet at that hole
than at either of the others, and by
the time had landed the picl<erel and
thrown him on TIE ice, I had to stop
and gasp for breath. for there wasn't
any breath left in me.
Il hadn't gasped great deal Of wind
into me, though. before it was all
knocked out of me again, for as |
locked back at the othe. two holes in
the ice where had left two slamninu
big uickerel foppinr NOT having evon
waited to take the hooks ont of their
months not a pickerel WAS to I've seen
Both tip-nps were down thourl
"'IU be everlasting = snaviped said
7. if them uiekerel bain't por. and
topped back inta the pond again
through them holes,'
But the tip-uns showed that thew
were on the lines vet and rot thor.
at q o.o2 clin Ivenked tho fret ricl,.
erel ont again. droDpcd him on the ice
tore to t'otber hole vanked tho nick.
ecel out Of that one and was inst stoon-
inc down 10 take him of the hoolk
when I glanced at the third hole
"Sav, most foil dead Thsro ,v,sr.,
any pickerel al tle third hole Ruttbe
tip-up had it's butt end in the mir
"I didn't wait. hurried othe third
hole vanl,ed the nickereI ont oooir
and reached down TO unbool him md
cbucl, hin, hack co tbot Ia oa,,l,I.,,.
Aon in tho nond again ,,bor s,u
something olecr. IrInucedattbeo+
or two holes M nickerel ,hor. T
didn't exnect tbore would ho
"rhe hooks Of all three Of those
tip-ups Of mine were IN the law oftbat
one biz pickerel He had come olono
with his Recommendations onnn
tite. the way | figured if ont ora hhod
l.,