Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1902-05-14
Why Fish Don't Bite In
Effnks0H.

eIrc dared to venture. A fow prOfs.
whose porspiratory glands had long
mnco ceased TO fuacton, might be
seen, an umbrella IN each hand,
vending their way along the shady
eide Of the buildings, toward their
class rooms. Even the old bell sat
perched up In the shade, lis tongue
Iolling out and it's checks burning
sith The heat. As there was snuth.
10 DOM ! concluded to go fishing.
l went. l asbod. Idshed on. !
didn't got bite. l sat for four
hours with that insane sun bearing
down on top Of my ears and the
back Of my neck like big man on
a grlndstone. What fort Why. l
was playing hooky from school and
having some funl
| drew up my hook to see ifauy-
thing had taken the bait (that was
the three hundred and twentieth
time) but no, the bait had not been
touched. II didn't look as IL Il had
even boen smelled OF. l was just
about to cast II In again TO enjoy
myself for another hour when some
one spoke behind me.
"Wbat are you doin'l"
"Fishin'i"
"Fishin'f"
"Yes.n
"Are you q tishin'l"
ayes, I'm a fshin'."
.You arer'
"Yes sir, | am"
$50 you're a fsbiu' are your are
you a ketchin' anytbIngf"
mo, haven't yot."
elbow long have you been herel"
Ever sluce dinner"
"Hunhl So you say you're fish.
in, do youi"
ayes, ] say I'm q fiIshin'."
"Well lemme tell you. You can
fish there till the sun goes down,
an the moon comes up an the
stars come out an the lightnin'
bugs come in fer all I care, and
you'll never get q bite in this world
nor the next
"Whyf Amt they any fish in
this creekin
Yes, dead oodIcs uv'm."
"WelI, can catch 'em thenl'
"No you can't
"Why can't IT.
Didn' you know this was Hink.
son creeki"
"Yes, what nv itF'
"Well, tell you.''
The speaker was a middle aged
farmer looking sort ofa fellow with
one of those favorite.with-all-the.
kinfolks faces on him that makes
him your friend and confident at
Eonce.
/ "You're a school man, guess
he continued, ''and I reckon you
know more about such things than
I do, but they say that in Nam
moth Cave the fish have no eyes
because they have swu m
around 10 the dark for SO many ages
that they have lost the use of Nv m;
| and that birds out on little islands
| in mid-ocean have no wings because
there amt room to use 'em.
"Well If you know anything
about Hinkson Creek you know ips
| ihe caookedest thing in all creation.
| heard streams called silver threads
Well, it seems to me that that name
fits purity we'll, an when they put
| Hinkson 10 they must got 1t all
tangled up an findin' they couldn't
DO anything with it, just got mad
and throwed it 10 full of knots and
tangles. Lots o. places in this creek
The water goin' down meets itself Q
comm back, an whirls an twists
around for a week or two before Il
finds out which direction it's &
goin' in.
aNow that's what's the matter
with the fish. They've whrled anc
an twisted an tangled around il
this creek for so long they haze
lost all the sense they eyer had
until It's become natural with 'em
Every fish in here now 10 bloom
IN idiot. They don't know any
thing-bave'nt even got sens
enough to bite hook
| pulled my linnen bat down owe
my sunburned ears and climbed th
bluff for home.-J. II. in NJ. s. U
Independent.
Patents Granted.
, tn Missouri invpntnrs this weatr